UCD Research

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Equal1, a quantum semiconductor company and a @ucddublin spin-out, has raised $60m in funding to accelerate development of scalable, silicon-based quantum computers and deployment of its datacentre-ready Bell-1 quantum server. ucd.ie/innovation/new… @Entirl @KTIconnect

It was an absolute pleasure to host this years Irish Pollinator Research Network meeting in @ucddublin yesterday. A great bunch of people doing great research, while also supporting the @PollinatorPlan. Thanks to @ucdearth for support! #engagedresearch

📰Largest study to date demonstrating significant benefits of lifestyle interventions in reducing the risk of gestational diabetes. UCD’s Prof Fionnuala McAuliffe @UCDMedicine is co-author on the @LivUni-led paper published in @bmj_latest today. ➡️ucd.ie/research/news/…

The story of Ireland’s peatlands are being told through a new series of illustrated beer mats celebrating the biodiversity and history preserved by Irish’s bogs. Developed by Dr Shane McGuinness, Climate Fellow at the UCD Earth Institute, and colleagues from University College Cork, in collaboration with artist Eleanor Brayden, the beer mats feature bold artwork and bite-sized facts about Ireland’s unique peatland heritage. Ancient artefacts such as the Brockagh Bronze Age axe and the Ralaghan figurine sit alongside ecological treasures including the carnivorous sundew plant and Devil’s Matchstick lichen. Each mat also includes a QR code linking to further stories, images and research insights on Ireland’s peatlands. “While peatlands have been seen as wastelands or a source of fuel in the past, they’re becoming increasingly valued for climate action, biodiversity and water,” he said. "We’re delighted to be bringing this message to an unconventional venue – giving the public a snapshot of the wealth and wonder of Ireland’s peatlands during the festive season,” said Dr McGuinnes.

Ceiliúradh ar "Nollaig na mBan". Má tá sé mar rún agat do chuid Gaeilge a usáid níos minicí i 2026, cur tús led' rún amárach. Beidh cuid dínn ag teacht le céile do chaife gasta (le Gaeilge), 10.30 r.n., Club na hOllscoile.

Registration still open for a FREE workshop under ADAPT’s AI Literacy in the Classroom initiative. Built for post-primary teachers (no AI/CS background needed), it focuses on critical thinking, ethics, and responsible AI use in schools. 🗓 24 Jan 2025 🕒10:00–14:00 (refreshments from 09:30) 📌Limerick 🍽️Lunch + certificate included ailiteracyintheclassroom.ie/workshop/limer @Researchirel @DiscussAI @DCU @UCD_Research @ucddublin @dcucomputing @Google #AILiteracy #ResponsibleAI #EdTech #Teachers

UCD Physiotherapy is 70! 🥳 For the past seven decades, we have been advancing movement science, strengthening clinical care, and educating physiotherapists who continue to excel across healthcare settings in Ireland and internationally. To celebrate our 70th anniversary, we hosted an event at the UCD University Club where current and former staff, students, alumni, industry colleagues and friends gathered to celebrate the last 70 years and look forward to the future. Read more at ucd.ie/phpss/newsande… @ucddublin @UCD_CHAS @ucdsportsclubs @UCD_HPG @Blake_Cath @t_tcusack @CACorish @EamonnDelahunt @OliveLennon1 @caitrionacunn @KeithMSmart @bronafullen @CaulfieldBrian @_ISCP_ @MaryOKeeffe007 @myucd @GradUcd @UCDGS @UCDALUMNI @ucd_global

On #TechRadioIreland podcast @BrianMacNamee @UCDCompSci @insight_centre talks about the journey of #AI from Clippy in Word to ChatGPT, explaining how #LLMs are only the public face of technology that’s been evolving for decades Listen here techcentral.ie/insights-brian… @techcentral_ie

Read about the #NationalChallengeFund prize-winning project @AI2Peat, led by Dr Corrado Grappiolo and Dr Eoghan Holohan of @ucddublin, with Societal Impact Champion Dr Shane Regan, in today’s sponsored profile with @IrishTimes: irishtimes.com/sponsored/2025… (paywall)

👨‍🌾💰 Many congratulations to Assistant Professor Dimitrios Argyropoulos, who has secured €6.5m in Horizon Europe-backed funding for the UCD-led AI project AGROBOOST. Leveraging advanced robotics, AI, and augmented reality, the project aims to modernise agriculture, combat labour shortages, and prioritise worker safety. This funding will assist AGROBOOST in enhancing farm safety, intelligence, and appeal, particularly for women, youth, and workers with disabilities. The aim is to reduce workplace accidents by 30% and to demonstrate improved inclusivity among those pursuing farming careers. Dr Argyropoulos, from the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, will lead the multi-disciplinary European project involving 18 partners. 🗣️ “AGROBOOST embraces a methodology rooted in scientific excellence, social inclusivity, and measurable impact, prioritising the safety and appeal of agricultural work by harnessing robotics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, automation and digitalisation while simultaneously aiming for significant reductions in workplace accidents, environmental footprint, and production costs." - Dr Dimitrios Argyropoulos It will seek to address highly challenging agricultural tasks directly through six pilot campaigns. These include: 🍄 Mushroom selective harvesting (Ireland) using fully autonomous, vision-guided robots 🤖 Intelligent Autonomous Robotic System for Harvesting of Strawberries Crops (UK) utilising a gamified Virtual Reality (VR) environment for training and telepresence 🍎 Orchard tree pruning and flower thinning (Portugal) leveraging AI-based robotic systems 🌱 Mechanical Autonomous Selective Weeding (Greece) in organic vegetable farming 🐓 Autonomous Management of Poultry Production, Health and Welfare (Belgium) using combined fixed and mobile robotic platforms 🍷 Automated Work on the Ground in Steep Vineyards (Switzerland), exploring lightweight, morphing compliant robots to reduce human intervention in challenging terrain Another part of the project is €480,000 in financial support to integrate external innovation from third parties, such as SMEs, startups, and research groups, through two open funding calls, providing up to €60,000 to each of the planned eight recipients.

🔬🧵Congratulations to UCD Associate Artist Lorna Donlon on winning a prestigious RDS Craft Award! Lorna's body of work was praised by the judges as a ‘masterful blend of art and science’. @UCD_Conway @ucdscience #RDS ➡️ucd.ie/research/news/…

#UCD_Ai stories! Leading Ireland to the next frontiers of #computing & #datasciences @ucddublin Researchers @UCDCompSci & @UCDMathStat have helped to define the evolving frontier of #AI through breakthrough research, collaboration and talent development ucd.ie/research/infoc…

UCD and the Irish Space Association (ISA) brought leaders from academia, industry and government together for a key event exploring how cross-sector collaboration can strengthen Ireland’s position in the rapidly expanding global space economy. ➡️ucd.ie/research/news/…

Can #CreativeArts be part of the technology revolution? @pjmath @HumanitiesUCD Director #UCDCFA @creativefutur16 is at the frontier where creativity meets technology Learn more https:/www.ucd.ie/research/infocus/harnessingai/aiincreativearts-openingnewdoorsintoimaginativerealms

🏥🤖 AINM, an AI healthcare project led by UCD, has been awarded €9.1 million under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). Led by Professor Peter Doran at the UCD Clinical Research Centre (CRC), AINM aims to transform health services through hospital-ready AI-based decision-support solutions. Collaborators on the project include Dell Technologies and Microsoft, as well as two NovaUCD-headquartered companies, Oblivious Software Limited and xWave Technologies. “This is a real endorsement of the direction set out in the UCD CRC strategy and our ambition to be a leading centre for clinical and translational research at the cutting edge of technological development,” said Professor Doran of the funding. “AINM gives us a significant opportunity to turn that ambition into real-world progress, using key-enabling technologies to support the kind of clinical research that genuinely changes practice. “Creating secure, federated infrastructure where we can build and test clinical decision support systems, while protecting patient privacy, is a major step forward for Ireland’s digital health ecosystem.” “Access to high-quality health data and real-world clinical validation is essential for any Irish company developing safe and effective AI for healthcare,” said Mitchell O’Gorman, CEO of xWave Technologies, which develops AI-powered digital health platforms. “DTIF gives innovators like xWave the environment we need to build clinically trusted, globally deployable solutions.” Other UCD researchers involved with the project include: 🔹 Dr Brian MacNamee, UCD School of Computer Science 🔹 Professor Patricia Maguire, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science 🔹 Professor Brian Caulfield, UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science 🔹 Dr Ronan Kileen, UCD School of Medicine 🔹 Professor Michela Bertolotto, UCD School of Computer Science The DTIF is a €500 million fund managed by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, with administrative support from Enterprise Ireland. Its purpose is to support investment in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis. The AINM project received the highest award among the seven most recently funded projects. In addition to the AINM project, UCD is also partnering in the PIONEER project, which has secured €7.2 million under the DTIF. PIONEER studies diseases and the immune system, using advanced screening tools and a method called electroporation to improve treatments. The UCD lead for the project is Dr Niall Mulligan, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at the UCD School of Medicine.

What will the Irish town of the future look like and what does it require to thrive? In the latest episode of the @RTEBrainstorm podcast we hear from Dr Philip Crowe from @ucddublin and Dr Susan Hegarty from @DCU. Listen now: rte.ie/brainstorm/202…

📃New report: Island of Ireland punches above its weight in #CancerResearch & Innovation worldwide, thanks to collaborative approach. All-Island Cancer Research Landscape Report, supported by @IrishCancerSoc, was launched today by @AlCRIproject ucd.ie/research/news/…

📰🏆 Eleven of Ireland’s leading business journalists have been recognised at the UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards. For almost two decades, the Awards have celebrated exceptional work by print, broadcasting and digital journalists across a number of hard-fought categories. The 2025 categories and winners are: 🔹 Business News Story of the Year: Mark Paul, The Irish Times | ‘Derek Quinlan secretly gave his wife €2.5m tax refund’ @MarkPaulTimes 🔹 Audio Story of the Year: Garrett Mulhall @GMulhall1, Fionnán Sheahan @fionnansheahan, Amy Molly @AmyMolloyIndo and Kevin Doyle @KevDoyle_Indo , Irish Independent | ‘Behind Closed Doors: The disgraced landlord Christian Carter and the newspaper gagging order’ 🔹 Business Feature of the Year – Adrian Weckler @adrianweckler, Irish Independent | ‘AI Video - Can you tell if this is real or not - and what does this mean for us?’ 🔹 Business Analyst of the Year - Conor O'Carroll @ConorOCarroll3, The Journal Investigates | ‘Ireland's data centres turning to fossil fuels after maxing out country's electricity grid’ | ‘Where are all the data centres and why should you care?’ 🔹 Business Interview of the Year – Fearghal O'Connor @Fearghaloc, Sunday Independent | ‘McCartin strums a new tune at Avalon’ | 🔹Women in Business Journalism Award – Kathleen Gallagher @gallagka91, Business Post | ‘Femtech funding: ‘We do it with babies in our bellies, on our boobs, and in our boardrooms. And we succeed’ | ‘Exclusive: Pfizer shutters 12 Irish firms with €600m of assets as part of major restructuring’ 🔹 Upcoming Journalist of the Year – Emma Hanrahan @emmajhanrahan, Business Post | ‘Meet the viral Gen-Z creator behind brands like Ryanair’s TikTok success’ | ‘From warzones to €79 subscriptions: Michael O’Leary’s battle to recover Ryanair profit’ | ‘Clonmel Healthcare: Meet the Irish pharma company eyeing opportunity in Trump’s tariff chaos’ Each category winner is awarded a €1,000 prize.

Dr Laura K. Taylor has been awarded an @ERC_Research Consolidator Grant for her GENERATION EU project. #ERCCoG Her project will explore how young people develop and align with a ‘European’ identity, and the implications that this can have on society. ➡️ucd.ie/research/news/…