Fourteen Maynooth University researchers have received awards under the Irish Research Council (IRC) ‘New Foundations’ programme. The projects bring together researchers and civil society organisations to share knowledge, develop new insights, and devise evidence-based strategies and policies to address societal issues.
The MU projects address a range of challenges including mental and physical health, immigration, domestic violence, human rights and citizenship, in partnership with leading Irish civil society and community organisations.
Eleven projects were awarded a total €108,000 funding under the Enhancing Civic Society theme. A further two projects were awarded €20,000 under the Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development theme in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs (Irish Aid) and the Department of Education. These projects support research, networking and collaboration for the purpose of increasing public awareness and understanding of issues such as climate change, hunger, global inequality and injustice.
Department of Law and Criminology:
Dr Amina Adanan, Advancing the Rights of Prisoners in Ireland Through Strategic Litigation, in partnership with Irish Penal Reform Trust, €11,880.
Dr David Doyle, Victims' Perspectives on the Disposal of Domestic Abuse Cases in the Irish District Courts, in partnership with Sonas Domestic Violence Charity, €11,961.
Dr Joe Garrihy and Dr Ciara Bracken-Roche, Boxed Out: Higher education, criminal convictions, and perceptions of risk, in partnership with Irish Penal Reform Trust, €11,960.
Dr Cian O'Concubhair, Policing Housing Rights Activism in Ireland, in partnership with Irish Council for Civil Liberties, €11,995.
Dr Sinead Ring, On Relevance and Consent: Interrogating The Uses of the Victim's Previous Sexual History in Serious Sexual Offences Trials, in partnership with Rape Crisis Network Ireland, €11,999.
Dr Edana Richardson, Sustainability from the Classroom to the Corporate Agenda: Setting the foundations for investor activism through education, €9,916.
Department of Education:
Dr Catriona O'Toole, Researching alternatives to inpatient mental health care: An evidence-based service-design framework for a new therapeutic farm in Ireland, in partnership with Kyrie Therapeutic Farm, €11,994.
Department of Geography
Dr Kevin Credit, Dublin 8 Health + Environment Data Dashboard, in partnership with Robert Emmet Community Development Project, €11,099.
Dr Mary Gilmartin, Enhancing immigrant integration at local level in Ireland, in partnership with Immigrant Council of Ireland, €11,784.
Dr Fiadh Tubridy, Building the housing movement through community history: The 1970s rent strike in Drogheda and beyond, in partnership with Upstate Theatre Project, €10,150.
Department of Biology
Dr Marion Butler, Using a phospho-proteomic Strategy to identify Druggable Targets in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, in partnership with Breakthrough Cancer Research, €12,000.
School of Business
Dr Nicola Mountford, Roles and Influence of Various Actors in a bottom up funding scheme, in partnership with Health Research Charities Ireland, €11,962.
Department of Sociology
Dr Barry Cannon, Going Global: Defining, Characterising and Constructing Global Citizenship, €9,968.
In total, 67 projects were awarded funding across the country under the programme.
Commenting on the funding announcement, Director of the Irish Research Council, Dr Louise Callinan, said: “We are delighted to renew and extend our ongoing partnerships with Government departments and agencies who are funding 20 New Foundations projects, in addition to the 43 collaborative projects funded by the IRC with civic society partners, and the four funded by a charitable foundation.
“The collaboration between researchers and policymakers represented in these awards aligns with the ambitions of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and deliver enhanced outcomes for citizens and society. While New Foundations awards are relatively modest in value, they play a vital role in supporting and nurturing our research talent, providing an important step on the funding ladder to further awards nationally and internationally.”