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Under the latest round of the Irish Research Council’s (IRC) enterprise partnership scheme and employment-based postgraduate programme, 50 projects have been awarded a total of €5m in funding.
Among the research projects tackling major challenges are detecting ovarian cancer in its early stages, new treatments for preterm infants affected by retinal diseases, including blindness and improving the sustainability of ‘smart’ medical device implants.
The IRC’s enterprise programmes allow postgraduate and postdoctoral candidates to collaborate with an enterprise or employer on a research project of mutual interest.
About the schemes
The IRC’s enterprise suite of programmes comprises three funding strands - the enterprise partnership scheme (postgraduate), the enterprise partnership scheme (postdoctoral) and the employment-based postgraduate programme.
The enterprise partnership scheme provides researchers with the opportunity to pursue research in collaboration with enterprise while based at an eligible higher education or research-performing institution.
The employment-based postgraduate programme enables researchers to pursue research in collaboration with a higher education institution while based in, and employed by, their employment partner.
Valuable experience
Announcing the latest IRC enterprise programme awards was Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD.
“I am delighted to announce the latest projects to be selected for funding under the Irish Research Council’s enterprise partnership scheme and employment-based postgraduate programme.
"These co-funded programmes train early-career researchers for the diversity of employment opportunities in industry, the public sector and the non-government sectors,” said Minister Harris.
For enterprise and employment partners, the schemes will provide a flexible route to research talent and innovation in an area closely aligned with their interests.
“These collaborative projects will allow researchers to gain valuable experience in the early stages of their careers, while employers and enterprises will benefit from having fresh perspectives, expertise, new ideas and knowledge,” said the minister.
New projects awarded funding
The funded projects include:
‘Catching the silent killer: identifying non-coding RNAs for earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer’
Shaun Hartigan from University College Cork, in partnership with Breakthrough Cancer Research, will examine a specific method for detecting ovarian cancer in its early stages by looking at how mutations in cellular components known as p53 affect RNA molecules.
‘Drug coating of vascular medical devices using plasma’
Fiona O'Neill, from University College Dublin, in partnership with TheraDep, will investigate the development of a new coating technology for medical devices.
‘Protecting the vision of preterm infants: developing new therapeutic strategies for retinopathy of prematurity’
Madhuri Dandamudi, from South-East Technological University, in partnership with Fighting Blindness, will address an unmet clinical need for the development of drug delivery techniques to treat back-of-the-eye diseases in infants.
‘Development of a nanoparticle-based assay for early diagnostics in chronic diseases’
Anna Nakonechna, from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, in partnership with Ludger Ltd, will investigate an enhanced technique for analysing changes in the glycosylation process, which can indicate chronic diseases.
‘Charting the importance of native oyster Ostrea edulis beds as biodiversity hotpots to establish baselines for ecological restoration’
Mateja Svonja, from Atlantic Technological University, in partnership with Údarás na Gaeltachta, will survey natural, native oyster beds that still exist in Kilkieran and Bertraghbui Bays, in Connemara, Co Galway, and document their structure and ecosystems.
For more information about the Irish Research Council, visit www.research.ie.
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