UCC Lead Groundbreaking All-Island Mental Health Research Network

27 Jan 2026

Researchers from UCC and the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) are central to a transformative €3 million national investment in mental health research.

The Health Research Board (HRB) funding will set up CO-PRIME (Co-producing and Promoting Research & Innovation in Mental Health) – the first all-island collaborative research network in mental health – and will also support ten targeted research projects focused on underserved groups.

CO-PRIME, which will receive €1 million over five years, is co-led by Dr Eve Griffin, CEO of the NSRF and Adjunct Professor with UCC’s School of Public Health, alongside Professor Sinead McGilloway of Maynooth University and Professor Brian McGuire from the University of Galway. The initiative aims to reshape how mental health research is conducted and used across the island of Ireland by bringing together people with lived experience, researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and community-based organisations in a single, coordinated effort.  

The network consists of 58 co-applicants, 11 of whom are from UCC:     

• Dr Eve Griffin (NSRF/School of Public Health) 
• Dr Grace Cully (NSRF) 
• Dr Michelle O’Driscoll (School of Pharmacy/NSRF) 
• Dr James O’Mahony (School of Nursing) 
• Dr Johnny Goodwin (School of Nursing) 
• Dr Maria O’Malley (School of Nursing) 
• Ryan Biskupovic-Goulding (School of Nursing) 
• Professor Frances Shiely (School of Public Health/HRB Clinical Research Facility) 
• Dr Karen Matvienko-Sikar (School of Public Health) 
• Dr Elizabeth O’Donnell (Department of General Practice) 
• Dr Vanessa Rutherford (School of Education)

Several additional collaborators from UCC are involved in the network, representing School of Public Health, School of Applied Social Studies, Business Informations Systems, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, School of Pharmacy, Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation, of Psychiatry, School of Applied Psychology and the School of Clinical Therapies  

Collaboration and Improved Outcomes  
‘Our ambition is to shape a collective vision for mental health research that is aligned with national and international priorities, in particular Sharing the Vision and the new National Mental Health Research Strategy. Together, our Network will create a community to influence and foster collaborative approaches to ensure that mental health policy is evidence-based and will improve outcomes for everyone,’ says Dr Eve Griffin.

In a related strand of the same HRB investment, UCC secured funding for a project addressing a pressing need in primary care. Professor Emma Wallace from the Department of General Practice in the School of Medicine has been awarded an Applied Partnership Award (APA) for her project: ‘Enabling General Practitioners to Develop an Extended Role in Adult ADHD Diagnosis and Management in Primary Care.’ This project, conducted in partnership with Dr Aoife O’Sullivan of the Irish College of General Practitioners, exemplifies the HRB’s focus on practical, implementable research that will improve lives.  

 A Commitment to Future Health 
These dual successes underscore UCC’s leading role in advancing the national mental health research agenda. The projects align with key recommendations of the National Mental Health Research Strategy and UCC’s own FUTURES initiatives, particularly in building a more responsive and equitable health system.

Professor Helen Whelton, Head of the College of Medicine and Health, extended her congratulations: ‘This significant achievement highlights the exceptional talent and collaborative spirit of our researchers. Their work is crucial in shaping the future of mental healthcare in Ireland.’

The HRB’s dedicated mental health research budget has tripled since 2022, reflecting a strengthened governmental commitment to evidence-based mental health policy.

For more information on the CO-PRIME network, visit the HRB announcement here.