Outstanding contributions to research honoured by School of Medicine Research Awards

Posted on: 04 May 2022

Seven recipients of the Trinity College Med Research Awards 2022 were honoured at a special awards ceremony. The grants are designed to support early innovative studies and to advance research impact.

Presenting the Awards at the special ceremony, Professor Wolfgang Schmitt, Vice President and Dean of Research, Trinity College Dublin, said:

Trinity College Dublin is committed to delivering impactful research and we recognise the need to collaborate both within and beyond College if we are to address the challenges facing us. I am really pleased to support this cooperative effort that delivers resources directly to our researchers to advance strategic priorities.

The €50,000 Awards programme, established as part of the School of Medicine’s Research Strategy 2021-2026, is designed to recognise outstanding contributions to research and the achievements of early and mid-career researchers.

One of the key criteria in the selection process was that the chosen research projects will serve to support new and innovative research and to enhance the school’s ability to compete for large-scale, external awards. Another priority of the initiative is to advance the School’s research impact efforts and the evaluation panel believes that many of the winning proposals and candidates have the potential to impact positively on society.

Commenting on the results, Chair of the Awards Evaluation Committee, Director of Research, Professor Ursula Fearon said:

We were highly impressed by both the quality and standard of the projects submitted to the Trinity College Med Research awards. The successful projects highlight the strength and breadth of the research currently being performed across the school. The successful projects include vaccine development, neuroscience, mental health, cancer research and occupational health with a particular impact for childhood health as well as our ageing population, which significantly aligns with the key research themes outlined in the School of Medicine research strategies. We are looking forward to the outputs from these exciting projects.

Sarah Bowman, Director of Strategic Engagement & Impact Assessment, Office of the Dean of Research, said:

The School’s Strategic Plan clearly recognises the importance of planning, monitoring, assessing, and communicating research impact. To build capacity for these activities, the School and the Office of the Dean of Research have collaborated to deliver a number of supports. This includes the tremendous efforts led by the School’s first Research Impact Officer, Bridget Gavin, along with training and funding to assist researchers in mobilising knowledge for societal impact.