UCD Programme for Research in Third Level Institutes
Since its inception in 1998, the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) has invested €865 million into strengthening national research capabilities through significant investment in human and physical infrastructure. The aim of the programme is to propel Ireland toward establishing an international profile as a premier location for carrying out world class research and development.
To date, UCD has benefited from four subsequent PRTLI funding schemes to the amount of €164 million.
PRTLI physical Infrastructure initiatives have contributed to the funding of various buildings across the Belfield campus, including: the UCD Conway Institute, Humanities Institute Ireland, the Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, the Science South Refurbishment, the Geary Institute, and the Urban Institute.
The Conway Institute is a multidisciplinary centre for research with a focus on the identification of molecular mechanisms underlying human and animal diseases in the areas of inflammation and infection; microvascular diseases; neuroscience; diabetes; developmental biology; chemical biology and bioprocessing. The Conway Institute was founded in 1999, and moved to a new state-of-the-art building in 2003. To date it has received €92 million in funding from the first three cycles of PRTLI.
The service intensive building supports researchers across a diverse range of disciplines including medicine, biology, environmental science, chemistry, agriculture, and food science. In addition to the high quality laboratory facilities the building provides conference, interaction and a series of technology platforms.
The Urban Institute investigates the development of new policies, technologies and ideas to improve the quality of living and working environment. The Institute received almost €6.2 million in funding under PRTLI cycles 1 and 2, while since its establishment it has been awarded almost €14m in external funding.
Currently, 85 Principal Investigators and their associated PhD students and post doctorate researchers work closely in the facility and have published over 500 publications since 2002.
The new building, sited at Richview was cleverly designed to incorporate sustainable design systems and materials.
The UCD Geary Institute received an award of €3.68 million under PRTLI Cycle 1, which included the development of a 1,200 sq.m building. The flagship building is designed with open spaces to promote multi disciplinary research across the humanities, science, and business spectrum. Since then, subsequent research programmes have been facilitated by a grant of €3.4 million under Cycle 3. The Institute is one of Europe’s foremost centres for social and economic policy research.
Set up under PRTLI Cycle 3, the CSCB received €26 million in funding and opened its doors in 2005 with a mission to promote knowledge, health and economic advancement through excellence in the chemical sciences of synthesis and chemical biology. This was the largest single investment in chemistry research ever made by the Irish Government.
Incorporating 48 fume-hoods, NMR equipment, and other technology platforms, the CSCB represents the first stage in the overall development of a transformative resource for Irish Science at UCD.
Established under PRTLI 3, the Humanities Institute of Ireland was built in 2002 and received €6 million of PRTLI funding including the monies for the construction of a 560 sq.m building. It is a locus for interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences supporting collaborations both internally within the University, nationally and internationally with the broader academic community.
Refurbishments to the initial phase of the Science Centre South building were completed in late 2008, and received funding from PRTLI programmes. The installation of the new façade and laboratory fit-out commenced on-site in March 2008, and the innovative design incorporates measures to maximise energy efficiency, such as fume-hood sashes which close automatically, heat recovery systems and an improved façade performance. The next phase of South will include the completion of facilities for the PRTLI 4 funded programmes in (bio) pharmaceutical and pharmacological sciences, bionano sciences and Food and Health.
Celebrating a decade of PRTLI achievement, UCD is now showcasing some of its key research institutes and programmes that have been created and transformed as a result of the PRTLI initiative. Hoarding has been erected on some of the PRTLI funded buildings to raise awareness of the fund and to illustrate the important part that PRTLI has played in transforming UCD into a premier location for research and development.
