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Tá sé mar aidhm ag clár Taighde Éireann luas a chur faoi dhul chun cinn taighde i réitigh cúraim sláinte tráchtála An Mol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte faoi stiúir Ollscoil na Gaillimhe i gcomhpháirtíocht le hOllscoil Teicneolaíochta an Atlantaigh agus Ollscoil Leighis agus Eolaíochtaí Sláinte RCSI Beidh Ollscoil na Gaillimhe ina ceanncheathrú d'infheistíocht nua €34 milliún i réitigh theicneolaíochta cúraim sláinte faoi chlár Mhol ARC Taighde Éireann – faoi chlár Taighde Éireann, an Mol ARC – Ó Thaighde go Tráchtálú. Rinne an tAire Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta, James Lawless T.D. fógra faoin Mol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte inniu agus is cuid de thionscnaimh níos leithne agus de dhámhachtainí maoinithe é chun tionchar tráchtála an taighde a thiomáint. Tá an Mol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte á stiúradh ag Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, i gcomhpháirtíocht le ATU agus RCSI, agus beidh 23 tionscadal nuálaíochta atá faoi stiúir taighde ann ag an tús a roghnaíodh mar gheall ar a gcumas láidir chun torthaí othar a fheabhsú. Tá an infheistíocht mhaoinithe shuntasach €34.3 milliún curtha ar fáil ag Rialtas na hÉireann agus ag Ciste Forbraíochta Réigiúnaí na hEorpa (CFRE) chun áit a chinntiú do Réigiún an Tuaiscirt agus an Iarthair mar cheannaire náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta i réimse na Teicneolaíochta Leighis agus na nuálaíochta sláinte comhnasctha. Is é príomhchuspóir Mhol ARC forbairt réigiúnach a thiomáint trí thaighde úrnua, ceannródaíoch a bhrú chun cinn agus é a ullmhú le haghaidh tionchar tráchtála agus ag an am céanna tacú le forbairt eolaithe agus innealtóirí fiontraíocha a bhfuil na scileanna acu chun deiseanna tráchtála a eascairt as taighde. Tugann an Mol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte saineolas cliniciúil agus tráchtála, taighde ceannródaíoch agus líonraí réigiúnacha le chéile chun réitigh tionchair a fhorbairt chun dul i ngleic le galair ainsealacha. Beidh sé dírithe ar ionchlannáin chliste, ar fheistí leighis inchaite ardteicneolaíochta, ar bhraiteoirí nuálacha agus ar shamhaltú atá bunaithe ar intleacht shaorga agus ar mheaisínfhoghlaim. Tacóidh an Mol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte le foirne idirdhisciplíneacha, cuirfidh sé léargas rialála agus margaidh ar fáil, cuirfidh sé dlús faoi chonairí cliniciúla agus tráchtála agus forbróidh sé comhpháirtíochtaí le páirtithe leasmhara tionscail agus cúraim sláinte. Feidhmeoidh sé mar mheán tástála náisiúnta le haghaidh aistriú nuálaíochta, ag treorú foirne taighde acadúla trí chéimeanna tábhachtacha i dtreo tráchtálaithe.             Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag James Lawless, T.D., an tAire Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta: “Cabhróidh Mol ARC Taighde Éireann do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte le nuálaíocht réigiúnach agus oiliúint fiontraíochta a athrú ó bhonn i réigiún an Iarthuaiscirt agus níos faide i gcéin. Agus feabhas á chur ar na héiceachórais cúraim sláinte agus teicneolaíochta acadúla-fiontraíochta atá ann cheana féin, cuirfidh an Mol ARC sraith tacaí tionchair ar an láthair ar fáil, a rachaidh chun tairbhe gach duine sa phróiseas – taighdeoirí, innealtóirí, teicneolaithe, monaróirí, cliniceoirí, lianna agus, go ríthábhachtach, othair. Is rud é soláthar agus seachadadh cúraim sláinte iomchuí agus éifeachtach atá íogair ó thaobh ama de. Beidh ról ríthábhachtach ag an Mol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte i ndlús a chur faoi thráchtálú taighde agus réitigh shláinte a chur ar fáil dóibh siúd a bhfuil gá acu leo níos tapúla.”             Dúirt Uachtarán Eatramhach Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, an tOllamh Peter McHugh: “Tugann an infheistíocht seo aitheantas do chumhacht an chomhoibrithe réigiúnaigh agus neart ár bpobail ardoilte acadúil agus chliniciúil. Cé go bhfuil dúshláin shuntasacha roimh ár réigiún – agus scór faoi bhun mheáin an AE agus na meán náisiúnta againn i dtaca le hiomaíochas réigiúnach – tá éiceachóras uathúil agus idirnáisiúnta againn ar féidir linn a fhorbairt, agus stair bhródúil againn as a bhfuil bainte amach againn i réimse leathan na teicneolaíochta sláinte. Cruthaíonn láithreacht fhadbhunaithe Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, lena n-áirítear ár n-acadaimh leighis, in éineacht le campais scaipthe ATU agus saineolas RCSI, comhghuaillíocht láidir. Cuirfidh an Mol ARC seo tionchar chun cinn san áit is mó a bhfuil gá leis agus trí oibriú le chéile, is féidir linn aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin chéanna agus leas a bhaint as an gcumas nuálaíochta atá cheana féin inár bpobail.”             Dúirt an tOllamh Garry Duffy, Ollamh Bunaithe le Nuálaíocht Teicneolaíochta Sláinte in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe agus Stiúrthóir ar Mhol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte: “Tá ríméad orainn saineolas réigiúnach agus náisiúnta a thabhairt le chéile i nuálaíocht sláinte comhnasctha. Is é ár sprioc réitigh a chruthú a athróidh an chaoi a ndéileálaimid le galair ainsealacha sa phobal. Is éard atá i gceist anseo ná eiseamláir dhomhanda a fhorbairt don Teicneolaíocht Leighis agus do nuálaíocht sláinte comhnasctha – fréamhaithe i réigiún Thuaisceart agus Iarthar na hÉireann. Cuirfidh an Mol ar ár gcumas iarrachtaí atá ar bun cheana féin a mhéadú agus ardán comhordaithe go náisiúnta a fhorbairt chun tús áite a thabhairt do theicneolaíochtaí a fhéadfaidh feabhas a chur ar cháilíocht na beatha agus ar chúram. Cuid lárnach den Mhol ARC is ea 23 tionscadal nuálaíochta atá roghnaithe mar gheall ar a gcumas láidir torthaí othar a fheabhsú. Rachaidh gach ceann acu faoi mhearchosán ón taighde go dtí an margadh, atá deartha chun réitigh a chur ar fáil dóibh siúd a bhfuil gá acu leo níos tapúla."             Dúirt an tOllamh Aoife Lowery, Ollamh le Máinliacht in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, Stiúrthóir na Saoráide Taighde Cliniciúla i nGaillimh agus Ceannaire Cliniciúil ar Mhol ARC do Theicneolaíochtaí Sláinte: “Is é an aidhm atá againn ná an eolaíocht cheannródaíoch a nascadh leis na daoine agus na córais ar féidir leo í a úsáid ar mhaithe le leas na n-othar. Trí léargas cliniciúil a chur san áireamh ó na céimeanna is luaithe den nuálaíocht, tacóimid le teicneolaíochtaí a bhfuil tionchar acu agus ar féidir iad a chur i bhfeidhm i suíomhanna cúraim sláinte an tsaoil.” Críoch

Research Ireland programme aims to fast-track research breakthroughs into commercial healthcare solutions ARC Hub for HeathTech led by University of Galway in partnership with Atlantic Technological University and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Galway is to be the headquarters for a new €34 million investment in healthcare technology solutions under Research Ireland’s ARC Hub programme - Accelerating Research to Commercialisation. The announcement of the ARC Hub for HealthTech was made today by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D. and forms part of wider initiatives and funding awards to drive the commercial impact of research. The ARC Hub for HealthTech is being led by University of Galway, in partnership with ATU and RCSI and starts with 23 research-led innovation projects selected for their strong potential to improve patient outcomes. The landmark funding investment of €34.3 million is provided by the Government of Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to position the Northern and Western Region as a national and international leader in MedTech and connected health innovation. Primary objective of the ARC Hub programme is to drive regional development by accelerating novel, cutting-edge research and make it ready for commercial impact while also supporting the development of entrepreneurial scientists and engineers with the skills to realise commercial opportunities from research. The ARC Hub for HealthTech brings together clinical and commercial expertise, cutting-edge research and regional networks to develop impactful solutions to tackle chronic disease. Its focus will be on smart implants, advanced wearable medical devices, novel sensors and AI- and machine learning-driven modelling. The ARC Hub for HealthTech will support interdisciplinary teams, provide regulatory and market insight, accelerate clinical and commercial pathways and build partnerships with industry and healthcare stakeholders. It will act as a national testbed for innovation translation, guiding academic research teams through key steps towards commercialisation.             Speaking at the announcement, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D., said: “The Research Ireland ARC Hub for HealthTech will help transform regional innovation and entrepreneurial training in the North West region and beyond. Enhancing the existing academic-enterprise healthcare and technology ecosystems, the ARC Hub will deliver a suite of impactful, on-the-ground supports, benefitting everyone in the process – researchers, engineers, technologists, manufacturers, clinicians, physicians and, critically, patients. The provision and delivery of appropriate and effective healthcare is, by its very nature, time-sensitive. The ARC Hub for HealthTech will play an instrumental role in accelerating the commercialisation of research and getting health solutions to those that need them faster.”             Professor Peter McHugh, Interim President of University of Galway, said: “This investment recognises the power of regional collaboration and the strength of our academic and clinical talent pool. While our region faces significant challenges – scoring below the EU and national averages in regional competitiveness – we also have a unique and internationally-renowned ecosystem from which to build, and a proud history of achievement in the broad health technology domain. University of Galway’s long-established presence, including our network of medical academies, combined with ATU’s multi-campus reach and RCSI’s expertise, creates a formidable alliance. This ARC Hub will drive impact where it's needed most and working collaboratively it allows us to address shared challenges and harness the innovation potential that already exists in our communities.”             Professor Garry Duffy, Professor of Health Technology Innovation at University of Galway, Professor of Anatomy at RCSI and Director of the ARC Hub for HealthTech, added: “We're excited to bring together regional and national expertise in connected health innovation. Our goal is to create solutions that will transform how we manage chronic disease in our communities. This is about building a global beacon for MedTech and connected health innovation - rooted in the Northern and Western region of Ireland. The Hub will allow us to scale up efforts already underway and build a nationally coordinated platform to fast-track technologies that can improve quality of life and care. At the heart of the ARC Hub are 23 innovation projects selected for their strong potential to improve patient outcomes. Each will undergo an accelerated pathway from research to market, designed to bring solutions to those who need them, faster."             Professor Aoife Lowery, Professor of Surgery at University of Galway, Director of the Clinical Research Facility Galway and Clinical Lead of the ARC Hub for HealthTech, said: “Our aim is to connect breakthrough science with the people and systems who can translate it into patient benefit. By embedding clinical insight from the earliest stages of innovation, we will support technologies that are both impactful and implementable in real-world healthcare settings.” Ends

Five researchers at University of Galway have been awarded funding from Research Ireland in a special investment in projects aligned with national priorities. As part of the Research Ireland Pathway programme, the five projects will, investigate climate misinformation in Ireland; analyse gender balance in Irish opera productions; determine the response of microbial communities to environmental change; re-define interpretations of obscure medieval texts; and study the seismic vibrations of highly magnetised neutron stars. The funding, covering a four-year period, will support the researchers to further establish their careers and allow for a postgraduate student to each project. The Pathway programme is a national investment announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D., with more than €3.2m awarded to University of Galway.   The awardees are:  Dr Brenda McNally, an Assistant Professor in communication and global media, and a Fulbright Ireland scholar in the University’s College of Arts Social Sciences and Celtic Studies. Her research project - Tackling Climate Misinformation in Ireland: An Evidence Base and Novel Resources for Journalists and Communications Professionals - will investigate the evolving forms of misinformation in Irish climate policy debates and examine how they are reproduced in news media. The findings will be used to co-create resources to tackle the crisis of climate misinformation with stakeholders. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rampant misinformation is delaying climate action. This is because it confuses the public about the need for urgent action and weakens democratic debate about the necessary responses. Therefore, improving communication about climate policy is urgently required. However, climate misinformation is fast changing making it difficult for journalists and communication professionals to identify and easy to reproduce. The project is co-funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Met Éireann. Dr Ciaran Arthur, a postdoctoral researcher in the Classics Department in the University’s College of Arts Social Sciences and Celtic Studies. His research project - Connect 4: Uncovering Knowledge Exchange within the Early Medieval Insular World through Linguistic Idiosyncrasies in Obscure Letters, Words, Phrases, and Texts – seeks to re-define interpretations of obscure texts that exist between British and Irish communities in the medieval period, exposing commonalities between different cultures, and how they interconnect. This is based on many texts from early medieval Irish and British manuscripts containing ancient and foreign languages, strange words, exotic alphabets, and cryptic signs. Its digital repository will provide a thematic, multidisciplinary tool to cross-compare, critically analyse, and attempt to solve meanings in these mysterious texts. Dr Anna Trego, a postdoctoral researcher from the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences in the University’s College of Science and Engineering. Her research project - Modelling Metabolic Stress Response of Whole Microbial Communities to Environmental Cues – will determine and model the response of microbial communities to environmental change, including changing climates. This project will study how whole communities of bacteria, viruses and fungi interact and respond to a wide range of environmental stresses at the genetic level. It will combine a unique incubation with cutting edge strategies and community modelling to identify patterns and gradients in community stress response. This set-up will provide a high-throughput means of testing stress-response in whole microbial communities from the whole-community level, down to the level of individual metabolic pathways and even genes.   Dr Michael Lydon, a postdoctoral researcher in the University’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies. His research project - Knowing the Score: An Analysis of the Gender Balance of Opera Productions on the Island of Ireland (2000-25) – will quantify the extent to which imbalances exist in Irish opera and qualify the socio-cultural, political and economic factors that have supported inequality. The study will assess the gender balance of the key creative and leadership roles for Irish opera productions from 2000-2025. The outputs of this research will include a series of ready-to-implement research-informed equality initiatives and stimulate sustainable and systemic changes in Irish opera that will enrich creativity and culture. Dr Oliver Roberts, a researcher in the University’s College of Science and Engineering. His research project - Good Vibrations – Studying the Seismic Vibrations of Highly Magnetized Neutron Stars (AstroMagnets) - will develop infrastructure with NASA and European Space Agency missions and global radio networks to better understand the connection between fast radio bursts and magnetar flares/bursts in space, through timing analysis of their “starquakes”, as well as monitoring active galactic magnetars, and testing new hardware and methods required to observe magnetars from space. Magnetars are the smouldering remnants of an explosion of a star 10 times greater 10x more massive than our Sun. Magnetars produce episodic bursts, intermediate flares and rarely, giant flares. Professor Lokesh Joshi, Interim Vice-President for Research and Innovation, University of Galway, said: “Congratulations to our five successful researchers awarded this highly competitive Research Ireland funding that will further establish their research careers. This funding will also lead to the retention of postgraduate students to provide additional support to these diverse research projects and deliver meaningful societal impacts. Funding awards like this strengthen the University’s ongoing mission of being a teaching and research-led institution.” Minister Lawless said: “This investment, through Research Ireland’s Pathway programme, will support emerging researchers in their journey from postdoctoral work towards establishing themselves as independent investigators. The projects receiving funding span a broad range of disciplines, ensuring a broad impact on scientific discovery and societal progress. By aligning with Ireland’s national research priorities, these projects will help drive advancements in key sectors such as healthcare, environmental sustainability, history and education.” Celine Fitzgerald, Interim CEO, Research Ireland, said: “Our Pathway programme equips promising researchers with the resources needed to reach the next level and help drive impactful discoveries. These projects will contribute valuable insights into pressing global and national issues including public health policy, digital well-being, technological advancements, healthcare and more.” Ends