Three UCD projects involved in €3.2m programme for defence tech research
5 March 2025
Three research teams lead by University College Dublin are among those awarded €3.2 million to develop new technologies to enhance the capabilities of the Irish Defence Forces.
The funding, made available under the Research Ireland-Defence Innovation Challenge 2024, will assist ten projects designed to deliver innovative solutions to significant national challenges facing the Defence Forces and wider Irish society.
Four key challenges were identified by the Defence Forces for the 2024 programme: Maritime Situational Awareness, Advanced Shelter Concepts, Aeromedical Emergency Service Dispatch and Search & Rescue.
The UCD teams receiving funding are:
- (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Daniel McCrum, UCD School of Civil Engineering and (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Elizabeth Shotton, UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental.
- Project: MASH - Mobile Adaptable Shelter in the Advanced Shelter Concepts Challenge.
- (opens in a new window)Dr Mohammadjavad Zeinali and (opens in a new window)Dr Pezhman Ghadimi, UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
- Project: ADMS - Aeromedical Dispatch Management Software, A Technology Hub in the Aeromedical Emergency Dispatch Challenge.
- Dr Silas O'Toole and (opens in a new window)Professor Dominic Zerulla, UCD School of Physics.
- Project: Advanced Imaging Technologies through Electronically Tuneable Lenses in the Disruptive Ideas category.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris TD and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, TD announced the €3.2m in funding earlier this week.
“This funding is not only designed to benefit our Defence Forces personnel, but also wider society as a whole,” said Tánaiste Harris.
The Tánaiste and Minister for (opens in a new window)@IRLDeptDefence, (opens in a new window)@SimonHarrisTD and the Minister for (opens in a new window)@DeptofFHed (opens in a new window)@lawlessj today announced €3.2 million in funding to develop new technologies in the Defence Forces. Read here: (opens in a new window)https://t.co/34NvySrUbW (opens in a new window)@defenceforces (opens in a new window)#IrishResearch (opens in a new window)pic.twitter.com/holQcG7FI7
— Research Ireland (@Researchirel) (opens in a new window)March 5, 2025
“I welcome the fact there are members of the Defence Forces, Civil Defence and the Office of Emergency Planning embedded into each research team. This collaboration will foster a deep understanding of both the challenges and the role research can play in addressing them. I look forward to seeing the progress the teams make over the coming months.”
Minister James Lawless continued: “[This] announcement builds on and reinforces the partnerships we have developed between the research community and the Defence Forces, Civil Defence and Office of Emergency Planning.
“It demonstrates the value and potential of collaborative research in addressing the challenges faced by our Defence Forces and Irish society as a whole. I congratulate the 10 teams receiving funding and wish them success as they work to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges they are addressing over the coming months.”
Lieutenant General Sean Clancy, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, added: “Óglaigh na hÉireann is proud to support the Research Ireland-Defence Innovation Challenge with military subject matter experts. These personnel will provide both operational context and an understanding of the key challenges faced by Defence personnel in an effort to enhance defence capability.”
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Emma Loughney, UCD Research and Innovation)
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
