Early career researchers receive prestigious awards to support enterprise-engaged research
Nine University College Cork (UCC) early career researchers have been awarded postgraduate research scholarships through the Research Ireland Enterprise Partnership Scheme.
Through this co-funded model, the postgraduate researchers will gain valuable experience in applying their expertise beyond academia, while enterprise partners benefit from fresh perspectives and innovative solutions aligned with their goals.
Distinct enterprise partners are involved in this year’s scheme, and range from multinational corporations to indigenous SMEs, public-sector agencies, charities, and non-governmental organisations.
Announcing the investment, Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO of Research Ireland, commented: “Research Ireland is proud to support 35 PhD students and 3 research master’s students through this year’s Enterprise Partnership Postgraduate Scheme. Each early-career researcher will collaborate with a dedicated enterprise partner to tackle real-world economic and societal challenges. The projects announced today will connect emerging talent with organisations across the public and private sectors, creating collaborations that deliver impact for both academia and enterprise.”
The nine UCC research projects, announced today by Research Ireland, receiving a combined €726,400 are:
| Awardee | Affiliation | Enterprise Partner | Project Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail Grunwald | School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences | Fota Wildlife Park | Shaken or stirred, what about chopped or whole? - Ways to improve presentation and delivery of food to captive primates to increase welfare. |
| Arcadie Fihey | School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences | National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage | Using spatial ecology during the non-breeding season to develop a sustainable habitat management strategy for red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) in Ireland |
| Cashel Slevin | School of Microbiology | SeqBiome Ltd | PHAGinal – predicting treatment outcome in bacterial vaginosis using AI-enabled inter-kingdom dynamics |
| Conor Goggin | School of Chemistry | Circol ELT | Advancing Circular Economy in the Tyre Industry via Green Chemistry Upgrading of Recovered Carbon Black |
| Kellymarie Buckley | School of Applied Psychology | HSE Social Inclusion South West | Exploring the Unique Psychosocial Needs of Women Experiencing Homelessness; A mixed method, participatory approach |
| Lauren Walsh | School of Chemistry | Eli Lilly Kinsale Limited | A new method for making medicinally relevant organophosphorus compounds |
| Meg Henebry | School of Chemistry | Thermo Fisher Scientific | Synthesis and evaluation of novel lipids based on naturally occurring quinolones and their evaluation as RNA delivery vehicles with dual effect |
| Nóra Murphy | School of Medicine | Epilepsy Ireland | Seizure Prediction Using Open Access EEG Datasets |
| Shane Devlin | School of Medicine | National Ambulance Service | Enhancing Prehospital Recognition of Posterior Circulation Stroke: A Multi-Phase Study on Epidemiology, Clinical Tool Development, and Validation in Paramedic Practice |
Congratulating the awardees, Professor John F. Cryan, UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation said: “These prestigious scholarship awards will combine research and innovation to address industry focused challenges, the outcomes of which will advance research in key industry sectors and have a significant societal impact. These awards further strengthen UCC’s position as Ireland’s leading institution for research industry income and industry research collaborations.”
UCC Research
Aistriú Taighde
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