The Health Research Board (HRB) Investigator-Led Projects (ILP) 2022 scheme will support high-quality research in important areas including schizophrenia, antimicrobial resistance, and elderly care in hospitals.
The €10 million investment will be shared across 33 new projects which span three core areas: patient-oriented research, population health research, and health service research.
Commenting on the scheme, HRB Chief Executive, Dr Mairead O’Driscoll said: “ILP is another HRB funding scheme that clearly demonstrates Ireland’s position as a world leader in innovative health research. The successful projects all have strong potential to improve people’s lives by tackling challenges such as brain tumours, rheumatoid arthritis, psychosis, tuberculosis, sepsis, and the risks of cannabis use in adolescence.”
Head of Investigator-Led Grants, Research Careers and Enablers at HRB, Dr Anne Cody said: “ILP demonstrates the HRB’s commitment to funding ground-breaking research that impacts on tomorrow’s health and social care. We are delighted to be supporting such a variety of talented investigators, with expertise ranging from immunology to community health. The awardees and their projects have come through a very competitive process and represent the best of health research In Ireland.”
Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Impact at the UCD School of Medicine, Professor Peter Doran said: “I am delighted to see the award of these grants to UCD investigators, whose research is focused on finding answers to questions of great importance to patients, their families and to wider society. It is particularly noteworthy to see the breadth of focus areas, from cancer to infections to arthritis, further exemplifying UCD's commitment to tackling problems across disciplines.”
UCD projects under Patient-Oriented Research:
Professor Gerry Wilson, School of Medicine : Discovering and modulating mechanisms by which Peptidylglycine alpha-Amidating Monooxygenase (PAM) influences the risk of genetically inherited tissue damage in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Professor Ulla Knaus, School of Medicine : Neutrophil Plasticity in Infection and Inflammation.
Professor Douglas Veale, School of Medicine : Predicting Onset, Variation and Effect of
treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis (PROVE-RA).
Dr David Hughes, School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science : Hepato-Flame: Studying the interaction of diet, obesity, microbial translocation and inflammatory pathways in hepatobiliary cancer development: A European prospective cohort study.
UCD projects under Health Services Research:
Dr Deirdre O'Donnell, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems : A realist process evaluation of an intervention to promote competencies in interprofessional collaboration among interdisciplinary integrated care teams for older people.
The successful investigator-led projects were selected by an international panel of experts following a rigorous application process. A public review was undertaken alongside the scientific peer review to assess whether the research is in the best interests of the patient or the general health of the population.
Successful projects were selected based on their scientific quality and innovation, impact, and feasibility. Each project will be funded for a maximum of four years.
See the full list of awardees and projects here: https://www.hrb.ie/news/