February 3rd 2025: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has today announced a €2.5 million investment to fund 28 fellowships through the Research Ireland Industry Research, Development, and Innovation Fellowship (IRDIF) Programme.
The Bernal Institute is proud to host 4 researchers under the IRDIF Programme:
- Infanta Diana Michael (Industry Partner: Analog Devices | Supervisor: Associate Professor Tadhg Kennedy)
- Maria Zubair (Industry Partner: Analog Devices | Supervisor: Associate Professor Sarah Guerin)
- Mei Li (Industry Partner: Analog Devices | Supervisors: Vice President of Research and Innovation in the University of Limerick Professor Kevin Ryan & Associate Professor David McNulty)
- Nasrin Ghanami Gashti (Industry Partner: BD Research Centre Ireland | Supervisor: Associate Professor Eoghan Cunnane)
The funding will enable postdoctoral researchers to undertake placements with partner companies, working on projects across diverse fields including AI for computational safety, sustainable materials for solar panels and cell-sorting system for addressing male infertility.
Minister Lawless said: “Research Ireland’s Industry Research Development and Innovation Fellowship Programme is an excellent example of how the best of academic research and industry expertise can be brought together to tackle challenges and deliver impactful solutions. The initiative strengthens our national research ecosystem and highlights the importance of partnerships in fostering innovation that drives societal and economic growth. I look forward to the significant contributions these fellowships will bring.”
Celine Fitzgerald, Interim CEO of Research Ireland, added: “We are delighted to facilitate these new partnerships between academia and industry. The Research Ireland IRDIF Programme offers researchers unique opportunities to address industry-focused challenges, ensuring that the knowledge exchange drives research excellence and enhances the competitive advantage of the companies involved.”
Examples of the projects funded include:
- Developing smarter AI systems that can quickly and accurately detect harmful content, reducing the need for human involvement and making AI safer and more reliable, in collaboration with Workday;
- Cost-effective and eco-friendly coatings that make solar panels self-cleaning, reducing maintenance and improving energy efficiency, in collaboration with Kastus Technologies;
- Development of a cell-sorting system to efficiently sort human primary testicular cells for addressing male infertility, in collaboration with BD Research Centre Ireland;
- Climate risk intelligence tools for critical infrastructure assets, in collaboration with Climate Matters;
- Converting dairy processing side-streams (acid casein whey) into sustainable phosphate supplement using optimised novel phosphate removal approaches, in collaboration with Arrabawn Co-Operative Ltd.;
- Development of innovative nanofluids to advance thermal cooling technology, in collaboration with HT Materials Science;
- Investigating Multi-Modal Drug Compounds as Therapeutic Agents for Ulcerative Colitis, in collaboration with Noa Therapeutics.
This milestone underscores the Bernal Institute’s commitment to advancing research excellence and fostering industry collaboration. Congratulations to the fellows on this remarkable opportunity, we look forward to witnessing their contributions and career growth as they continue to soar to new heights in their respective fields.