Six teams receive funding in second round of National Challenge Fund

UCD’s Dr Jiayao Chen and the Bohemian team awarded prize funding as runners-up under the Healthy Environment for All Challenge.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has announced €8 million in prize phase funding for six research teams across four challenge programmes under the National Challenge Fund.

Funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Fund calls on researchers to identify problems related to Ireland’s Green Transition and Digital Transformation, and work directly with those most affected to solve them. There were four winners and two runners-up in this round of funding.

Dr Jiayao Chen, UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, is Co-Lead on ‘Bohemian - Biological and chemical aerosol monitoring and modelling’. The Bohemian team are runners-up under the Healthy Environment for All Challenge. Dr Chen works alongside team lead Dr David O’Connor of Dublin City University, Societal Impact Champion Dr Saji Varghese of Met Éireann, and Aidan Long of the Irish Asthma Society as part of the Bohemian team.

Minister James Lawless said, “I am delighted to announce the second cohort of teams to receive prize funding under the National Challenge Fund. These research teams are driving innovative projects that will help Ireland transition to a clean and secure energy system, strengthen our ability to anticipate and respond to flood risks, protect children by recognising and resisting grooming tactics, and advance our move towards an environmentally sustainable, climate-neutral economy. I congratulate all the teams on their success in this highly competitive programme.”

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO, Research Ireland, said, “I congratulate all the teams being awarded further funding as part of the second round of the National Challenge Fund. This is a significant milestone for this programme, and the research teams it supports. The teams announced today have progressed their projects through deep collaboration with end-users and key societal stakeholders, and I look forward to seeing the teams scale and implement their solutions, delivering national impact over the coming years.”

Energy Innovation Challenge Winner:

The RENEW team, led by Professor Fabiano Pallonetto and Dr Amy Fahy of Maynooth University, with Societal Impact Champion Peter Hamilton, of Maynooth Sustainable Energy Community.

Digital for Resilience Challenge Winner:

Team StopFloods4.ie, led by Dr Indiana Olbert and Dr Thomas McDermott, University of Galway, with Societal Impact Champion Dr Ciaran Broderick of Met Éireann.

OurTech Challenge Winner:

GroSafe, led by Dr Christina Thorpe and Dr Matt Bowden of Technical University Dublin, with Societal Impact Champion Fiona Jennings, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Healthy Environment for All Challenge Winner:

Traceless, led by Dr Yuanyuan Chen, Technological University of the Shannon and Professor Maurice Collins, University of Limerick, with Societal Impact Champion, Maurice Ryan of Green Belt Ltd.

The second runner-up team under the Healthy Environment for All Challenge is Restart, led by Dr Ciprian Briciu-Burgina and Professor Fiona Regan, Dublin City University, with Societal Impact Champion Roy O’Connor, Dublin City Council.

The National Challenge Fund is a €65M research fund established under the Government of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and developed by the Government so that Ireland can access funding under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Ireland is expected to receive €988 million in grants under the Facility.

EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, said, “The National Challenge Fund demonstrates the real impact of strategic EU investment on Irish society. The prize funding awarded today will help research teams advance solutions to major challenges on the path to a more sustainable, safer and more resilient future. Protecting the environment and children, while upholding fundamental rights, remains a core priority for the European Commission. Research and innovation are key to a just transition to a climate-neutral society and a fair, safe digital world. The work supported today will help shape a better future for Ireland, Europe and the global community.”

For more information visit the (opens in a new window)Research Ireland website.