Three DCU researchers secure funding in IRC Enterprise Scheme

The Irish Research Council’s Enterprise Partnership Scheme and Employment-Based Postgraduate Programme gives postgraduate and postdoctoral candidates, hosted by a research institution, the opportunity to collaborate with an enterprise or employer on research projects.

The IRC partners with a wide spectrum of organisations, ranging from multinational corporations to SMEs, public-sector agencies, and non-governmental organisations. The funding is worth approximately €105,000 over a two year period.

Larissa Bless will carry out a four year project examining targeted therapies for triple negative breast cancer. She is partnering with the Clinical Cancer Research Trust. Triple negative breast cancer is a form of the disease where the cancer cells do not have any of the characteristics which allow them to be easily destroyed, making for fewer treatment options.

Jason Ruane is researching the use of machine learning to classify and forecast bioaersols, in collaboration with Dublin smart technology firm Davra Networks. Bioaerosols are airborne collections of bacterial cells and cellular fragments, fungal spores and fungal hyphae, viruses, and by-products of microbial metabolism. They play a key role is processes such as pollination.

Priya Dharshini Augusthian's project concerns formal and informal learning in the context of building a circular economy. Priya will be working with The Rediscovery Centre (the national centre for the circular economy in Ireland) to examine sustainability and STEM education initiatives.