2023
Infectious illness tracking app among UCC research receiving funding
- UniHealth, builds on the successful UniCoV project which provided effective rapid testing and surveillance systems within Ireland’s third-level sector during the pandemic.
- A project to develop air quality forecasts in Cork also funded.
A system that provides real-time information on University campus infectious threats, a project to develop air quality forecasts and research to assist Ireland in its green transition are among the University College Cork (UCC) projects that have received funding today through Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) National Challenge Fund.
UniHealth, builds on the successful UniCoV project which provided effective rapid testing and surveillance systems within Ireland’s third-level sector during the pandemic. UCC had the highest participation of students and staff in this rapid detection system. Now, UniHealth, led by Dr John MacSharry, Professor Ciara Heavin and Dr Michael Byrne at UCC, has received funding through the National Challenge Fund to take what has been learned from the success of UniCoV and bring health benefits to a national level. UniHealth will provide a scalable model which can be implemented in other organisations for rapid and comprehensive crisis prediction and response.
"We had many learnings from the pandemic and now UniHealth will be developed to provide another layer to keep people safe from infectious diseases" stated Dr John MacSharry. "There is a large community at UCC that has worked hard on this project, together with wonderful support from the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Breda Smyth, infectious disease expert Professor Mary Horgan and UniCov colleagues."
Funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, the National Challenge Fund calls on researchers to identify problems related to Ireland’s Green Transition and Digital Transformation and work with those directly affected to solve them. “These teams have presented ingenious ideas and committed their talents to working for the benefit of the people of Ireland” stated Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD at the launch today.
Professor John F. Cryan, UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation said: "Congratulations to the UCC research teams on their National Challenge Fund awards. These awards address problems related to Ireland’s green transition and digital transformation. The interdisciplinary team approach to solving major environmental and societal issues aligns with our UCC Futures initiative to secure a better future for all."
In total UCC received €630,000 in funding with the other projects including:
| Project | Summary |
|---|---|
| BEHAV-I-AIR – Dr Marica Cassarino (School of Applied Psychology), Dr Dean Venables (School of Chemistry) and Dr Kevin Ryan (Cork City Council, Societal Impact Champion) | A project to develop air quality forecasts in Cork and work with community groups to co-create engaging and effective air quality messages to encourage healthy behaviours and reduce public risk of exposure to dirty air. |
| EMERGE - Dr Kunwar Paritosh (MaREI centre for energy, climate and the marine at the Environmental Research Institute), Dr Archishman Bose (MaREI centre and the School of Engineering and Architecture, UCC) and Dr James Browne (Irish Distillers Limited, Societal Impact Champion) | This project will be performed in collaboration with Irish Distillers Limited, aims to develop a novel engineered bio-based functional material (pyrochar/hydrochar) from the effluent of an anaerobic digester (AD) processing distillery by-products and from used distillery barrels. |
| Eirblade - Dr Vesna Jaksic (lead applicant, MTU) and Dr Paul Leahy (co-lead applicant, School of Engineering and Architecture and MaREI, UCC) | This project will assist in accelerating Ireland’s transition to a secure and clean energy system. |
| RECONNECT - Professor Mark Roantree (lead, DCU) and Professor Patricia Kearney (co-lead applicant, School of Public Health, UCC). | This project will examine Chronic disease: discovery, analysis and predictive modelling. |
| Dr Cemalettin Ozturk (Lead Applicant, MTU) and Professor Barry O’Sullivan (co-lead applicant, School of Computer Science and Information Technology, UCC). | Deep Learning based Transferrable Supply Chain Stress Test. |