A healthcare study conducted in three of Ireland’s acute hospitals found that targeted staffing interventions can improve work environments and job satisfaction for nurses and offers a potential solution to the ongoing challenges of nurse turnover and shortages.

Innovative approaches in cancer diagnosis and the treatment of advanced cancers are the two University College Cork (UCC) projects to receive funding under the 2024 Research Ireland Industry Research, Development, and Innovation Fellowships (IRDIF) Programme. 

Researchers have found that a newly developed diet inspired by the eating habits of non-industrialised societies can significantly reduce the risk of a number of chronic diseases – and are to share recipes with the public.

• Tom Hall, Eithne Ní Chatháin and Ellen Dillon announced as recipients of 2025 Artist in Residence awards.
• The longstanding Arts Council and UCC partnership reflects the diversity and richness of Ireland’s creative landscape.

The oldest all-Ireland soccer competition is to be hosted on Leeside this year, as University College Cork has been announced as hosts of the 104^th Irish Universities Football Union (IUFU) Collingwood Cup.

• Dr Aaron Lim named as Early Career Researcher of the Year.
• Dr Luiza Wasiewska is the top ranked scholar in the Government of Ireland postdoctoral fellowship call in 2024 and receives the Thomas Mitchell Medal of Excellence.
• The awards celebrate the best of IRC-funded researchers deemed to have made highly significant and valuable contributions to knowledge, society, culture, and innovation.

The oldest University Press in Ireland, Cork University Press, celebrates its 100th birthday this year and the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, was presented with one of its landmark publications at a special event in Áras an Uachtaráin this week.

UCC and the Mardyke Arena have launched a safety campaign to encourage greater visibility on our roads this winter.

As part of our Be Safe Be Seen campaign, free high visibility vests and lights will be given out at UCC’s Mardyke Arena on Tuesday (14th) and Wednesday (15th) January between 5.30pm – 7.30pm on both days. 

• New UCC study shows how digital tools shaped Irish mourning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The integration of digital media into everyday living has affected mourning in Ireland.
• Traditional Irish mourning rituals remain strongly established in social and community aspects, but technology now plays an important and accepted role.

Can the food we eat really make us smarter? Is food processing a problem or a solution? Can science help us improve our understanding of ancient Irish manuscripts? What happened when science went wrong during the darkest moments in humanity?

These and a variety of other questions are to be answered in a series of accessible lectures on science’s role in society, which will be hosted in University College Cork over the coming weeks.