iCRAG is the SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences based at UCD. They are a team of researchers creating solutions for a sustainable society. iCRAG develop innovative science and technologies to better understand the Earth’s past, present, and future and how people are connected to it.

iCRAG have a dedicated programme of public engagement and education. They have a rich and varied content of activities outlined on their website from across the public engagement spectrum.

The public engagement manager for iCRAG is Dr. Fergus McAuliffe.

Check out iCRAG's programme of education and public engagement

Get in touch with iCRAG's dedicated EPE officer or PE manager

At the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, they undertake high impact research in data analytics that has significant benefits for the individual, industry and society by enabling better decision making. 

Education & Public Engagement is a strategic priority for Insight. Their vision is to build an empowered, scientifically engaged, inclusive and creative society, underpinned by a commitment to involve citizens in data science and embed a culture of engagement within the centre. Insight highlight a diverse array of their public engagement activities on their website, from outreach to citizen science. 

The Insight EPE manager in UCD is Dr. Aoibhéann Bird.

Waterlands is an EU-wide project led by UCD. The project revolves around large-scale wetland restoration initiatives or “living labs”. These living labs are in different stages of implementation across the EU: from unprotected wetlands with no measures and newly established wetlands beginning remediation works, through to fully implemented restoration efforts.

Connectivity with communities in design, implementation and management is essential to learn from the wealth of local experience and knowledge. It is also necessary to ensure the long-term resilience of projects, tailored to the socio-ecological conditionality of each site. By sharing ecological, community, governance and financial expertise, the project aims to reshape attitudes to wetlands, and the modes of their sustainable conservation and exploitation.

This initiative is led by Dr. Craig Bullock

We the Citizens is a democratic participatory project to ignite citizen involvement in democracy in Ireland.  The project tested whether a more participatory form of democracy could work in Ireland at a time when people felt adrift and disconnected from power. This project demonstrated that Irish citizens could be trusted to make nuanced decisions and to weigh evidence. 

The success of We the Citizens led to the Irish Citizens Assembly Project. A number of important policy outcomes as well as constitutional changes have resulted and there are signs that more deliberative methods are becoming embedded in the political system.

In UCD, these initiatives are led by Prof. David Farrell.

Learn more about We the Citizens

Learn more about The Irish Citizen's Assembly Project

WeCount is a European project that involves live traffic counting by citizens.

Traffic is at the core of a variety of societal problems ranging from road safety, air, noise, and light pollution, to public health risks, to the liveability of our communities. However, obtaining objective traffic counts can be difficult, because local authorities usually only have the resources to monitor a limited number of roads. Therefore, the WeCount project has the opportunity to greatly improve data available on traffic with the help of local citizens!

University College Dublin is organising the WeCount project in Ireland and host online workshops where local communities can discuss their concerns around traffic in their neighbourhoods and can learn more about how to analyse traffic data. In Dublin, WeCount are working with citizens to install a number of environmental sensors to monitor air and noise pollution. This data will supplement the traffic data to establish the pathway from sources to local pollution problems.

Irish sites for WeCount include Dublin, Cork, Ennis, Kilkenny, Limerick and Laois.

The Irish lead for WeCount is Assoc. Prof. Francesco Pilla

Learn how to get involved with WeCount around Ireland

Watch the video about WeCount Dublin

The PVCR provide education and training for patients and cancer researchers to improve communication and ensure that cancer research is seen as a joint venture to overcome the disease and improve quality of life during and post treatment.

The PVCR initiative lead is Prof. Amanda McCann.

Visit the PVCR website 

Contact PVCR

Listen to their podcast

This research project explores strategies in the home and community, where children’s creative and innovative responses have helped them and their friends and families adjust to changes during and after the pandemic. It looks at how children’s actions in the pandemic may affect the ability of others in their community to adjust to changes.

This project uses a Children’s Research Advisory Group (CRAG), to help make the research more useful and understandable from children and young people’s point of view. The CRAG includes children and young people aged 10-17.

The Covision project lead is Dr. Suja Somanadhan.

Learn more about the Covision project

Click here to learn how to join the CRAG