Knowledge For Change

UL Engage Mentor Meeting

Across the University, UL Engage Mentors provide a contact point and peer support to academic and professional staff interested in designing and/or developing community-engaged learning, engaged research, or community-university partnerships.
Meet the mentors

UL Engagement Mapping Report

The mapping of UL engagement activity is UL's commitment to the EMERGE Alliance (Engaging the Margins of Europe for Regional and Global Empowerment). Using the European Framework for Civic Engagement (TEFCE) methodology, this process involved initial scanning, mapping, reviewing and analysing of UL engaged scholarship, using community-based participatory dialogue and review.

UL Staff Volunteering Recruitment 

In partnership with Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI), the UL staff volunteering programme provides opportunities for UL staff volunteers from all areas of the university to deliver short programmes in entrepreneurship, employability, financial literacy and STEM to primary and secondary school classes throughout Ireland.

'Women in STEM' Day for Transition Year Students

In partnership with I Wish foundation, UL welcomed 21 transition year students from Ardscoil Mhuire and Coláiste Nano Nagle on campus for a school transition year women in STEM event. I Wish is a community organisation committed to showcasing the power of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths to teenage girls. 
The I Wish on-campus programmes aim to inspire girls to consider careers in STEM by allowing them to meet real students, learn about pathways to higher education, and see what a day in the life of a college student is like.

Community Engaged Internships with Barretstown

In partnership with Barretstown - Ireland's leading provider of psychosocial care for children, young people and families affected by cancer and other serious illness - the UL team met with Barretstown staff to co-design and pilot inaugural EMERGE community-engaged student internships for summer 2026.

UL Engage Annual Report Launch 

The 2025 report features 61 engaged initiatives, focusing on: community engaged learning; engaged research; internationalisation; and local/regional collaborations. It reflects collaborations with 117 partners at local, regional, national and international level, including collaborations with Primary Schools (24), Secondary Schools (11), Social Enterprises (7), local services agencies (20), Not for Profits (31), HEIs (15), and Governmental / State bodies (9). It highlights project leads in all four faculties, the HRI, the Glucksman Library and UL Engage. 72 pages of good news stories about UL Engagement aligning with strategic goals: transforming learning; excellent research; internationalisation; and city and region.

Communicating with Communities workshop 

Hosted by UL Engage, Prof Maura Adshead, Head of Community Engagement, UL was joined by guest speakers Maria Cagney, Education and Outreach Officer, Hunt Museum; William Nolan, Learning Technologist, UL; and John Real, Limerick Youth Service, who each shared their experiences of collaboration with academics - the good, the bad and the ugly! 

Knowledge for Change (K4C) for Kids

A junior researcher training programme for 11–13-year-olds co-designed and delivered with the SFI Research Centre SSPC, St. Mary’s National School and Our Lady of Lourdes National School.

Programme aims:

• Introduce children to the concept of research and all stages of the research process.
• Support children to carry out independent research projects within their own community that reflect their interests.
• Create positive relationships between the University and the pupils to help the children to see higher education as an option.
• Introduce the pupils to current researchers to learn about research as a career option.
• Support children in 6th class to develop skills to aid their transition to, and retention, in secondary school.

RISE Pilot 2

RISE (Engaged Research in the Social Economy) is an Erasmus+ project led in Ireland by the Wheel. The project aims to build the skills of SEOs (Social Economy Organisations) to partner in projects with organisations that conduct research, such as research institutes and universities.

Application Deadline UL Citizens' Assembly

UL Engage Mentor Meeting

Across the University, UL Engage Mentors provide a contact point and peer support to academic and professional staff interested in designing and/or developing community-engaged learning, engaged research, or community-university partnerships.
Meet the mentors

CWELL Magazine Spring  

Since its establishment in September 2018, the CWELL magazine has evolved into a regular and professionally produced source for community-university information exchange. This year, the CWELL magazine moved to quarterly production. The magazine is in circulation, in hard copy or soft copy, to 250+ CWELL stakeholders, including CWELL students past and present, community allies and UL staff. 

Sigtuna Visit Sweden

EMERGE Webinar – How to do Community Engaged Research

Co-designed with the University of South Brittany, this inaugural webinar presented 3 Engaged Research projects from UL and USB to 77 colleagues in the EMERGE Alliance.

EMERGE Hub Launch 

The EMERGE project is a joint venture, led by UL, with 8 other universities in Europe – each committed to Empowering the Margins of Europe through Regional and Global Engagement (EMERGE).

UL Engage Mentor Meeting

Across the University, UL Engage Mentors provide a contact point and peer support to academic and professional staff interested in designing and/or developing community-engaged learning, engaged research, or community-university partnerships.
Meet the mentors

CWELL Rising Together Project

The CWELL students facilitated a stakeholder voice consultation as part of their community project with the Rising Together Training Programme.  

EMERGE Visit from INN

CWELL Future Pathways Project - Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival

K4C-4-Kids On-Campus Workshop in SSPC

On-campus workshop, delivered by SSPC staff, on how to pick a research question, with each group identifying their own research question for their group project.

Bridge Programme Match-making

This online matchmaking event focused on coordinating the EMERGE Bridge Community Engagement Internship Programme placements between universities in Ireland and Slovakia. The participants discussed the allocation of students, the challenges being encountered, and the plans to create templates and shared resources for the programme.

Limerick Food Partnership - Building Sustainable Food Futures

As part of the Limerick Food Partnership - Building Sustainable Food Futures Conference/Event 2024, UL Citizens Assembly winners, The Food Finder Project, launched a digital Food Environment Mapping Tool with corresponding public Food Access App to help individuals and families identify local food supports and services.
A restricted‑access digital Food Access Dashboard has also been created, enabling policymakers, the local authority and community organisations to use local data to improve coordination, target resources and inform strategic decision‑making.

UL Citizens' Assembly

Each year, as part of UL Research Week, 100+  Limerick people participate in the UL Citizens’ Assembly to select three UL engaged research projects aimed at developing a more sustainable future for the city and region. This community university event is a collaboration between Limerick Public Participation Network, Comhairle Na nÓg and Limerick Community Education Network. Having listened to nine project presentations, Limerick citizens vote for the top three projects which each received €10,000 to make their idea happen.

JAI EMERGE Open Day for Business

An event hosted by the University of Limerick, as part of the EMERGE Open Days, highlighted the Mid‑West’s growing role as a centre for education‑industry collaboration.

Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI) brought together leaders from education, business and the not‑for‑profit sector from across the Mid‑West to celebrate 30 years of supporting young people to develop the essential skills needed for the future world of work.

JAI/UL on campus day for primary schools  

UL staff welcomed 6th class students from St. Brigid’s N.S., Limerick, and Scoil Na Maighdine Mhuire, Co. Clare to the campus to participate in a campus tour, an aeronautical engineering workshop and a STEM workshop on extracting DNA from a banana.

K4C-4-Kids – Exhibition of Children’s projects

Pupils on the programme presented their research projects and posters at an event celebrating the work they had done on their group research projects.

CWELL Rising Together Project

The Stakeholder Voice Report was launched in the Strand Hotel on May 5th, with the event celebrating the work of the students, and the scope for future collaborations between the Rising Together programme and the University of Limerick.

UL Global Staff Week

Engaged Research and Community Engaged Learning Staff training.

Doing Community Research Book Launch

The Helix, Dublin

“At The Wheel, we believe that meaningful collaboration between researchers and communities is essential to creating research that is relevant, responsive, and capable of driving positive social change. We were delighted to collaborate on this book, which provides a practical and timely guide to building strong partnerships between researchers and the community and voluntary sector.”

Emma Murtagh, Director of Development and Member Services, The Wheel 

HAPPEE Stakeholder Review

Representatives from each stakeholder group took part in the annual programme review, hosted in Southill Hub.

CWELL Magazine May/ June

CWELL Interviews and Recruitment for Academic Year 26/27

The CWELL diploma offers a community co-authored curriculum to address community-identified needs in communities experiencing severe socio-economic disadvantage.

UL Engage Mentor Meeting

Across the University, UL Engage Mentors provide a contact point and peer support to academic and professional staff interested in designing and/or developing community-engaged learning, engaged research, or community-university partnerships.
Meet the mentors

Bridge Community Engaged Internships

The EMERGE Bridge Community Engaged Internship is a practice-orientated community engagement placement.  It offers students the opportunity to engage in a short, intensive summer programme that gives them hands-on experience, the opportunity to work with local communities, and the chance to explore social challenges in Europe – all while developing valuable skills.  As part of the pilot, the EMERGE European University Alliance sent 38 students from 8 of its 9 partner universities to four projects in Ireland and Slovakia.

Engaged Research Methods and Approaches Workshop University of Rijeka

Following the University of Rijeka's participation in our Blended International Programme in January 2025, UL Engage returned the visit to Rijeka.  

UL Engage team visit Barretstown & UMB (Univerzita Mateja Bel)

Tracey Gleeson and Eileen Hoffler from UL Engage visited Barretstown to welcome the incoming BRIDGE students at the beginning of their internship, and visited again at the end to help students evaluate their experience. The pair also travelled to Slovakia to learn from the UMB BRIDGE programme. During their visit, they met UMB community partners, took part in seminars and community and university-based activities, and, of course, planned for BRIDGE 2027.

University of Limerick 'Quiet Time'

UL Engage Mentor Meeting

Across the University, UL Engage Mentors provide a contact point and peer support to academic and professional staff interested in designing and/or developing community-engaged learning, engaged research, or community-university partnerships.
Meet the mentors

Knowledge for Change – EMERGE Blended International Programme (BIP)

A 10-week online programme with a one-week residential in January 2025 provided to 42 participants from the EMERGE Alliance and other international UL Engage partners. This programme is aimed at senior university decision makers and academics, and explores how community-university collaborations can contribute to positive societal impact.

UL Engage Annual Report Launch

The report provides details for 52 engaged projects, partnerships and initiatives focusing on community-engaged learning and/or community-engaged research with local, national and international partners. It lists 93 partners, including community and voluntary organisations, statutory organisations, schools and universities collaborating with 28 UL departments and units, resulting in more than 77 collaborative partnerships.

UL Engage Mentor Meeting

Across the University, UL Engage Mentors provide a contact point and peer support to academic and professional staff interested in designing and/or developing community-engaged learning, engaged research, or community-university partnerships.
Meet the mentors

CWELL Magazine Jan/Feb

Since its establishment in September 2018, the CWELL magazine has evolved into a regular and professionally produced source for community-university information exchange. The CWELL magazine is produced five times a year and delivered, in hard or soft copy, to 250+ CWELL stakeholders, including CWELL students past and present, community allies and UL staff.

K4C-4-Kids Commences

A junior researcher training programme for 11–13-year-olds in which primary school children learn about the scientific method, develop research questions, carry out the research, and present their findings. The programme is a collaboration between UL Engage, Gaelscoil Sheoirse Clancy, St. Mary’s National School, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School and the SSPC research centre in the University of Limerick.

K4C Community Engaged Research Workshop- Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival

As part of the Festival, the UL Engage team delivered a workshop on 'Engaged Research in the Community – Getting Started'.  For community members and organisations interested in undertaking research in their communities, this interactive workshop explained the principles and values of engaged research, as well as key methods used in this type of research. Participants also heard from community members who have taken part in engaged research projects.

K4C for Kids – Exhibition of Children’s Projects

In the final week of the ten-week K4C-4-Kids programme, the children present their research posters to the UL Engage team and members of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at a celebratory event at the university. They have now completed a research inquiry from beginning to end, from developing their questions to presenting their findings. Importantly, these projects reflect their own interests and are conducted in their own communities.

CWELL Community Energy Coaches Project Launch

Sponsored by PAUL Partnership Limerick, this project developed the role of Community Energy Coaches to support communities to learn about their energy use and become more energy efficient and to live more sustainable lives. CWELL students completed community consultations and a survey to understand what local communities already know about energy saving, and how they would like to interact with the Community Energy Coaches. The results of this research will inform PAUL Partnership’s design and delivery of the programme.

CWELL Magazine Mar / April

Magazine Contents:

• Celebrating International Women’s Day
• St. Mary’s Mens Shed
• Meet our Students
• CWELL Poem
• Calling all Model Railway Enthusiasts
• Green Electricity
• Southside Women’s Shed & Safety and the City Project
• UL Citizens’ Assembly 2025
• Performance of Club 27
• Professional Diploma in Participatory Health Research

UL Citizens' Assembly

Each year, as part of UL Research Week, 100+ Limerick people participate in the UL Citizens’ Assembly to select three engaged research projects aimed at developing a more sustainable future for the city and region. This community-university event is a collaboration between Limerick Public Participation Network, Comhairle Na nÓg, and Limerick Community Education Network. Having listened to nine project presentations, Limerick citizens vote for the top three projects, each of which will receive €10,000 to fund their research.

CWELL King’s Island Folklore Commission Project Launch

A collaboration between students at UL, Discover Limerick DAC, schools, and local storytellers, the project collected, recorded and archived the local history of the King’s Island community. The group's name emerged from a recognition that the Irish state's landmark folklore Commission of the 1930s only gathered stories from rural communities. By focusing on the King's Island area, the group addressed this absence in urban Irish folklore history.

UL Engage visit to K4C Nelson Mandela University

As part of the expanding collaboration under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa, and University of Limerick. Maura, Niamh and Tracey from the UL Engage team were delighted to visit their ‘UL Engage twin’ in Nelson Mandela University to share, strengthen and grow existing links in community-engaged learning and community-based research.

CWELL Magazine May / June

Magazine Contents: 

• Island Gardens
• Fighting Energy Poverty
• Folklore and Memories Project
• Celebrating International Bee Day at King’s Island
• UL Citizens’ Assembly 2025 Winners Announced
• Deepening Global Partnerships

The front cover shows pupils from Thomond and St. Mary’s National Schools in bee keeping suits getting up close with the bees in King’s Island as part of the International Bee Day celebrations.

EMERGE Alliance Launch

EMERGE (Empowering the Margins of Europe through Regional and Global Engagement) is an initiative that reimagines the future of higher education through transnational collaboration, inclusion, and innovation. It brings together nine universities from eight countries. Coordinated by UL, the EMERGE Alliance is united by a shared commitment to build a more connected and inclusive European future through education that transcends borders and empowers communities.

CWELL Interviews and Recruitment for AY25/26

The CWELL (Community Wellness, Empowerment, Leadership and Life-skills) diploma offers a community co-authored curriculum to address community-identified needs in communities experiencing severe socio-economic disadvantage.  CWELL is supported by a network of community partners and supporters across the city including representatives from residents, schools, adult education groups, community service groups, higher education, and local businesses / social enterprises.

UL Citizens’ Assembly Winners: PRIME Project Launch

Progression Risk/Resilience In Mainstream Education – With the support of Limerick City and County Council, 6 local DEIS primary schools have partnered with the PRIME project team to develop a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) project to assess children’s basic skills – physical, cognitive, and social – in the first years of primary school through a series of interactive games that take place in the school during the school day. Such information is vital for schools to best support the children they serve.

CWELL Graduating Class 23-25

The 2023-2025 CWELL students were officially graduated. These graduates made significant and sustainable contributions to the well-being of communities in Limerick City in their final-year projects, which included the relaunch of the newly named Island Community Garden, tackling energy poverty, and the establishment of a folklore and memories historical archive.

CWELL Diploma Start of Term

Term began for both returning CWELL second years and beginning CWELL first years. The first years will cover Well-Being Across the Lifespan and Personal Development this Autumn Semester, while the second years will be exploring 'Active Living' and starting into Practicum 1, which will help them with their community projects.

Are You Ready For Engaged Research?

Thursday 18 September 10-11.30am. Hosted by The Wheel, in collaboration with Health Research Charities Ireland and UL Engage, this online workshop provided an introduction to engaged research for 50+ community organisations who expressed an interest in further training for engaged research.

Call for Expressions of Interest UL Citizens' Assembly 2026

The call went out to academics in the University of Limerick to express their interest in the UL Citizens' Assembly 2026. If academics haven't found community partners yet, UL Engage is happy to help connect them. Oftentimes, the connections made as a result of taking part in the Citizens' Assembly can prove beneficial to all parties, regardless of how the project fares at the event itself. 

Community Comhrá

The Community Comhrá is an annual event that provides an opportunity for community partners and UL staff to meet and learn about UL engagement in research, teaching, and volunteering. It's a relaxed event with time for connections to be made, and for coffee to be enjoyed.
To register, please e-mail ulengage@ul.ie

CWELL Magazine September / October

Magazine Contents: 

• Class of 2025 Graduate
• Irish Trees and Memories
• MS Ireland New Limerick Hub
• Green Fingered Fun in the Community
• Relove Paint - Colouring Communities
• New Age Friendly Programme @ UL
• Celebrating Jimmy Prior
• People and Planet First
• Fun in the Sun Summer 2025. 

The cover displays two 2023-2025 CWELL students celebrating their graduation.

UL Engage Annual Report Call For Submissions

The UL Engage Annual Report is an acknowledgement and celebration of some of the engaged activities being carried out by members of the University. It showcases that engagement can take many different forms, across many different disciplines, and engaging with a huge variety of community partners.

K4C for Kids receives UNESCO ‘International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development’ Endorsement

The International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development is a global movement to unlock the potential of science to drive meaningful change. Led by UNESCO, it promotes science as a common good fueling innovation, inclusion and collaboration across borders. UL Engage was delighted that K4C-4-Kids received an official endorsement from UNESCO.

The Wheel - Matchmaking Event

A dynamic half-day event bringing together community representatives and researchers to explore how collaboration can create more meaningful, impactful research.

CWELL Magazine Nov / Dec

Magazine Content includes: 

• Women of the Southside Honoured
• Revisiting the Banshee
• Return of the Epic Moyross Name Sign
• Celebrating Debra
• EMERGE TEFCE Community Event
• Join the PPI Research Team
• Limerick Libraries shortlisted for Community Contribution
• EASHLE Gathering
• K4C-4-Kids Junior Researcher Training
• New Theatre Production Coming Soon
• Last Minute CWELL Christmas Cake