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Researching Sustainability

UCC is committed to utilising our world class research in a way that will demonstrate best practice solutions to sustainable development challenges. 

Research credentials

Our sustainability research impact stetches back to Sir Robert Kane, a renowned chemist and first President of UCC (then called Queen’s College, Cork) who first quantified the significant renewable energy potential of Ireland’s rivers in 1844. This analysis underpinned the Government decision in the 1924 to develop the Shannon hydro scheme at Ardnacrusha establishing a near zero emissions power system in Ireland three years after the foundation of the State.

In the year 2000, UCC consolidated its research in sustainability across many disciplines through the establishment of the Environmental Research Institute (ERI). The ERI became the Sustainability Institute in 2025, with over 600 researchers drawn from 24 Schools and all four Colleges within UCC, including hosting the national SFI MaREI research centre.

A key focus of our research in sustainability is to leverage the scientific excellence from across the range of academic disciplines to deliver significant societal impact. These disciplines include (but are not limited to) different branches of biological and physical sciences, engineering, sociology, law, politics and business.

 

2000 - 2009 The 2000's

2000 Environmental Institute established

2005 1st Masters in Sustainable Energy in Ireland

2007 Students raise concern about waste management on campus

Green campus pilot launched with An Taisce

2010 - 2019 The 2010's

2010 1st university in the world be awarded the Green Flag

UI Green Metric ranked #2, 1st HEI globally to achieve ISO S00001 for energy management

2013 Green Forum established

MAREI research centre established

2016 UCC sustainability strategy launched

UWM sustainability piloted

2017 Sustainability officer role created

Love our library launched

2018 1st university outside North America to be awarded STARS gold

Plastic-Free UCC campaign launched

2019 9th globally in the UI Green Metric ranking

Living Laboratory launched

2020 - 2029 The 2020's

2020 10 years

The HEA Human Capital Initiative, Sustainable Futures Launch, SDG Toolkit developed

2021 Official observer status at COP26

Times Higher Education Impact #8 in world against SDGs

2022 Office of Climate Action and Sustainability established

International Green Gown award 2023 - Global Sustainability institution of the year

2024 Associate VP in Sustainability established

Sustainability and climate action plan launched; SDSN Ireland established; Plastic-Free catering introduced

2024 5th An Taisce Green Flag Award

EAUC Sustainability institution of the year

2025 Sustainability Institute launched

Spotlight on our Challenges

Healthy Environment - Cork City Air Quality Dashboard

Displaying real-time air quality data at various locations across Cork city, so that vulnerable residents can avoid certain areas of high pollution.

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Circular Economy - NEWTRIENTS

Revolutionising how wastewater is treated by using a pioneering cascading system for valorisation of dairy wastewater, based on circular economy principles.

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Climate Action - CAPACITY

Developing energy modelling tools to facilitate insights and robust policy decisions about the appropriate long-term decarbonisation pathway for Ireland.

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Spotlight on our Platforms

Environment - Going Feral

Exploring how escaped domesticated Atlantic salmon evolve in the wild, using genomic tools to uncover “reverse domestication” and its impact on biodiversity, evolution, and conservation.

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Energy - Atlanticfloat

Making floating wind farms work in the harsh North Atlantic by improving platform and mooring designs to ensure safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation off Ireland’s coast.

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Materials - REVEIRE

Demonstrating the value of Irish wool as a sustainable and renewable resource, moving it from a "waste farm product" to a valuable component of a circular bioeconomy.

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Food - FOODPATH

Exploring why poorer and more marginalised people tend to have less healthy diets, and what can be done to address this inequality.

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Marine - TRIDENT

Creating a reliable, transparent, and cost-effective system for real-time monitoring of deep-sea mining impacts.

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Sustainability at UCC

Inbhuanaitheact i COC

  • Professor Brian O'Gallachóir, Associate Vice President for Sustainability and Climate Action
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