Seven Trinity-led research projects have secured a combined €6.5 million in funding under the Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme.
The initiative supports high-risk, high-reward research programmes with the potential for significant economic and societal impact.
The successful projects span a range of disciplines, tackling challenges such as improving 2D nanomaterials, and bioengineering corneas.
The winners, announced on February 26, include:
Prof. Jonathan Coleman (School of Physics, and the AMBER Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research), who will lead a project focusing on high-performance printed devices using 2D nanosheets.
Prof. Rachel McLoughlin (School of Biochemistry and Immunology) will investigate how gamma-delta T cells can be harnessed to target Staphylococcus aureus infections, while Prof. David Hoey (School of Engineering and AMBER) aims to develop new strategies for bone regeneration.
Collaborating on dementia research, Prof. Lorina Naci (School of Psychology, and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, TCIN) and Prof. Fiona Wilson (School of Medicine) will work on tools to assess dementia risk in former athletes.
Meanwhile, Dr Silvia D’Angelo (School of Computer Science and Statistics) will develop statistical methods for analysing dietary patterns and their links to health outcomes.
In the area of paediatric health, Dr Eva Jimenez-Mateos (School of Medicine, and TCIN) will explore how glutamate affects microglia in birth asphyxia and epilepsy development. Finally, Dr Mark Ahearne (School of Engineering) will seek to optimise the mechanical environment for corneal bioengineering.
Welcoming the funding announcement, Prof. Sinéad Ryan, Dean of Research at Trinity, said: “I congratulate all the Trinity awardees on securing this Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future funding.”
“This funding programme supports ‘high-risk, high-reward’ research and will be a key enabler for innovative and creative research across a wide range of disciplines at Trinity,” she noted. “I look forward to seeing these projects progress.”
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, also highlighted the broader impact of the funding, stating: “The Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future programme supports the development of world-class research across a range of disciplines.”
“The awardees – spanning nine research institutions nationwide – have brought forward novel and innovative ideas with strong potential to deliver impactful solutions for major challenges facing society today.”
Celine Fitzgerald, Interim Chief Executive of Research Ireland, emphasised the importance of the programme in fostering research talent: “Our Frontiers for the Future Programme is driven by feedback from the research community and represents a strong commitment to developing future talent in key areas.”
“These 23 awards will fund a total of 86 research positions, comprising Postdocs, PhDs, Research Assistants and support staff.
“I’m very pleased with the opportunities that this targeted investment is creating”, she concluded, “and greatly encouraged that crucial research on pressing issues will be facilitated as a result.”
This funding underscores Trinity’s strength in research and innovation across multiple disciplines, with the projects set to contribute to advances in healthcare, engineering, and materials science in the coming years.
