The Health Research Board (HRB) has announced €12.4 million in funding to support 29 Investigator-Led Projects (ILP) across three overarching themes; patient-oriented research, population health research, and health service research.
Five UCD projects have been awarded a total of €2,154,914 in funding. Each project will be funded for a maximum of four years.
Dr Mairead O’Driscoll, Chief Executive at the HRB, said: “The ILP scheme illustrates the HRB’s commitment to support high-quality investigator-led research. We want to create new internationally relevant knowledge that will help to address major health challenges in society. And we want to make a positive impact on tomorrow’s health care.”
Dr Anne Cody, Head of Investigator-Led Grants, Research Careers and Enablers at the HRB added: “In recognition of the rising costs of research, the maximum budget per grant has been increased in this round. We did not want to compromise on our aspirations for these grants.”
UCD projects under Patient-Oriented Research:
Dr Rory Johnson, Associate Professor at UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, UCD Conway Fellow and Lead at the GOLD Lab: Precision RNA therapeutics for lung adenocarcinoma.
Dr Gary Brennan, Assistant Professor at UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences and UCD Conway Fellow: Targeting m6A regulating enzymes to control aberrant gene networks in epilepsy.
Dr Radka Fahey (Saldova), Adjunct Associate Professor at UCD School of Medicine: The role of protein glycosylation in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and association with microbiome.
Prof Alistair Nichol, Chair of Critical Care Medicine at UCD School of Medicine and Director of the Irish Critical Care- Clinical Trails Network: PRECISION-ABI: Developing a precision medicine approach to improve acquired brain injury patient outcomes.
UCD projects under Population Health Research:
Dr Cailbhe Doherty, Assistant Professor at UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science: TERRA (Tracking and Evaluating Real-world Rhythms and Analytics).
The successful investigator-led projects were selected by an international panel of experts following a rigorous application process. As a matter of course, 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, potential impact, and feasibility.
The ILP is the HRB’s largest award scheme. This latest round of funding brings the total number of grants supported under this scheme in the past 5 years to 56 awards with a combined value of €20.6 million. The next round is expected to open around August 2025. Learn more on the HRB website.