Six researchers win prestigious SFI awards
Posted on: 03 August 2016
Six Trinity College Dublin researchers are among the 24 nationwide to have secured prestigious Science Foundation Ireland Investigators Programme awards to pursue specific research projects in strategically important sectors over the next four to five years.
The total value of the 24 awards is approximately €40 million, which is provided through a funding stream of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell-O’Connor TD, announced the details of the research projects, which are individually backed by funding ranging from €500,000 to €2.7 million.
Minister Mitchell-O'Connor TD toured AMBER, the materials science centre hosted in Trinity, after the announcement.
The six successful Trinity researchers are Associate Professor in Geology, David Chew, Professors in Chemistry, Sylvia Draper and Georg Duesberg, Professor in Physics, Martin Hegner, Professor of Cellular Neuroscience, Marina Lynch, and Assistant Professor in Immunology, Rachel McLoughlin, who addressed the audience to provide a snapshot of her research goals.
Professor Chew will develop a new method for dating calcite, which will have implications in raw materials research; Professor Draper will aim to develop a commercial roadmap for using more sustainable fuel and energy sources; Professor Duesberg will develop knowledge around the use of new semiconductor materials that will be used in the personal electronic devices of the future.
Professor Hegner will develop nanochemical sensing techniques to help detect diseases and provide better prognoses via swift biological fluid tests; Professor Lynch will work to develop techniques to limit the progression of neurodegeneration seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease; Professor McLoughlin will pursue research around developing a vaccine against MRSA and related bacteria.
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, said: “This funding provides an important platform for researchers to advance their investigations and further enhance Ireland’s reputation for excellence in sectors such as health, agriculture, marine, energy and technology. Engaging with 39 companies, the programme offers researchers the opportunity to develop their careers, as well as providing industry collaborators with access to the wealth of outstanding expertise and infrastructure found throughout the island. The alignment of the Investigators Programme with Horizon 2020, the European Union’s research funding programme, will lead to further successes in leveraging EU resources and increasing international collaboration. The projects within this programme clearly demonstrate excellent and impactful research which is a key goal of the Government’s science and innovation strategy – Innovation 2020.”
To drive national success in Horizon 2020, the SFI Investigator Programme involved the collaborative participation of a number of government departments and funding agencies. Co-funding for seven of the projects is being provided by the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland (DfE), the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI), the Marine Institute (MI), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said: “The Science Foundation Ireland Investigators Programme supports the highest standard of impactful research, as clearly demonstrated by the outcomes of previous awards. I have high expectations for these projects; all have undergone rigorous peer review by international experts and we have funded only those projects deemed to be at the pinnacle of scientific excellence. As well as providing an important platform for engagement in Horizon 2020, the programme also creates training and employment opportunities, promotes industrial collaboration and drives advances in energy, agriculture, science, technology and health which will benefit Ireland’s economy and society.”
In addition to the 24 funded projects, a further 10 deemed to be scientifically excellent are on a reserve list to be funded — if budgets permit later in the year. Three Trinity researchers are on this list: Professor of Physics, John Donegan, Associate Professor in Botany, Trevor Hodkinson, and Professor of Neurogenetics, Mani Ramaswami.