News & Seminars
Bringing you Inside a Day with Mary-Kate O’Regan
This article highlights Mary-Kate O’Regan’s leadership in UCC’s successful HR Excellence in Research evaluation. It details her planning, dedication to supporting researchers at all career stages, and the recognition UCC received for its commitment to researcher development.
On 8 April 2025, UCC welcomed assessors from the European Commission for a critical evaluation of the university’s commitment to HR Excellence in Research. For Mary-Kate O’Regan, who led the preparation and orchestrated the day, it was the culmination of months of meticulous planning — and a deeply personal mission to show how UCC supports its researchers.
In the weeks leading up to the visit, Mary-Kate met with researchers across all career stages — from PhD students (R1) to senior research fellows (R4) — as well as academics, principal investigators, and professional staff. She coordinated meetings, prepared agendas, and ensured the assessors would see the full picture of UCC’s dedication to training, supporting, and valuing its research community.
Photo: Mary Kate O'Regan
As part of this process, Mary-Kate liaised closely with the UCC Research Staff Association (UCCRSA), ensuring that the voices and perspectives of research staff were represented throughout the visit.
The day itself began early, with Mary-Kate personally collecting the assessors in the city before guiding them through a tightly organised schedule. Highlights included warm welcomes from Professor John Cryan and Ashley Flaherty, detailed presentations on UCC’s HR Excellence journey, and discussions with staff from diverse areas such as the Office of the Vice President for Research, legal and ethics teams, and equality, diversity, and inclusion offices.
A key part of the process was giving PhD students, postdocs, and research staff the freedom to speak candidly with the assessors — without Mary-Kate in the room — ensuring openness and honesty. Lunch at the Tyndall National Institute gave assessors a chance to meet researchers firsthand and experience UCC’s vibrant research culture.
Behind the scenes, Mary-Kate and her team juggled countless logistics — from coordinating presentations to ensuring researchers across disciplines were represented. It was a massive team effort, but one she was determined would reflect UCC’s genuine commitment to researcher support.
When the day finally ended with a closing meeting, it was a nail-biting moment. The assessors announced UCC had ‘passed with flying colours’, validating years of work since the university first signed up to the European Commission’s Charter and Code for Researchers in 2012. For Mary-Kate, it was an immense relief and a proud moment — knowing UCC’s systems not only met but exceeded European standards. ‘Beir bua’ to Mary-Kate and all the team involved.
The official result confirmed UCC’s full acceptance without modifications, recognising the university’s leadership in researcher career development and its comprehensive training programmes. This award isn’t just a badge of honour: it enhances UCC researchers’ standing in EU funding applications, signalling to Horizon Europe evaluators that UCC treats its research staff with the care and professionalism they deserve.
Reflecting on the achievement, Mary-Kate’s and the HR Research Team’s commitment shone through in every detail of the visit — a testament to the passion, hard work, and pride that define UCC’s research community.