Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has announced €23 million Research Ireland funding to support early-career researchers.
Making the announcement, Minister Lawless said: “This investment, through Research Ireland’s Pathway programme, will support emerging researchers in their journey from postdoctoral work towards establishing themselves as independent investigators. The projects receiving funding span a broad range of disciplines, ensuring a broad impact on scientific discovery and societal progress. By aligning with Ireland’s national research priorities, these projects will help drive advancements in key sectors such as healthcare, environmental sustainability, history and education.”
Commenting on the awards, Celine Fitzgerald, Interim CEO, Research Ireland, said “Our Pathway programme equips promising researchers with the resources needed to reach the next level and help drive impactful discoveries. These projects will contribute valuable insights into pressing global and national issues including public health policy, digital well-being, technological advancements, healthcare and more.”
The funding, covering a four-year period, will support researchers and provide resources to establish independent research careers. This targeted investment will provide each project with additional support for a postgraduate student who will be primarily supervised by the awardee. Co-funders in this Research Ireland Pathway programme investment are the Environmental Protection Agency (4 projects), Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2 projects), and Met Éireann (1 project), and have contributed a total of €1.7 million to the programme.
UCD Projects:
Dr Edith Kubik, UCD School of Earth Sciences, Quantifying core formation conditions with isotopic tracers - €675,042.60
Dr Jing Lyu, UCD School of Medicine, Novel hyperbranched polymers from kinetically controlled polymerization of multivinyl monomers and their application in injectable stem cell hydrogel scaffolds for cartilage repair - €673,559.60
Dr Camille Nadal, UCD School of Computer Science, A Life with Endometriosis: Empowering Individuals through Technology (Tech4Endo) - €674,309.90
Dr John Greaney, UCD School of English, Drama and Film, Contemporary modernisms: the reconstitution of Europe and the fate of the avant-garde (CONTMODS) - €674,663.90
Dr Matteo Leta, UCD School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, Staging Otherness: The Representation of “Gypsies”, Turks, and Moors in Italian Renaissance Comedies and their European Translations (c.1500-1650) - €601,669.20
The 36 funded projects will be hosted across 11 research institutions. For further information and a full list of awardees visit the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation website.