University College Cork - Research Strategy

Foreword by Professor John F. Cryan - Vice President for Research and Innovation

Research and innovation are fundamental to who we are as a university. It shapes how we understand our world, how we educate our students and how we contribute to society’s future prosperity, health, culture and sustainability. Research is a national investment in talent, knowledge and partnership, creating the ideas, people and innovations that strengthen Ireland’s competitiveness while delivering lasting public value. At University College Cork, we believe that the greatest advances come from ambitious and curious people working together across disciplines, sectors and borders to ask important questions and pursue meaningful, just, solutions.

Our ambition is built on a solid foundation. UCC has a long and distinguished record of research excellence and successful innovation, reflected in our leadership of nationally significant research infrastructure and our extensive, enduring, partnerships with industry, government and society. We have played a leading role in the development and success of Ireland’s Research Centres network – from APC Microbiome Ireland and INFANT Research Centres to our leadership across the newly launched Research Ireland Rinn network, we have created internationally recognised ecosystems that translate excellent research into sustainable impact.

At the heart of this achievement is our flagship Tyndall National Institute, one of Europe’s leading centres for deep-tech research and innovation, whose global partnerships and track record in semiconductor technologies, photonics, communications, health technologies and sustainable digital systems exemplify our commitment to research that delivers real-world benefit. Together, these achievements demonstrate our ability not only to generate new knowledge, but also to transform discovery into innovation, enterprise and public value.

This Research Strategy sets out our commitment to strengthening the environment in which research excellence can flourish. I am very proud that UCC is leading in interdisciplinary, collaborative and engaged research, with deep partnerships that have global impact. Our success depends first and foremost on talent. We are committed to attracting, developing and supporting outstanding researchers at every career stage, from PhD to senior leading global researchers and innovators.

We foster a research culture that values those who undertake research and those who support and enable research, in an environment that promotes diversity, inclusion, integrity and collegiality. This environment supports our researchers and innovators to achieve success in competitive funding programmes, including those from the European Research Council (ERC), while producing scholarly and creative outputs of the highest quality. Their success depends on access to excellent research environments, shared infrastructure, technical expertise and collaborative networks that enable ambitious ideas to flourish.

We are building an environment that ensures all of our student and staff innovators and entrepreneurs are enabled to thrive. We recognise that excellence exists across every discipline and that discovery research, creative practice, applied research and translational innovation are all essential components of a vibrant research ecosystem. Over the genesis and implementation of UCC’s Strategic Plan (2023 – 2028), The UCC Futures Framework provides the foundation for this ambition by bringing together disciplinary excellence with novel and extensive interdisciplinary collaboration to address challenges of global significance while creating opportunities for Ireland. Working in partnership across Civil Society and international collaborators, we will ensure that our research remains open, engaged and responsive to the needs of society.

Research creates value in many ways. It advances knowledge, informs policy, enriches culture, inspires innovation, strengthens our economy, our democracy and our security, responds to both opportunity and challenge for the improvement of lives. Through this strategy, we reaffirm our commitment to research that is internationally competitive, ethically grounded and focused on delivering lasting benefit for people, communities and the planet. At UCC, we are creating an environment where talented people pursue bold ideas, where partnerships amplify excellence and where research and innovation from every discipline contributes to a more sustainable, prosperous and equitable future.