Research Newsletter - Issue 69: Funding Success

Congratulations to Dr Siobhan O'Connor and Dr Donnla O'Hagan, School of Health and Human Performance, on their success in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's Competitive Call for Research Proposals 2021 with their project entitled "Mental health Help-seeking in Irish Farmers".  The project will run for 24 months and will receive funding of €210k.

For further information on the project see below:

Mental health is a major societal issue in Ireland, with research finding that farmers can be particularly at risk.  While supports are available, unless farmers reach out and engage with these services, they are ineffective.  However, barriers can prevent help-seeking including a lack of awareness of mental health symptoms and available supports, stigma, poor social support etc.  This research firstly aims to identify how common mental health issues are in Irish farmers.  Focus groups with farmers and key stakeholders will also investigate the barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking.  Based on this, a bespoke, evidence-based mental health education programme to improve Irish farmers’ knowledge of mental health issues and help-seeking will be designed and its effectiveness examined.  To maximise the impact of this intervention, the farmers voice will be central at all stages of this research, and they will direct the ultimate mental health help-seeking educational content and format 

Congratulations to Dr Inam Ul Ahad (Lead PI), Dr Muhannad Ahmed Obeidi (co-PI), Dr Sithara Sreenilayam (co-PI) and Prof. Dermot Brabazon (Mentor) from School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, on securing an award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the EPA Research Call 2021.  The project is entitled "Critical Raw Materials for Ireland for a Resource Efficient Circular Economy".  The project will run for 12 months and will receive funding of €100k.  50% of the funding will be provided by the Geological Survey Ireland.

Congratulations to Prof. Eugene McNulty (School of English), Dr Sinéad McNally (School of Language, Literacy & Early Childhood Education) and Dr Yuhi Gao (DCU Business School) for being awarded IRC Research Ally Awards.

These awards are particularly special as they were nominated for these awards by their PhD Students and Postdoctoral researchers in recognition of their contribution towards developing and supporting the research careers of their students and mentees.

Erasmus+ Jean Monnet -  Centre of Excellence

The European Commission has awarded funding to Prof. Federico Fabbrini, Brexit Institute/School of Law & Government, to establish a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, called REBUILD (‘Recovery of Europe, Budget of the Union: Integration, Law & Democracy’).  The 3-year project is designed to explore the post-pandemic reconstruction of the EU economy, focusing on the “Next Generation EU” Recovery Fund, and examining its governance, financing and values.  REBUILD, which is funded under the Erasmus+ programme, is the first project of its kind in Europe — and the first Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence secured by DCU.

Prof Federico Fabbrini said “The award of this grant builds on the research and policy successes of the Brexit Institute and confirms the ever more important role of DCU in EU affairs, as witnessed also by our Master in European Law & Policy DCU, which is the go-to place for education on EU affairs in Ireland.”

Erasmus+ Jean Monnet -  Chair & Teacher Training

Prof. Christian Kaunert, School of Law & Government, leading a team of several excellent researchers from DCU, has been awarded 2 Jean Monnet awards, each for three years, starting from January 2022.  These highly prestigious awards are designed to fund advanced research and teaching activities and underline the research prestige of DCU as a recognised global leader in research in European politics and law.

Jean Monnet Chair: EUCTIRL: Counter-Terrorism in Europe

The JM Chair EUCTIRL provides research-led excellence in teaching and learning at the intersection of two fundamental areas of EU policy - the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, and EU counter-terrorism policy and law, through an international cross-section of doctoral, post-graduate and graduate students.  The objective is pursued by advancing cutting-edge blended learning formats, distance-learning and strong inter-disciplinarity, creating three new courses and contributing to the creation of a European Integration Centre of Excellence.

Jean Monnet Teaching Training: EUACADEMY

The main aim of this project is to establish a new EU Teacher Training Academy which will be recognised globally as a leader in the field, promoting active citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education.

The the aim of the EUACADEMY is to provide:

• continuous professional development (CPD) for teachers on the EU, essential in order to spread European values and active citizenship amongst pupils in school
• a foundation by which academics and teacher students alike are beneficially influenced via a series of cutting-edge innovative blended and distance learning formats on a range of multi-disciplinary themes
• a series of outputs by which a wide cross-section of motivated members of civil society can be viably informed of the rich variety of contemporary EU developments alongside the student teachers.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM)

Dr Edoardo Celeste, School of Law & Government, has secured funding for a European Master in Law, Data and Artificial Intelligence (EMILDAI), in partnership with Avignon Université in France, Universidad de León in Spain and the Università di Pisa in Italy.  It will be the first Erasmus Mundus degree coordinated by DCU.

Through a two-year study curriculum, including up to three mobility periods, work placements, language courses, summer schools and networking opportunities, EMILDAI will produce legal and technical professionals with a solid expertise in data protection, data governance, cybersecurity, AI law and ethics.  EMILDAI aims to attract excellent students worldwide and promote research-led teaching and staff mobility in order to support collaborative research, funding bids, and establish a network of excellence in the field of law, data and AI.

Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (EMDM)

Prof Matthias Urban, Early Childhood Research Centre, has been awarded funding to design, develop, and establish an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programme that focuses on Integrated Early Childhood Systems and Policies (IECSP).  This unique and highly innovative interdisciplinary programme responds to a globally emerging ‘systemic turn’ in the field of Early Childhood Development, Education and Care. Graduates will gain the competences and skills that are globally sought by organisations, agencies, and governments to lead the development of integrated and multi-sectoral approaches to designing, providing and evaluating holistic services and policies for young children.

The 120 ECTS programme will be developed in close collaboration with four prospective partners for the future EMJM consortium: The University of Stavanger, Tampere University, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and Tecnológico de Monterry.  All prospective partners are members of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU).

Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership Coordination Award

Congratulations to Colm Canning, DCU Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC),  for being a successful first-time applicant to the Erasmus+ programme, as Coordinator for the project BEFORE - Anti-Bullying Education For SpORts CoachEs. 

This project aims to address the need to improve training programmes for coaches, trainers, teachers and managers and to enhance their competencies and skill levels. Universities and sporting organisations from 4 European countries will collaborate  to create training programmes for physical education, sport psychology, a handbook, resources and coaching courses.  The project focuses on fostering inclusion as well as preventing and tackling bullying and intolerance.

Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships

Congratulations to the 6 staff across DCU who have secured funding as partners in the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership 2021 Call (note that more results are yet to be released):

Cooperation Partnerships in the Field of Higher Education:

Dr Cliona Murphy (School of STEM Education, Innovation & Global Studies):

Higher Educational tools for an Embodied & Creative Education on Energy

The most important objectives of this project are to:

1) develop and enrich higher education curricula in teacher education, following a didactic approach based on "tools of imagination" like storytelling, gamification, embodied simulation, digital simulation, and play, to facilitate science communication at primary and lower secondary school levels

 2) train academics charged with teacher education in innovative pedagogies and approaches to teaching science courses

3)  promote learning and teaching partnerships between universities and the private energy sector

4) upskill future science teachers with new approaches to teaching to encourage girls to enter scientific careers and to fight against gender stereotypes ln scientific and engineering careers;

5) support the strengthening of science skills of EU citizens and professionals to make conscious choices and use creativity and a critical mind-set to contribute to lower CO2 emissions towards EU 2050 targets.

Cooperation Partnerships in the Field of School Education:

Dr John O’Flynn (School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music): IN-VOICE 4 Empowerment

This program aims to develop innovative multidisciplinary arts-based approaches, methodologies and resources in order to promote diversity, equality and social inclusion in school education.

This will be achieved by:

 1) Strengthening the capacity of music teachers/choral leaders in order to be able to recognize and identify underlying issues concerning disadvantaged youth and social exclusion

2) Enriching music teachers’/choral leaders’ and subsequently students’ social, communicational,

intercultural and musical skills and competences to foster social inclusion

3) Strengthening teachers’/choral leaders’ and consequently students’ digital capacity to enhance arts-based creative practices

4) Raising awareness of the effectiveness of innovative arts-based programs enhanced with novel multimedia and digital technologies for fostering social inclusion

5) Promoting cultural heritage equality and new cultural production at European level in inclusive

choral practices.

Dr Caitriona Ni Cassaithe (STEM Education, Innovation & Global Studies):

(e-)Learning the invisible history of Europe through material culture (LETHE)

This project is focused on developing a digital product for students learning and teachers planning that seeks social inclusion by underlining the role that cultural and social groups had in the development of the current EU and that aims to enhance the introduction of key competences and critical thinking in digital environments through the introduction of Evidence- and Object-based learning approaches. This project is targeted at Primary and Secondary History teachers, while 10- to 14-year-old students are the beneficiaries.

Dr Geraldine Scanlon (School of Human Development): Teaching AD(H)D Children

 The aims of this project are:

- to sensitise (primary and secondary) school teachers to AD(H)D in pupils, inform them about the natures, causes and how it influences school performance,

- to prevent premature AD(H)D diagnosis and drug treatment, ensuring consideration of other possible causes of unruly behaviour of children

- to support teachers in dealing with pupils affected by AD(H)D and to provide them with sufficient knowledge and skills for realising education’s primary mission: successful socialisation

- to promote equal opportunities in school, and realise inclusion of AD(H)D-affected pupils

Cooperation Partnerships in the Field of Adult Education

Christine O'Kelly (Age Friendly Global Network Co-Ordinator): Culture on Prescription in Europe (COPE)

The aim of this project is to connect with the specific target groups of older people and people with mental health challenges and guide them to participate in cultural activities that help them to better cope with everyday life. In combining these measures, the main objective of the COPE project is to show that connecting topics of culture and health can create new paths in adult education to reduce loneliness and fight social exclusion.

Another target group to be addressed are stakeholders in social and healthcare who are interested in the combination of cultural activities and mental health promotion by introducing new and custom-made COPE courses catering to the special needs of people suffering from social isolation.

Dr Francesca Lorenzi (School of Policy and Practice):

A creative social prescription approach: promoting wellbeing of elderly generations through creativity-based intergenerational activities (Creation POP)

Building on research that acknowledges the positive effects of the creative arts on health and wellbeing, this project seeks to design and develop a programme of creative workshops through which elderly population will be empowered to discover their voice, their agency, and greater social inclusion. The Creation POP project will investigate, design and deliver new and effective ways of including elderly in the society through intergenerational learning and use of theatre. A needs analysis of elderly population will be carried out, followed by a research of intergenerational learning.  Based on the outcomes of this, a more tailor-made methodology and toolkit (short theatre plays) will be designed, focused on the utilization of the method of Theatre of Oppressed.