Everyone with a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps (abnormal tissue growths) should be screened for the disease, an international study involving researchers at nine institutions in the United States and Canada, co-led by University of Limerick (UL) has strongly recommended.

The research, available online and due to be published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association and the highest impact journal in its field, makes a total of 19 evidence-based recommendations which will guide the choice of screening test and frequency of use among those who have close relatives with colon cancer or pre cancerous growths.

More than 250 people attended the fourth annual Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC) Knowledge Day for industry held in the Kemmy Business School, UL this week.

Ireland is renowned internationally for its expertise in pharmaceutical manufacturing: Research and Development is very important to developing and advancing pharmaceutical manufacturing.

A discovery made at UL features on one of An Post’s four newly-unveiled €1 stamps. Titled Irish Scientific Discoveries, the stamps highlight recent scientific discoveries made by scientists who work in pioneering research and development in Ireland and UL is the only university named on the stamps.

The science-based stamps represent novel areas of research, which are generating new knowledge, cutting-edge technology and competitive enterprise.  The four topics: new forms of light; fighting superbugs; emissions adsorption; and, predicting neonatal seizures, are examples of innovative and impactful academic research being carried out in institutions around the country.

The availability of online training on Research Integrity (RI) was communicated to all staff at the end of May. Many external research funders (including SFI, HRB, IRC, and the European Commission) now expect prospective and current grant recipients to engage with RI training as part of their overall research practice, from PI to postgrad researcher level.

Two online modules on Research Integrity are available: 

• Research Integrity (Intro): An introductory course for new researchers, PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, and early-career faculty on the topic of Research Integrity

Rates of Acute Kidney Injury among Irish patients have more than doubled in the past 10 years, according to a new study led by researchers at the Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS), University of Limerick. The research, part funded by the Health Research Board (HRB), is published today in the academic journal, Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.

A University of Limerick researcher has been awarded almost €1.5 million in European Research Council funding to investigate the dynamics of social influence in digital societies.

Dr Mike Quayle from UL’s Department of Psychology, is one of 403 talented early-career researchers across Europe, and just six in Ireland, to have been awarded an ERC grant in today’s announcement of €603 million in total.

Congratulations to our three Marie Curie CAROLINE fellows and their mentors on their recent awards. They are Sarah Jay, with Maura Adshead (Politics), Ruairi Santiago McBride with Aoife Neary (Education) and Keshav Parajuly with Colin Fitzpatrick (ECE). Each fellow will work in partnership with NGOs and international organisations in conducting their research and the Irish Research Council funds both Irish and international researchers under this programme.

Four fellowships were awarded to UL out of 21 awarded nationally. The fellowships are valued at €601,600 to UL

Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh, Dr Jakki Cooney, Senator Kieran O’Donnell, Paul Dillon

The UL Nexus Innovation Centre was one of three campus based Innovation Hubs that was invited to present at a Leinster House briefing session on the 27th of June 2018. The session organised by Senator Pádraig Ó’Céidigh aimed to give Oireachtas members and staff an opportunity to meet and learn from various successful Irish University innovation hubs, highlighting the relationship between academia and business. A brochure profiling UL Nexus Innovation Centre, DCU Alpha and GMIT Innovation Hubs was circulated in advance to all TDs and Senators in Leinster House.