Professor Michael Peter Kennedy, President RIA & Dr Iain Moyles, MACSI

On Monday 19 February, the 2018 class of Charlemont Scholars were presented with their certificates at an awards ceremony for invited guests, friends and family.

Professor Michael Peter Kennedy, President of the Royal Irish Academy, presented the 2018 Charlemont scholars with their certificates and congratulated them on their success. Professor Kennedy noted the importance of the award and the diversity of disciplines awarded.

Last week saw the official roll out of a newly developed training course on ‘Grant Proposal Writing’ from UL’s Research Office. The half-day course is one of the services provided to help support the development of research careers and forms part of the Research Career Development Programme coordinated by the Human Resources division. The course was designed by Dr Martina Prendergast, UL Research Officer who also delivers the training.

The National Strategy for Higher Education provides for substantial changes to the landscape of Irish higher education.

The HEA, with the support of the Department of Education and Skills, recognises that such reforms carry additional costs and has provided for a fund to support consortia engaged in implementing reforms of the higher education landscape, including those seeking designation as Technological Universities. The fund is not expected to be able to cover all costs arising, but to make a contribution to those costs.

The University of Limerick has been shortlisted in two out of five categories for the annual Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) Impact Awards. The awards recognise top performance in industry engagement and commercialisation of research and pay tribute to the business and research performing organisations involved in knowledge transfer. The awards also acknowledge and celebrate the technology transfer offices and the contribution that staff make to supporting knowledge transfer and commercialisation.

Dr Ciara Breathnach and Prof Kevin M Ryan

University of Limerick researchers Dr Ciara Breathnach and Prof Kevin M Ryan are among the recipients of the Irish Research Council’s Laureate Awards. Both are at Consolidator level.

PIs seeking Marie Curie fellows?

Are you a PI seeking good candidates for Marie Curie fellowships at UL ? The next call for proposals is opening shortly and will close on 12th September. We are now in the phase of identifying fellows and their mentors and we expect to have this phase completed by the end of April.

Proposal writing workshops will take place in UL during May and early June for applicants and their supervisors.

(l-r) Dr Denise Croker, SSPC General Manager, Dr Marie Kissane, Team Leader, Technical Services/Manufacturing Science, Eli Lilly, Dr Damhnait Gleeson, Science Foundation Ireland, Gillian Morgan, Commercial Manufacturing Process Specialist, Janssen, Karen Blakely, Commercialization Project Lead, MSD and Professor Michael Zaworotko, SSPC Co-Director. 

Bnest, Ireland’s first dedicated social enterprise incubator based at the Nexus Innovation Centre, recently held its annual programme showcase event. The Bnest Programme is specifically designed for emerging social enterprises. This is a six month peer programme, working with a small group of fellow social entrepreneurs, focused on each working on their individual enterprise but expected to contribute to the others as well.

Several revisions and updates to themes and priority areas to reflect developments since 2012

The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan TD, welcomed the publication of the report ‘Research Priority Areas 2018 – 2023’.