Latest News
UNIC Engaged Research Showcase
Engaged research projects from across University College Cork were presented in a special showcase event on campus on November 25th, 2024.
Supported by the UNIC For Engaged Research Initiative (UNIC4ER), the projects are being carried out by researchers from across the four Colleges and ACE in close collaboration with Cork City Council and community partners.
UNIC4ER has enabled 160 projects and 50 cross-European collaborations across the UNIC Alliance, paving the way for universities to embed impactful engaged research that is progressed in collaboration with societal partners and to develop innovative solutions to urban challenges.
The UCC research projects addressed societal challenges in the areas of social inclusion and sustainability, which are key priorities for Cork City's Local Economic and Community Plan and the City Development Plan. For example, social inclusion was addressed through projects that mapped community sports offerings for young people with disabilities in Cork and Bilbao (PA4Inclusion), explored the barriers to education for migrant populations (MiEd C&E), and developed methods for including the voice and perspectives of Irish Travellers in the Irish Judicial System (Traveller Court Support Initiative), to name just a few. Most of the projects included collaboration with UNIC Alliance partners across Europe. See the full list of projects.
Prof. John Cryan, Vice President for Research in UCC, said: "This initiative forms a very important part of our University Strategy in UCC: a leading goal in our strategic plan is to transform our research culture through the implementation of engaged research which includes the highest standards of openness, integrity, ethical and responsible practice."
UNIC4ER focused on building higher education capacity for Engaged Research and developing professional support processes to enable socially inclusive, impactful research across Europe. Supported by Horizon 2020 SWAfS (Science with and for Society), the local PIs Dr Martin Galvin (OVPRI), Dr David O’Connell (OVPRI) and Dr Jean van Sinderen-Law (UNIC Office) worked with colleagues across the university and with a wider leadership team including Dr John Barimo and Ciara O’Halloran.