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UCC researchers receive major funding awards under the HEA North-South Research Programme
The development of an all-island research hub for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and protecting the operation of critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks are the two major projects that University College Cork (UCC) researchers will lead and partner on through the North-South Research Programme (NSRP).
PD-Life and CyberUnite are two of the four major cross-border research collaborations between higher education institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland to each receive €4m in funding through the NSRP and administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). These projects were chosen following a highly competitive process involving 131 applications from 17 higher education institutions, evaluated by international experts.
The first all-island research hub for Parkinson’s disease
PD is the world’s fastest-growing brain disease. It affects 19,200 people across all of Ireland and is expected to double by 2050. Led by Professor Suzanne Timmons, Head of the Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation in the School of Medicine at UCC, the PD-Life project has received €4m to create the first all-island PD research hub, through an all-Ireland, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional approach, and will significantly enhance the wellbeing and quality of life for people living with PD.
The PD research hub will build on existing research skills and knowledge across three linked projects, shaped by the key priorities for people with PD, and by global research priorities:
- Stigma - looking at how facial expression and speech problems affect others’ opinions.
- Mental Health - looking at unmet needs, how people cope, and how it affects healthy-living choices.
- Physical Activity - helping people with PD to start and continue exercise and dance, and examining how this affects health.
The PD research hub will bring together researchers from six third level institutions and research institutes (UCC, Tyndall National Institute, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster), healthcare partners, and PD support organisations such as Parkinson’s Ireland and the Parkinson’s UK Northern Ireland branch.
Lead researcher Professor Suzanne Timmons said: "This research will raise public awareness of PD and reduce stigma and misunderstandings. It will produce key evidence and resources to be used for policy and clinical practice to improve the quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s. Together, we aim to make Ireland an excellent location for world-leading Parkinson’s research and for people living with PD."
Securing critical infrastructure from cyber attacks
Professor Utz Roedig, School of Computer Science and Information Technology at UCC, will partner with researchers at University of Limerick, Munster Technological University, Queen’s University Belfast and Gas Networks Ireland on the €4m CyberUnite project (Adaptive Resilient Security for Cross-Border Critical Infrastructure).
Professor Utz Roedig The project is co-led by Professor Donna O’Shea of the School of Engineering at University of Limerick and Dr. Kieran McLaughlin of Queen’s University Belfast’s Centre for Secure Information Technologies and will aim to secure cross-border critical infrastructure by advancing resilient and adaptive cybersecurity for social and economic systems.
CyberUnite will focus on achieving a rapid all-island, coordinated development of novel and transformative cybersecurity solutions so that key sectors of our shared economy can protect their operations against cyber-attacks.
"This project is an important milestone for the cybersecurity research community, enabling research collaboration across Ireland. We rely on IT systems in our daily life, and we must be able to defend these critical infrastructures against cyber-attacks. This project will provide building blocks required to secure our digital infrastructure," said Professor Roedig.
The NSRP investment is a key pillar of the Government’s Shared Island strategy, advancing an all-island research agenda that strengthens cross-border ties and delivers real, lasting impact for communities across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD said: "Deepening cooperation between higher education institutions and researchers on a cross-border basis to conduct research of economic and social benefit to the whole island is a key priority of the Government’s Shared Island Initiative. I am very pleased to see the Higher Education Authority in this second round of the programme enabling four major new institutional cross-border research partnerships with this focus."
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD said: "Since my appointment, I have actively engaged in strengthening North-South collaborations between higher-education and research institutions. This announcement is a clear demonstration of the potential we unlock when we work together at scale."
Professor John F. Cryan, Vice President for Research and Innovation at UCC said: "Congratulations to Professors Suzanne Timmons and Utz Roedig on leading and partnering in two critical all-island research projects that will deliver on key societal and healthcare challenges for the people of Ireland. The North South Research Programme is a unique funding mechanism that supports research collaboration across all disciplines on an all-island basis, and I look forward to seeing the outputs and impact that these projects will deliver."