Two UCD research projects have been funded under the Awards stream of the Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme. 

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD has announced a total of €23.6 million to support 23 research projects focused on tackling challenges in AI, healthcare, agriculture, energy, and transport.

The Frontiers for the Future Programme funds high-risk, high-reward research programmes and innovative, collaborative research with the potential to deliver economic and societal impact.

Announcing the awards, Minister Lawless said: “The Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future programme supports the development of world-class research across a range of disciplines.

"The awardees – spanning 9 research institutions nationwide – have brought forward novel and innovative ideas with strong potential to deliver impactful solutions for major challenges facing society today. The programme itself promotes gender balance and provides opportunities for emerging investigators returning to research. I look forward to seeing the awardees’ progress over the coming years.”

The UCD Awardees are: 

Dr Olga Lastovetsky, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science
AG-MICRO: Promoting Sustainable Agriculture through Microbe-Microbe and Microbe-Plant interactions

Dr Ekin Ozer, UCD School of Civil Engineering
Harmonizing Nonhomogeneous Crowdsourcing Data and Formulating Citizen Incentives towards Self-Governing Bridge Monitoring  

This news follows the announcement of 11 UCD research projects funded under the Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme Projects stream in October 2024.  

Welcoming the announcement, Celine Fitzgerald, Interim Chief Executive of Research Ireland, commented: “Our Frontiers for the Future Programme is driven by feedback from the research community and represents a strong commitment to developing future talent in key areas.

"These 23 awards will fund a total of 86 research positions, comprising Postdocs, PhDs, Research Assistants and support staff. I’m very pleased with the opportunities that this targeted investment is creating, and greatly encouraged that crucial research on pressing issues will be facilitated as a result.”

The Frontiers for the Future awardees are from UCD, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, Teagasc, Technological University of the Shannon, University College Cork, University of Galway, and University of Limerick.

For a full list of funded projects, visit the Research Ireland website.