Research Ireland to invest €20 million in 22 high-risk, high-reward projects
Among the projects receiving funding are research into bone loss and damage associated with bone cancer and research into how antimicrobial coatings and treatments can prevent hospital-acquired infections from medical devices.
Under the Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme, 22 high-risk research projects will receive an allocation of €20m. This program gives inventors and independent researchers the opportunity to pursue their research, which has the potential for breakthrough discoveries across health, technology and sustainability.
“The 22 projects announced today under Research Ireland’s Frontiers for the Future Program are ambitious in both scope and scale, from areas of cancer treatment to developing a sustainable and circular economy, and much more besides,” said Minister for Higher and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Skills, James Lawless, TD.
Among the well-known projects is GlycoMetalGuard, which is the study of metal glycoconjugate structures as targeted therapies for bacteria and protective coatings suitable for medical devices. Led by Dr Joseph Byrne, at University College Dublin the team is exploring how the application of antibiotics and treatments can prevent hospital-acquired infections from medical devices, improving patient safety and quality of life.
STROMCO, led by Professor Laoise McNamara at the University of Galway, is investigating why cancers that have spread to the bone, including metastatic disease and multiple myeloma, can cause severe and devastating bone loss. The program aims to guide the development of future treatments for people with cancer-related arthritis.
The Trinity College Dublin project, under the leadership of professor Matthew Campbell, will investigate all parameters of blood brain and brain disorders in gliomas, using advanced imaging and genetic tools to investigate how the small blood vessels in the brain respond to growth. Primary brain tumors called GBM are among the most invasive cancers and the team will use pre-clinical models of the disease in an effort to develop new treatments for this serious cancer.
The awardees are based in eight research institutions across the country, Atlantic Technological University, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway and University of Limerick.
Commenting on this announcement, Dr. Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO of A study of Irelandsaid, “Curiosity-driven research funding is an essential part of a healthy, meaningful and forward-looking research ecosystem.
“Through the Frontiers for the Future Programme, Research Ireland supports researchers to take intellectual risks and pursue ideas that may not have a clear path, but can reshape our understanding of the world around us.”
Don’t miss out on the information you need to succeed. Sign up for Daily BriefSilicon Republic’s digest of must-know sci-tech news.
