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DCU among the joint SFI and UK research grant awards of €6.7 million
DCU among the joint SFI and UK research grant awards of €6.7 million

DCU among the joint SFI and UK research grant awards of €6.7 million

Minister for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan TD announced an investment of €6.7 million, supporting 14 research awards under a joint funding scheme between Science Foundation Ireland and the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Dublin City University is among the recipients with an award of €612, 534 to Dr Anne Parle-Dermott from the School of Biotechnology and the lead Irish researcher on a project in collaboration with Professor Nicholas Greene of University College London.

The SFI/BBSRC awards will support a total of 26 research positions in Irish institutions over a period of 3-4 years.

Researchers from the UK and Ireland will work together on research and technology development addressing key global challenges in biosciences for health, agriculture, food security, industrial biotechnology and bioenergy.

Research areas being funded through the partnership include rapid bone graft synthesis; gut bacterial influences on the nutrition of Atlantic salmon; modelling the spread of tuberculosis in cattle in the UK and Ireland; a study of the genetic diversity of oats across the UK and Ireland and the influence of climate change on their ability to fight fungal infection.

Announcing the awards, Minister Halligan said:

“I am very pleased to announce this significant investment in research and development by the BBSRC and Science Foundation Ireland, which will strengthen research links between Ireland and the UK.

Connecting our scientific communities will enhance scientific and technological collaborations in both countries, maximising infrastructure and talent.

These joint ventures can produce important scientific discoveries and innovations, while improving the overall scientific competitiveness of both countries internationally.”

Discussing the partnership, Prof Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said:

“The international collaboration between the BBSRC and Science Foundation Ireland, along with the very high calibre of projects receiving funding, demonstrates our commitment to supporting excellent and impactful research.“

“Through the BBSRC-SFI partnership, we are promoting the crucial sharing of resources, knowledge and expertise among the international research community.

This will empower researchers both here in Ireland and in the UK, and further builds on Ireland’s global reputation for research excellence.”

About the BBSRC and Science Foundation Ireland Partnership

Since the establishment of the BBSRC-SFI partnership in October 2015, there have been three rounds of funding: 

Under the first funding call there were three successful applications, supporting seven research positions, with a total value of €1.6m. (June 2016) 

Under the second call there were seven successful applications, supporting 12 research positions, with a total value of €3.4m. (November 2016) 

Under the third, and most recent funding call, four applications were successful, with a total value of €1.7m, supporting seven research positions.

(March 2017) Joint applications are processed according to the normal procedures of the BBSRC Responsive Mode Scheme, and if successful, the UK-based research groups are funded by BBSRC and the Republic of Ireland-based research groups are funded by SFI.

The BBSRC will be the lead agency, and the partnership welcomes, encourages and supports research applications that cut across national boundaries involving collaborative teams led by researchers from the UK and Ireland.

Science Foundation Ireland – BBSRC-SFI Joint Funding Scheme Awardees

Lead Irish Researcher: Irish Institution: Title of Research: Value of SFI Award including overhead: (€) U.K Institution Lead U.K. Researcher*

Prof Andrew Bowie Trinity College Dublin Innate immune signalling underpinning Klebsiella-host interactions €364,311 Queen’s University of Belfast Prof Jose Bengoechea

Dr Anne Parle-McDermott Dublin City University Deciphering the function of the human Dihydrofolate reductase 2 gene €612,534 University College London Prof Nicholas Greene

Dr Adrian Bracken Trinity College Dublin Understanding the impact of divergent Sin3A/HDAC1 complex assemblies in gene regulation €537,132 University of Leicester Dr Shaun Cowley

Dr Cormac Murphy University College Dublin Investigation of Fengycin Mechanism Using Biological, Chemical and Biophysical Tools €187,200 University of Durham Dr Steven Cobb

Dr Kanishka Nilaweera Teagasc The role of hypothalamic neuropeptide network in regulating tissue sizes in response to diet energy content and composition €617,166 University of Aberdeen Prof John Speakman

Prof Stephen Gordon University College Dublin Tackling a multi-host pathogen problem - phylodynamic analyses of the epidemiology of M. bovis in Britain and Ireland €316,821 University of Glasgow Prof Rowland Kao

Dr Paula Bourke Dublin Institute of Technology EnvironSafe: Cold Plasma Innovations for Food Safety and Sustainability €597,562 Queens University Belfast Prof Brendan Gilmore

Dr Frank Wellmer Trinity College Dublin Characterization of a novel Polycomb group protein complex and its effects on the plant epigenome €539,205 University of Edinburgh Dr Justin Goodrich

Prof Jeremy Simpson University College Dublin Elucidating the mechanisms and pathways of extracellular vesicle uptake and intercellular stress response €407,712 Oxford Brookes Dr David Carter

Dr Oliver Blacque University College Dublin Structure-function relationships in the ciliary transition zone €630,296 University of Leeds Prof Colin Johnson

Prof Robert Lahue National University of Ireland Galway Mechanisms & consequences of HDACs in the NCoR complex, in controlling the activity of MutSb in trinucleotide repeat expansions €286,291 University of Leicester Prof John Schwabe

Prof Fiona Doohan University College Dublin Oats for the future: deciphering the potential of host resistance and RNAi to minimise mycotoxin contamination under present and future climate scenarios €540,175 Cranfield University Prof Naresh Magan

Dr Philip McGinnity University College Cork A microbial basis for Atlantic salmon energetics €638,903 University of Glasgow Dr Martin Llewellyn

Dr Manus Biggs National University of Ireland Galway Rapid Bone Graft Synthesis Through Dual Piezoelectric/Nanomechanical Stimulation €387,894 University of Glasgow Prof Matthew Dalby *Funded by the BBSRC