Ireland’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, and Wales’ Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans MS, have today announced funding totalling €584,378 for eight successful projects under the Research Alliance Award initiative. Four of the eight projects are led by UCD.
Launched in December 2024 by the Wales Innovation Network (WIN) and Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, the Research Alliance Award is a collaborative funding programme designed to strengthen Ireland-Wales research ties and develop competitive grants for Horizon Europe, the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation.
The funding will support research partnerships across a diverse range of disciplines, spanning cutting-edge fields from neurodegenerative therapies to sustainable energy and AI-driven environmental solutions, fostering innovation and collaboration between Irish and Welsh institutions.
Marking the announcement, Minister Lawless said: “The Research Alliance Award highlights the strong ties between Ireland and Wales and the immense potential of our academic communities working together. By investing in these innovative projects, we are paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries and solutions that will benefit both our countries and the wider European community. We look forward to seeing how these collaborations develop into larger-scale initiatives that deliver real-world impact.”
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, commented: “We want to create a dynamic future for ourselves, championing innovation and new technologies to support a greener Wales, with better health, better jobs and prosperity for all. The Research Alliance Award funding is a fantastic opportunity for academic organisations in Wales and Ireland to forge new partnerships in a bid to tackle complex challenges with government support – per the ambitions of the Ireland-Wales Shared Statement and Joint Action Plan 2021 to 2025. I look forward to seeing this initiative further build Wales’ reputation as a magnet for collaboration and excellence in innovation.”
Welcoming the award, Celine Fitzgerald, CEO of Research Ireland, commented: “This award programme highlights our commitment to fostering impactful international research collaborations. Supporting these Ireland-Wales partnerships strengthens our shared research ecosystem, positioning our researchers for success in a Horizon Europe context. These projects exemplify the power of cross-border collaboration in addressing societal and economic challenges.”
Universities Wales Chair, Paul Boyle, added: "The UK’s re-association to Horizon Europe in 2024 is a great opportunity for Welsh researchers to be part of the world’s largest research collaboration programme. This joint programme between the Wales Innovation Network and Research Ireland provides support for Welsh researchers to build new ties and strengthen existing partnerships with their Irish counterparts. I am delighted WIN can facilitate this initiative to showcase the excellence of Welsh research on an international stage and build collaborations to address global challenges.”
The projects are:
Professor Breandán Kennedy, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute, Co-Lead: Ben Mead Cardiff University, EMPOWER : Empowering An Ocular Research Alliance in Wales and the Republic of Ireland
Dr Deepu John, UCD School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Co-Lead: Nhat (Nick) Pham, Cardiff University, NEURAL: Next-gen Edge AI for Universal Real-time Seizure Alert
Professor Madeleine Lowery, UCD School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Co-Lead Cheney Drew, Cardiff University, Novel speech biomarkers for monitoring disease progression in early-stage Huntington’s disease
Professor Wenxin Wang, UCD School of Medicine, UCD Conway Institute, Co-Lead: Ben Newland, Cardiff University, Immunomodulatory and multifunctional cryogel microcarriers for local therapeutic delivery in the brain
John Mackrill, University College Cork, Co-Lead John Doonan, Aberystwyth University, A New Alliance to Address the Threat of Phytophthora infestans, the “Plant Destroyer”
Ibrahim Aminu, University of Limerick, Co-Lead: Serena Margadonna, Swansea University, Irish-Welsh Collaboration for Advancing Anode-Free Sodium Metal Battery Innovations,
Silvia Giordani, Dublin City University, Co-Lead Zengbo Wang, Bangor University, Laser-Assisted Carbon Nano-Onion Photothermal Therapy: A Feasibility Study
Soumya Mukherjee, University of Limerick, Co-Lead Mosab Bazargani, Bangor University, Machine Learning-Driven Discovery and Assessment of Metal-Organic Adsorbents for Freshwater Cleanup
The Research Alliance Award provides seed funding to researchers in Ireland and Wales to develop joint proposals for Horizon Europe and other European funding programmes over the duration of four to 12 months. The funded projects will strengthen academic-industry collaboration between Ireland and Wales, support competitive Horizon Europe proposals, and facilitate researcher mobility, workshops, and joint research activities.