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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 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 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 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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Research Centres and Facilities
The Institute has four research centres conducting fundamental and applied research to generate new knowledge for, and solutions to, specific environmental challenges
Centre for research into atmospheric chemistry (CRAC)
CRAC is a leading national centre for atmospheric chemistry research carrying out laboratory, field and modelling studies to support clean air quality.
The research activity of CRAC is wide-ranging and encompasses laboratory, field and modelling studies. Three main areas of investigation are undertaken as follows:
- Laboratory simulations of homogeneous and heterogeneous chemistry relevant to the atmosphere.
- Linking urban field measurements of particulate matter (PM) and bioaerosols to their chemical analysis and effects on health and climate change.
- Development of new instrumental approaches for atmospheric analysis.
Many sources of funding have been secured by CRAC since its inception including SFI, EPA, IRCSET, EU Marie Curie Programme, Cork City Council and local industry. The research performed is described in more detail on other web-pages on this site. We also have a commitment to undergraduate and outreach activities.
Our Laboratories
CRAC labs are sited in the both Basement (B1) of the Kane Building UCC and also on the top-floor of the Ellen Hutchins Building.
Centre Directors
Find out more about CRAC »
MaREI, the Research Ireland Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine
MaREI is a key research centre within the Sustainability Institute which is an internationally recognised Institute for environmental research dedicated to the understanding and protection of our natural environment and to developing innovative technologies, tools and services to facilitate a transformation to a zero carbon and resource-efficient society.
MaREI, the Research Ireland Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine comprises of 220+ internationally recognised experts in energy, climate and marine from 13 Institutional Partners (University College Cork, Dublin city University, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Economic & Social Research Institute, Munster Technological University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Technological University Dublin, Tyndall National Institute, University of Galway, University of Limerick) and 109 industry partners with the shared mission of solving the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges across the climate, energy and marine spaces.
MaREI’s strengths lie in the multi-disciplinary nature of its research teams, allowing it to combine insights across areas such as MRE Technologies, Materials & Structures, Observations & Operations, Coastal & Marine Systems, Bioenergy, Energy Policy & Modelling and Renewable Energy Management and the Centre has a key focus on capacity building, training the leaders of tomorrow through our PhD and post-doctoral training programmes.
Centre for law and the environment (CLE)
The Centre for Law and the Environment at University College Cork (UCC) draws together our research, teaching and policy work relating to law and the environment. Based in the School of Law, the Centre supports and promotes a wide range of high-impact research activity in Environmental, Marine, Climate, Energy and Natural Resources Law. While the Centre is rooted firmly in the discipline of Law, it is engaged in significant interdisciplinary research collaborations and extensive outreach and advocacy activity.
Contemporary developments in the field of environmental human rights law, and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, inform the Centre’s activities. Identifying, developing and promoting innovative legal and policy responses to the climate challenge is a significant focus for the Centre.
The Centre for Law and Environment carries out high-impact research within the field of environmental, marine, climate, energy and natural resources law providing a platform for broad legal and interdisciplinary collaboration within and beyond UCC.
Centre Directors
Prof Owen McIntyre o.mcintyre@ucc.ie and Prof Aine Ryall a.ryall@ucc.ie
Find out more about CLE »
Cleaner production promotion unit (CPPU)
Established in 1992, the Cleaner Production Promotion Unit is a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research group based in UCC’s School of Engineering and an affiliate centre of the university’s Sustainability Institute. The group conducts engaged research focused on the theme of society, sustainability and energy.
The inter-disciplinarity of its research is greatly facilitated by the diverse academic background of its staff and research associates, which includes sociology, human geography, psychology, political science, architecture, environmental science and engineering.
Centre Director
Dr Niall Dunphy n.dunphy@ucc.ie
Find out more about CPPU »
Lir national ocean test facility
Lir is Ireland’s National Ocean Test Facility (“NOTF”) which is an internationally renowned centre for excellence.
Lir NOTF houses Ireland’s only infrastructure for small to medium scale laboratory testing of ocean and maritime systems, and has expert support personnel and a track record stretching back to 1977.
Lir NOTF engages with industry and researchers to support the development of these emerging technologies.
Reputed for contributions to wave, tidal and offshore wind energy development. Lir is also known for work with floating structures, offshore structures, coastal engineering including breakwaters and harbours, hydrodynamics, scour, vessels and offshore logistics.
Centre Director
Dr. Jimmy Murphy jimmy.murphy@ucc.ie
Bioenergy and Biofuels laboratory
The Bioenergy and Biofuels research group operates a reactor lab for anaerobic digestion experiments and a chemical lab for analyses of biomass feedstock characteristics and process parameters. The group focus on renewable gaseous biofuel production (biohydrogen and biomethane) from 2nd generation biofuel substrates such as wastes, agricultural residues and lignocellulosic energy crops, and 3rd generation biofuel substrates such as macro-algae (seaweed) and micro-algae.
Research covers biological and thermochemical bioenergy pathways. The group investigates a range of digestion applications at lab scale including for innovative technologies such as Power to Gas, demand driven biogas and novel biogas upgrading technologies.
Our buildings
Our researchers and facilities are located in state-of-art buildings and locations across University College Cork campuses. Select a building to find out more about each:
Explore our locations »
