Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD, has today announced funding of €26 million for 40 research projects.
Funded under the Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme, the projects address key areas such as environmental sustainability, new EV battery technologies, breast cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and currently untreatable childhood neurological disorders.
Two of the projects are led by iCRAG members.
Dr Silvia Caldararu (iCRAG at TCD) has been awarded €657,675 for a project entitled: "Trait-Tweaks: Exploring Ecological Realism in Ecosystem Models under Future Climate Conditions"
Terrestrial ecosystems draw down CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and are therefore a key component of Earth’s climate. If we are to accurately predict what the climate is going to look like over the next century and beyond we must have models that realistically represent such ecosystems, with all their ecological complexity. Plants and ecosystems respond to changes in their environment both short-term through changes in function and long-term through changes in the species present. This project will include both these responses in a mathematical model of terrestrial ecosystems to better predict the future of the planet.
Dr David Igoe (iCRAG at TCD) has been awarded €657,611 for a project entitled: "Multiscale modelling of soil-structure interaction for renewable energy applications".
The safe and cost effective development of new civil engineering infrastructure is critical to achieving a sustainable future. Large-scale offshore wind projects will be key to helping Ireland to achieve its climate action targets and become an energy-independent nation. In the course of designing these infrastructure, engineers must overcome many technical challenges, including understanding how soil-structure interaction can influence the structures' behaviour. This project proposes to develop innovative experiments and modelling approaches across multiple scales to study the soil-structure interaction for Offshore Wind Turbines, which will ultimately lower the risk and cost of developing offshore wind.
Welcoming the announcement, Minister O’Donovan said: “I am pleased to announce the Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future projects, which support high-risk, high-reward research endeavours. The selected projects, spanning 12 research institutions, bring fresh and innovative ideas that will help boost business and benefit society."