28th January 2016
A new initiative to highlight the achievements of Irish researchers was launched at Trinity College Dublin by Mr. Damien English TD, Minster for Skills, Research and Innovation. #LoveIrishResearch – an initiative of the Irish Research Council – will run throughout 2016 with the aim of increasing public awareness of the important research conducted in higher education institutions throughout the country.
Ireland has a treasure trove of creative and innovative individuals who are conducting research, many of which are based in our higher education institutions. Their research is contributing to the understanding of our world and to national and global progress. So, in 2016, the Irish Research Council is spearheading an initiative to better share the work of our researchers and develop greater public interest and knowledge of what is happening in research in Ireland.
Eleven Irish researchers are listed among the top 1% of researchers currently practising worldwide, while – as a country overall – we are 9th in terms of research impact on the Thomson-Reuters InCites global scientific rankings. In relation to the Arts and Humanities, Irish universities rank amongst the top 100 universities in the world. For a country of its size, these are major achievements. Add to that the historic accomplishments of researchers such as Robert Boyle, George Boole, John Tyndall and Kathleen Lonsdale, and it is clear that Ireland has a rich legacy of ground-breaking research.
#LoveIrishResearch aims to engage members of the public in the amazing work being conducted by Irish researchers and highlight their achievements across multiple fields by promoting a range of activities focused around three pillars:
Research Talent: The people conducting the research, what motivates them, their creativity, their setbacks and triumphs.
Future Frontiers: The diversity of research being conducted, the richness of ideas, innovations and discoveries, what they could potentially contribute to our country but also to global development.
Past and Present: How research provides insights and has shaped (and can shape) our perception of ourselves as a country and society, and in particular our view of the past.
Higher education institutions throughout Ireland will participate in the #LoveIrishResearch initiative over the course of the coming year. A wide-ranging programme, engaging researchers at all career stages and across all disciplines, is planned, including regional and institutional showcase events, competitions and awards, engagement with international events being hosted in Ireland, a specific Decade of Centenaries programme, monthly research themes and a series of publications.
The Mobile & Marine Robotics Research Center, MMRRC, has had a number of projects funded by the Irish Research Council, most of them PhD research projects under the Irish Research Council Postgraduate Enterprise Partnership Scheme. Some of the projects are 'Smart Event Triggered Ocean Monitoring Platform' (University of Limerick in collaboration with International Smartocean Graduate Enterprise Initiative and Marine Institute), 'Parafoil Controller Design' (University of Limerick in collaboration with Bord Gáis Éireann), 'A Secure Agile Wireless Sensor Network for Coastal Incident Monitoring' (University of Limerick in collaboration with Intel Ireland Ltd) and 'Technology development for Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) system in the area of control using advanced MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) based Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and sensor fusion techniques' (University of Limerick in collaboration with Analog Devices International).
Further information is available here.