Introducing the winner of the Irish Research Council Impact Award
The Irish Research Council Impact Award is presented to a current or former Irish Research Council awardee who is making a highly significant impact outside of academia.
Dr Colin Keogh, Associate Researcher with UCD SmartLab and PhD researcher of UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, was awarded this year’s Impact Award. Dr. Keogh is an engineer, working in the innovation space. His research and work focuses on applying technology and innovation to solve global problems. He has used his training and research to directly deploy new innovative ideas and processes with companies, communities and volunteers to help tackle problems in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, climate and business.
Dr. Keogh is also an active technology consultant and developer, advising a number of companies and bodies, from small start-ups to government departments, in areas such as disruptive technologies, engineering practice, advanced energy systems, innovation, design and early stage growth and prototyping.
This year, he started a global open source response to the ventilator shortage, building out a team to design and develop open-source ventilators to assist with the fight against Covid-19.
Dr. Keogh is also the cofounder of Sapien Innovation, an innovation consultancy specialising in applied innovation, creativity and design thinking services and of The Rapid Foundation, a social enterprise which aims to disperse 3D printing technology to third world locations and conduct printing workshops with schools in the UK and Ireland. His work with the Rapid Foundation has included the design of 3D printed prosthetics for children with missing or ‘non-standard’ limbs.
Dr. Keogh has also previously been named as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science, as Junior Chamber International’s Ten Outstanding Young People and as the 2017 IT and Tech Professional of the Year at the Irish Early Career Awards.
He is currently leading new research in the Energy, SDG’s, Additive Manufacturing and Innovation fields at UCD, with a focus on policy and technology forecasting, enhanced innovation methodologies, additive manufacturing, third world impact and integrating advanced technologies into social, environmental, philanthropic and entrepreneurial activities.
You can hear more about Colin’s research to date and his reaction to winning the award in the video below.