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Tuesday, 4 February 2025

The Health Research Institute (HRI) at University of Limerick is pleased to announce the recipients of the HRI Seed Funding Programme 2024. This initiative aims to build research capacity with international scope and impact, positioning the University to secure major non-exchequer funding in alignment with HRI and UL research strategies. 

Funded Projects

Out of fifteen submissions, an independent reviewing panel recommended four projects for funding. The panel noted that many of the projects not funded within the limited budget had the potential to secure funding under national or international schemes. The four projects recommended for funding are:

  1. Synthetic Alzheimer’s: A Novel Drug-Induced Model for Testing Novel Therapeutics
  • Principal Investigator: Professor James Brown
  1. Lifestyle Medicine in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs): Co-design and Feasibility of a Group Consultation Model
  • Principal Investigator: Professor Audrey Tierney
  1. Community Access Support Teams (CAST) Pilot Project Limerick Garda Division and HSE Mid-West Co-Response
  • Principal Investigator: Dr Owen Doody
  1. The Feasibility of Holistic, Personalised, Digital Rehabilitation for Adolescent Back Pain (TeenBack)
  • Principal Investigator: Professor Kieran O’Sullivan

Congratulations to the successful projects and their teams. We look forward to the impactful research that will emerge from this funding.

 

Background to the Funding Call:

The HRI Seed Funding Programme is designed to support research activities that have the potential to advance the HRI’s research capability and impact, both during and beyond the lifetime of the proposed projects.

Applicant teams were required to consist of at least three HRI researchers and include a sustainability plan indicating the international funding schemes they intend to target in the future. Applicants were required to demonstrate the following:

  • Potential for excellence in research outcomes
  • Alignment with the strategic priorities of the HRI
  • Feasibility of achieving the research objectives
  • Suitability of the applying academics to lead or significantly contribute to future major non-exchequer funding applications
  • Evidence of existing networks of international collaborators
  • Sustainability of the research activity beyond the current seed funding, including target funding programmes