August

General Practices in Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim with more than one GP are invited to take part in medication reviews of patients with multimorbidity A research team from NUI Galway including partners from Queen’s University Belfast have been awarded funding for a cross-border primary care study called MyComrade+, focusing on people with multiple long-term health conditions, known as multimorbidity. The team is currently recruiting General Practices with more than one GP based in Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim to participate in the study. The MyComrade+ multimorbidity project was awarded €500,000 in funding from the *CHITIN intervention trials project where people from border counties (Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth) will benefit from new health and social care research trials. Every day, General Practitioners (GPs) are seeing people living with multimorbidity. How patients are treated and the evidence used to draw up guidelines for doctors are usually based on one single condition. For example, research is conducted on patients with diabetes and guidelines are developed for managing patients’ diabetes treatment plan. However, for patients with multimorbidity, there are many challenges, one of which is the management of multiple medications and treatment plans. A wide range of issues arise from multimorbidity for individuals, families, society and health services, that directly impacts people’s quality of life when dealing with multiple treatment plans, navigating a range of medical specialists for different conditions, and costs, such as medicine, travel and appointments. Treatment recommendations by GPs are generally made by looking up evidence-based guidelines. However, since everyone living with more than one condition is different, guidelines are not always very helpful. Research has shown that the overwhelming experience of the GP in managing treatment for people living with multimorbidity is of isolation. GPs can feel uncertain and unsupported professionally, to make the best medication recommendations for their patients. Professor Andrew Murphy, School of Medicine and MyComrade+ project lead, said: “General Practitioners face many and increasing demands and challenges. The MyComrade+ study may help to address a common and difficult challenge for GPs and growing numbers of members of the public alike, on how best to manage the many medicines that patients are now taking.” The MyComrade+ cross-border primary care initiative includes a team of partners from Queen’s University Belfast, General Practitioners, nurses, psychologists, and is led by Professor Andrew Murphy from the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences in NUI Galway and clinician at Galway University Hospitals. Dr Carol Sinnott (Cambridge University) developed the MyComrade+ intervention. Dr Sinnott embarked on a programme of research while based at UCC back in 2012 to understand and address the issues facing GPs in relation to multimorbidity management. Dr Sinnott utilised recommended tools for developing interventions that target complex healthcare problems, to understand the problem of multimorbidity management and design an effective solution, MyComrade+ by engaging with GPs as well as a multi-disciplinary team of experts. General Practitioners in Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim who wish to participate in the study or require further information can contact lisa.hynes@nuigalway.ie or phone 091 492951. The CHITIN Project has enabled €8.84 million in funding of 11 health intervention trials in the priority areas of Population Health, Primary Care and Older Peoples Services, Mental Health, Acute Services, Disability Services and Children’s Services.  Match-funding for the project has also been provided by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and Ireland. For more information, visit: https://research.hscni.net/chitin-trials -Ends-

Discovery could enable longer lasting and better functioning of devices—including pacemakers, breast implants, biosensors, and drug delivery devices Researchers from the National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Massachusetts Institute of Technology and AMBER, the SFI Research Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research have today (Thursday, 29 August) announced a significant breakthrough in soft robotics which could help patients requiring in-situ (implanted) medical devices such as breast implants, pacemakers, neural probes, glucose biosensors and drug and cell delivery devices. The implantable medical devices market is currently estimated at approximately US$100 billion (2019) with significant growth potential into the future as new technologies for drug delivery and health monitoring are developed. These devices are not without problems, caused in part by the body’s own protection responses. These complex and unpredictable foreign body responses impair device function and drastically limit the long-term performance and therapeutic efficacy of these devices. One such foreign body response is fibrosis, a process whereby a dense fibrous capsule surrounds the implanted device which can cause device failure or impede its function. Implantable medical devices have various failure rates that can be attributed to fibrosis ranging from 30% to 50% for implantable pacemakers or 30% for mammoplasty prosthetics. In the case of biosensors or drug/ cell delivery devices the dense fibrous capsule which can build up around the implanted device can seriously impede its function, with consequences for the patient and costs to the health care system. A radical new vision for medical devices to address this problem was published today in the internationally respected journal, Science Robotics. The study was led by researchers from NUI Galway, MIT and the SFI research centre AMBER, among others. The research describes the use of soft robotics to modify the body’s response to implanted devices. Soft robots are flexible devices that can be implanted into the body. The transatlantic partnership of scientists have created a tiny mechanically actuated soft robotic device known as a dynamic soft reservoir (DSR) that has been shown to significantly reduce the build-up of the fibrous capsule by manipulating the environment at the interface between the device and the body. The device uses mechanical oscillation to modulate how cells respond around the implant. In a bio-inspired design, the DSR can change its shape at a microscope scale through an actuating membrane. Professor Ellen Roche, senior co-author of the study and Assistant Professor at MIT, and a former researcher at NUI Galway who won international acclaim in 2017 for her work in creating a soft robotic sleeve to help patients with heart failure, said: “This study demonstrates how mechanical perturbations of an implant can modulate the host foreign body response. This has vast potential for a range of clinical applications and will hopefully lead to many future collaborative studies between our teams.” Professor Garry Duffy, Professor in Anatomy at NUI Galway and AMBER Principal Investigator, and a senior co-author of the study, added: “We feel the ideas described in this paper could transform future medical devices and how they interact with the body. We are very excited to develop this technology further and to partner with people interested in the potential of soft robotics to better integrate devices for longer use and superior patient outcomes. It’s fantastic to build and continue the collaboration with the Dolan and Roche labs, and to develop a trans-Atlantic network of soft roboticists.” The first author of the study Dr Eimear Dolan, Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering at NUI Galway and former researcher in the Roche and Duffy labs at MIT and NUI Galway, said: “We are very excited to publish this study as it describes an innovative approach to modulate the foreign body response using soft robotics. I recently received a Science Foundation Ireland Royal Society University Research Fellowship to bring this technology forward with a focus on Type 1 diabetes. It is a privilege to work with such a talented multi-disciplinary team and I look forward to continuing working together.” To read the full study in Science Robotics, visit: http://robotics.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.aax7043 -Ends-  

Researchers from NUI Galway are leading the all-island initiative, Evidence Synthesis Ireland, which aims to build knowledge, awareness and capacity in the methods used to gather and build evidence (known as evidence synthesis) and using it effectively to inform health and healthcare decisions in Ireland. Policy makers, healthcare institutions, clinicians, researchers and the public will stand to benefit. Evidence synthesis, also sometimes called “systematic reviews”, is a way of combining information from multiple studies that have investigated the same thing, to come to an overall understanding of what they found. This helps determine how effective a certain treatment or drug is, or how people have experienced a particular health condition or treatment. For example, steroids given to women who are about to give birth prematurely can save the life of the newborn child. However, this treatment wasn’t routinely put into practice until all the individual clinical trials were brought together. It was only when this evidence synthesis was done that the overall benefits became clear - that the steroids saved the lives of premature babies when compared to not giving the steroids. Evidence Synthesis Ireland is funded for an initial three years by the Health Research Board for €1.5 million and the Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland for €0.5 million. Importantly, this new initiative also includes the relaunch of Cochrane Ireland, the Irish branch of Cochrane, which is an international non-profit organisation with 11,000 members from more than 130 countries worldwide. The mission of Cochrane is to promote evidence-informed health decision-making by producing high-quality, relevant, accessible systematic reviews and other synthesised research evidence. To develop capacity in this area, Evidence Synthesis Ireland activities are providing an extensive training programme and webinar series, a Fellowship programme and Studentship scheme. The training programme includes workshops and events to develop knowledge and skills in different types of syntheses, for multiple audiences. The Evidence Synthesis Ireland Fellowship Scheme 2019 gives Fellows the opportunity to join experienced national and international evidence synthesis teams from across the globe to work on generating reviews with potential for strong policy and/or practice impact. Cochrane Ireland and Evidence Synthesis Ireland is being led by a team from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at NUI Galway. Professor Declan Devane, Director of ESI and Cochrane Ireland, Dr Elaine Toomey, Associate Director of Cochrane Ireland and Ms Sheena Connolly, Senior Administrator. Professor Declan Devane, Director of ES/Cochrane Ireland and School of Nursing and Midwifery, NUI Galway, says: “We are delighted to receive this funding award and excited by the potential it has to make a difference to healthcare decisions across the Island. Healthcare decisions should be based on the full range of information that is available on a topic; it can’t rely on one or more individual pieces of information, or studies. We want to build people’s capacity to understand, conduct and use synthesis of evidence across health topics.” Dr Elaine Toomey, Associate Director of Cochrane Ireland at NUI Galway, said: “We are very excited about this new initiative, and look forward to both strengthening our existing Cochrane community in Ireland, and also to growing and expanding our community, with people’s engagement and advocacy playing a key role in this.” A joint symposium will be held in collaboration with Cochrane UK and Cochrane Ireland in Dublin on 21-22 April 2020, with further details being published soon. The next call for the Fellowship programme and Studentship scheme will be September 2019, with details available on: www.evidencesynthesisireland.ie/fellowships and to stay informed contact esi@nuigalway.ie, or follow on Twitter at @CochraneIreland, @EvidSynIRL For more information about Cochrane Ireland and Evidence Synthesis Ireland, visit: www.evidencesynthesisireland.ie or www.ireland.cochrane.org  -Ends-

International conference will discuss and present innovative processes to decarbonise the energy system to achieve a carbon-neutral industry, sustainable agriculture and sustainable cities NUI Galway will host the 8th International Conference on ‘Biotechniques for Air Pollution Control and Bioenergy’. This major international conference will focus on the topic of Waste Gas Treatment and will involve over 80 researchers from 20 countries around the world. It will take place at NUI Galway from the 28-30 August. New research from NUI Galway’s New Energy Technologies laboratory will present novel developments in hydrogen gas production using microbes from waste, as well as the production of valuable chemicals from carbon dioxide gas. For example, biogas formed during manure decomposition on farms can be used as a fuel. To do so, the biogas must go through a purification stage, which is currently being investigated by the NUI Galway research team. Experts from around the world will meet and share their latest research findings on a range of established and emerging topics in waste gas research including: biogas purification and upgrading by using bacteria; converting industrial waste gases into useful biofuels; and analytical and modelling methods to monitor the functioning of waste gas treatment systems. The Biotechniques 2019 conference covers a range of topics related to the application of environmental biotechnology to control air pollution, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions as well as produce and upgrade biofuels. The conference will feature over 50 presentations and aims to open new doors to academic and industrial partners in order to facilitate research cooperation between academia and industry, potentially allowing commercialisation of the innovative bioprocesses that will be presented at the conference. Chair of the conference, Professor Piet Lens, a leading expert in environmental biotechnology and Established Professor of New Energy Technologies at NUI Galway’s College of Science and Engineering, will deliver the opening address. Professor Piet Lens, Established Professor of New Energy Technologies, NUI Galway, said: “This is a unique conference, organised biannually to discuss biological processes to treat waste gas emissions from industry and agriculture. At the conference, innovative processes to decarbonise the energy system will be discussed in order to achieve a carbon-neutral industry, sustainable agriculture and sustainable cities. Hands-on technologies will be presented at the conference that are required to meet the targets set in Ireland’s All-of-Government Climate Action Plan to Tackle Climate Breakdown, published earlier this year.” Conference Keynote Speakers: Patrick Kenny, EPA Air Quality Manager will discuss the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme in Ireland. Associate Professor, Guangxue Wu, Tsinghua University, China will discuss biogas production from sulfate-containing wastewaters. Associate Professor, Jingying Xi, Tsinghua University, China will discuss industrial waste gases that are currently being treated in China. Professor Christian Kennes, Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of A Coruña, Spain will discuss how microorganisms can convert waste gases into biofuels and platform chemicals. Professor Henry Curran, Director of the Combustion Chemistry Centre, NUI Galway will discuss how biofuels will become part of our energy sources in the future. Professor Xinmin Zhan, Professor of Civil Engineering at NUI Galway will discuss the role of digestate management when producing biogas from waste on farms. The conference will take place in the Ó Tnúthail Lecture Theatre, Arts Millenium Building, South Campus, NUI Galway from 28-30 August. To register for the conference visit: https://campusliving.clr.events/ and to stay informed, Follow @ietsbio3 on Twitter for updates. -Ends-      

The Health Economic and Policy Analysis Centre in collaboration with PPI Ignite @ NUI Galway will host a seminar on the Challenges and Perspectives of Public and Patient Involvement in Health Economics Research. The event is open to researchers, academics, healthcare professionals and all with an interest in hearing about the importance of the voice of the patient in health research, particularly health economics research,  The seminar takes place on Friday, 30 August at NUI Galway. Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) is increasingly recognised as an essential component of health research. PPI is defined as research carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public. Health Economics provides a framework for thinking about how society should allocate its limited health resources (for example, money, staffing, equipment) to meet people’s demands and needs for health care services, health promotion and prevention. The rationale for involving patients and the public in health economics research is that it promotes research quality and relevance to service users.                                                 Supported by the Health Research Board, people attending the seminar will hear about Public and Patient Involvement from various different perspectives, including why we should have PPI in our health economics research; the researcher’s perspective; the patient’s voice in healthcare; how we can reflect and evaluate PPI, for example, how the research may have been improved through PPI; and the current state of play regarding PPI in health research from the perspective of the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA). Attendees will be encouraged to reflect on; Why involving patients and the public in health economics research is important? What value can PPI bring? How can PPI in health economics research be evaluated? Is there a role for the public and patients in Health Technology Assessments? Key speakers at the seminar Dr Conor Teljeur, Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) will talk about how PPI fits into the health technology assessment processes in Ireland, and the challenges. Kristina Staley, Director, TwoCan Associates will talk about patient involvement in research that benefits the researchers, by informing their thinking and plans, leading to better research and meets the needs of patients and carers. Andy Gibson, Associate Professor in PPI, University of West Leeds will talk about involving the public in health research to ensure that research questions and outcomes reflect the issues that matter to patients and the public, and to incorporate the ‘real world’ experiences of patients into how research is designed and carried out. Liz Goodwin, Research Fellow in Health Economics, University of Exeter will talk about a particular example of involving people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in health economics research, using a task-based approach to work together on a specific aspect of research design, and will share some of the lessons learned from this experience. Dr Rebecca Kandiyali, Research Fellow in Economic Evaluation, Health Economics Bristol will talk about lessons learnt from her own experience of PPI in trial-based economic evaluation and future directions for research and practice. Dr Michelle Queally, Health Economist, NUI Galway will talk about PPI in health economics research and lessons learned from two case studies. Dr John Cullinan, Health Economist, NUI Galway will talk about the impact and burden of Myalgic Encephalomyelitys (ME) in Ireland: developing a collaborative patient-driven research agenda and approach. James Larkin, Health Economist, NUI Galway will talk about integrating PPI into a Mutimorbidity (multiple health conditions) and health economics PhD programme. Dr Michelle Queally, Lecturer in Economics, J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics NUI Galway, said: “We are very much looking forward to this seminar where we will open discussions around Public and Patient Involvement in health research, particularly health economics. We will be discussing how to build partnerships that allow the public and patients to influence the health economics research we conduct and also how we might evaluate this involvement. Our overarching aim in this seminar is to show how health economics research might be informed by PPI. We will hear from health economists’ experiences of PPI through case studies, reflect on our learnings, and make suggestions for future research practice, and frameworks that we can apply in order to evaluate what contribution PPI has made to a specific project.” It will take place in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society (ILAS), North Campus, NUI Galway from 10:30am-3:15pm on Friday, 30 August. For full seminar details and registration visit: www.eventbrite.ie and type in ‘Public and Patient Involvement’. -Ends-

Tá beagnach a dhá oiread cúrsaí anois in OÉ Gaillimh a bhfuil os cionn 500 pointe CAO luaite leo i gcomparáid le 2018 Nochtadh réimsí spéise rang na Ardteistiméireachta, 2019 inniu le heisiúint tairiscintí an CAO, agus tá méadú tagtha i mbliana ar an éileamh ar ábhair STEM (Eolaíocht, Teicneolaíocht, Innealtóireacht agus Matamaitic).  Ar chláir OÉ Gaillimh a bhfuil ardú mór tagtha ar líon na bpointí arís i mbliana, tá Innealtóireacht Shibhialta, Innealtóireacht Leictreonach agus Ríomhaireachta, Ceimic Bhithchógaisíochta agus Innealtóireacht Córas Fuinnimh, rud a léiríonn an tsuim mhór atá in ábhair STEM, idir réimsí thraidisiúnta agus úrnua. Bhí éileamh ard arís i mbliana ar Eolaíocht Bhithleighis (533 pointe) agus ar Innealtóireacht Bhithleighis (519 pointe). Bhí an méid seo le rá ag Bainisteoir Earcaíochta Mac Léinn agus For-rochtana OÉ Gaillimh, Sarah Geraghty: “Léiriú ar an tóir leanúnach atá ag mic léinn ar OÉ Gaillimh iad na harduithe suntasacha atá tagtha ar líon na bpointí CAO do chúrsaí san Ollscoil. Tá beagnach a dhá oiread cúrsaí anois in OÉ Gaillimh a bhfuil os cionn 500 pointe CAO luaite leo i gcomparáid le 2018. Léiríonn roghanna na bliana seo go bhfuil níos mó mac léinn tarraingthe i dtreo gairmeacha beatha in earnáil na teicneolaíochta agus na nuálaíochta, agus feictear go bhfuil an-tóir ar chúrsaí Teicneolaíochta-Leighis (MedTech) go mór mór.  “Tugann an t-éileamh ar chláir nua OÉ Gaillimh, Dlí agus Cearta an Duine agus Rialtas (Polaitíocht, Eacnamaíocht agus Dlí) le fios go roghnóidh mic léinn cúrsaí a thabharfaidh deis dóibh gairmeacha beatha a bheith acu a ligfidh dóibh tionchar dearfach agus cumhachtach a bheith acu ar an saol mórthimpeall orthu.”   Ar chuid de na pointí spéise eile bhí: Ardú suntasach ar na cláir Dlí uile in OÉ Gaillimh, an chéim nua do 2019 Dlí agus Cearta an Duine ar 510 pointe CAO san áireamh. Ar na cláir nua eile a tharraing spéis bhí Rialtas (Polaitíocht, Eacnamaíocht agus Dlí) ar 402 pointe CAO agus Oideachas (Eolaíocht Ríomhaireachta agus Staidéir Mhatamaitice) ar 401 pointe CAO. Tá an-tóir i gcónaí ar an gcéim ghnó suaitheanta, an BComm (Eispéireas Domhanda), ar 509 pointe CAO. Tháinig ardú ar na pointí do na cláir innealtóireachta ar fad in OÉ Gaillimh. Bhí trí cinn de na harduithe is mó i mbliana in Innealtóireacht Shibhialta (509 pointe CAO), Innealtóireacht Leictreonach agus Ríomhaireachta (509 pointe CAO)agus Innealtóireacht Córas Fuinnimh (532 pointe CAO). Léiríonn sé sin an spéis láidir i réimsí na hinnealtóireachta traidisiúnta mar aon leis na réimsí innealtóireachta sin atá ag teacht chun cinn. Beidh deis ag mic léinn a bhain na pointí CAO cuí amach chun cúrsa céime san innealtóireacht a dhéanamh in OÉ Gaillimh ach nach bhfuil an marc riachtanach acu sa mhatamaitic tabhairt faoi scrúdú cáilíochta Matamaitice ar an 20 Lúnasa.  Tá éileamh ard i gcónaí ar chéimeanna sna Dána in OÉ Gaillimh, agus tóir faoi leith ar chláir sa tSíceolaíocht, Ceol, Iriseoireacht, Béarla agus Staidéar na Meán, Scríbhneoireacht Chruthaitheach agus Drámaíocht, Amharclannaíocht agus Taibhléiriú. Is léiriú ar láidreacht agus ar cháil OÉ Gaillimh sna hEolaíochtaí Bitheacha é an tóir a bhíonn ar an Eolaíocht Bhithleighis (533 pointe) agus an Innealtóireacht Bhithleighis (519 pointe). Ar na cláir san Eolaíocht ina bhfeictear arduithe móra i bpointí CAO tá Biteicneolaíocht (473 pointe CAO) agus Ceimic Bhithchógaisíochta (510 pointe CAO). Tháinig ardú 43 pointe ar líon na bpointí don Leigheas Cosliachta, ar céim ar leith í de chuid OÉ Gaillimh sna heolaíochtaí sláinte, agus éileamh mór ar an gclár i mbliana. Lean an tUasal Geraghty ag rá: “Tuigimid go mbíonn cinntí móra le déanamh ag mic léinn agus iad ag dul ar aghaidh go dtí an tríú leibhéal, agus tá beolíne ar leith do mhic léinn na chéad bhliana ar fáil anois chun cúnamh a thabhairt do mhic léinn le ceisteanna faoi shaol an choláiste in OÉ Gaillimh.” Beidh Beolíne OÉ Gaillimh do Mhic Léinn na Chéad Bhliana ar oscailt ón 12 Lúnasa go dtí an 30 Meán Fómhair 2019. Is féidir glaoch ar an mbeolíne ag +353 (0) 91 493999 agus tá sé ar oscailt Luan go hAoine ón 9am-5pm. -Críoch-

Funding to advance development of Tight Alright device to treat venous leg ulcers, the first device capable of continuously monitoring compression therapy outside the clinical setting FeelTect, a connected-health, wound care start-up company established from the NUI Galway laboratory of CÚRAM investigator, Professor Garry Duffy, has been presented with an *EIT Health Headstart award worth €50,000 to advance the development of their ‘Tight Alright’ pressure sensing device to treat venous leg ulcers. The competition finals saw 22 finalist teams of medtech start-ups from across the UK and Ireland pitching their technologies to a panel of investors, healthcare professionals, and medtech experts. FeelTect’s technology, Tight Alright, is a wireless, pressure sensing device for measuring and monitoring sub-bandage pressure during compression therapy, primarily for the millions of people worldwide with venous leg ulcers (VLUs). Venous leg ulcers are chronic wounds that stem from venous insufficiency. Venous insufficiency is a medical condition affecting the circulation of blood to the lower limbs. The tiny valves that normally force blood back up towards the heart no longer function, causing blood to pool up in the legs, and the veins of the legs become distended, resulting in an accumulation of fluid in the lower limbs. Venous leg ulcers are associated with a variety of risk factors including age, increased body mass index (BMI), low physical activity, high blood pressure, venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis, and family history. Compression therapy is the gold-standard treatment for venous leg ulcers helping to overcome venous insufficiency and restoring blood flow, however it is ineffective if applied too loosely, and dangerous if applied too tightly. Yet studies have shown that even experienced wound care clinicians can find it difficult to achieve a targeted pressure with existing compression products.   Despite major advances in certain wound care areas, such as regenerative medicine, moisture balance, infection management, and tissue oxygenation, the basic tools for compression therapy have been largely untouched by significant (“disruptive”) innovation in recent decades. FeelTect aims to change this through the digital capabilities of Tight Alright, which will enable improvements in the application and maintenance of evidence-based compression therapy, ensuring safety while reducing healing times. In fact, due to global wound care industry trends, such as the expiry of patents, entry of low-cost competitors, and a lack of advanced wound care specialisation amongst clinicians, many leaders in the segment have turned their focus to digital, outcomes-based, and value-based innovations that complement their existing product portfolios. FeelTect is fully aligned with these needs, resulting in very strong interest from potential strategic partners. FeelTect founder and CEO, Dr Andrew Cameron, highlighted the impact the award will have on the company’s progression towards market entry: “The funding provided by EIT Health will allow us to progress the miniaturisation of Tight Alright to a truly wearable product, making it the first device capable of continuously monitoring compression therapy outside the clinical setting. We’ll also be able to further our initial clinical validation, which was supported by Health Innovation Hub Ireland, demonstrating the ability of Tight Alright to improve the achievement of targeted, evidence-based pressure during compression application. “We have planned our first clinical study involving VLU patients with our clinical collaborator, Professor Mary-Paula Colgan in St James’s Hospital. After having experienced wound care nurses from Galway University Hospitals, and Dr Georgina Gethin from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at NUI Galway validating the functionality of the Tight Alright prototype, with substantial improvements in the achievement of targeted bandage pressure on healthy volunteers, the FeelTect team is excited to see these results translated to benefit patients.” Inventor, Co-founder and CÚRAM investigator, Professor Garry Duffy, NUI Galway, stated: “It’s very exciting to see the first commercial product from our labs at NUI Galway move closer to the clinic. NUI Galway has the perfect ecosystem to support translational medical devices including the BioInnovate Ireland programme, where this unmet clinical need was identified, and the critical mass of expertise provided through the CÚRAM investigator network which is supporting the development of the product. Through Enterprise Ireland’s initial support and now with EIT Health Headstart funding we plan to continue the clinical validation of the Tight Alright technology and move it close to positive outcomes for patients with venous leg ulcers.” FeelTect began its journey in the renowned BioInnovate Ireland programme based at NUI Galway, where the underlying clinical need was identified by 2017 BioInnovate Fellow Dr Andrew Cameron, in collaboration with CÚRAM investigator, Dr Georgina Gethin, as well as an Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund project within the Duffy Lab in the School of Medicine at NUI Galway, where the proof-of-concept research and development was conducted. The team is currently in discussions with potential partners and has launched a seed round for fundraising to support the progression of Tight Alright into clinical practice. For more information about FeelTect, based at NUI Galway, visit: https://www.feeltect.com/. For more about CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Medical Devices based at NUI Galway, visit: http://curamdevices.ie/. -Ends-

Number of courses commanding in excess of 500 CAO points at NUI Galway has almost doubled since 2018 Demand for courses in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at NUI Galway has grown this year, as CAO offers issued today highlighted the areas of interest of the Leaving Certificate class of 2019.  NUI Galway programmes which have seen the greatest year-on-year increases in points include Civil Engineering, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Biopharmaceutical Chemistry and Energy Systems Engineering, demonstrating a strong interest in both traditional and emerging STEM subject areas. Meanwhile, there was continued high demand for both Biomedical Science (533 points) and Biomedical Engineering (519 points). NUI Galway’s Student Recruitment and Outreach Manager, Sarah Geraghty said: “NUI Galway has seen significant increases in CAO points reflecting a continued growth in interest in the University and its programmes. The number of courses commanding in excess of 500 CAO points at NUI Galway has almost doubled since last year. This year’s choices indicate an increased interest in careers in the technology and innovation sector, with MedTech courses proving particularly popular.  “The demand for NUI Galway’s new programmes, Law and Human Rights and Government (Politics, Economics and Law), provide evidence of demand for courses leading to careers where graduates can have a powerful and positive impact on the world around them.”   Other points of interest include: Interest in all Law programmes at NUI Galway increased significantly, including the new Law and Human Rights degree for 2019 coming in at 510 CAO points. Other new programmes attracted good interest including  Government (Politics, Economics and Law) at 402 CAO points and Education (Computer Science and Mathematical Studies) CAO 401 points The flagship business degree BComm (Global Experience) continues to attract high demand, cutting off at 509 CAO points. Points increased across all engineering programmes at NUI Galway. Three of the highest year-on-year increases were in Civil Engineering (509 CAO points), Electronic and Computer Engineering (509 CAO points) and Energy Systems Engineering (532 CAO points), demonstrating a strong interest in both traditional and emerging engineering subject areas. Students who achieved the CAO points for an undergraduate engineering degree course at NUI Galway but who have not met the obligatory maths requirement have the opportunity to take a Maths qualifying exam on August 20th. Demand for NUI Galway’s Arts degrees remains strong, with programmes in Psychology, Music, Journalism, English and Media Studies, Creative Writing and Drama, Theatre and Performance proving particularly popular. NUI Galway’s strength and reputation in Biosciences is also reflected with continued high demand for both Biomedical Science (533 points) and Biomedical Engineering (519 points). Science programmes which experienced significant increases in CAO cut off points include Biotechnology (473 CAO points) and Biopharmaceutical Chemistry (510 CAO points). Podiatric Medicine, a health sciences degree unique to NUI Galway, experienced significant growth in demand, result in a 43 points increase (434 CAO points). Ms Geraghty continued: “We are conscious that students are faced with big decisions as they move to third level, and a dedicated first year student hotline is now open to help with queries about college life at NUI Galway.” NUI Galway First Year Student Hotline will be open from 12 August to 30 September 2019. The hotline is at +353 (0) 91 493999 and is open Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm. It opens Saturday, 17 August, from 10am-1pm, or visit https://www.nuigalway.ie/startinguniversity/ -Ends-

The College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway has announced details of this year’s Engineering Maths Qualifying Exam which gives students a second chance to pursue a career in engineering. The exam, which takes place on Tuesday, 20 August, is for students who achieve the CAO points for an undergraduate engineering degree course at NUI Galway but who have not met the obligatory maths requirement. For more than 20 years NUI Galway has provided this exam to help applicants who did not achieve the required grade H4 or better in higher level mathematics. Those who took lower level maths in the Leaving Certificate may also apply for the exam. Students who pass this examination will be deemed to have satisfied the maths requirement and, providing they have the necessary points, may receive an additional CAO offer at Round Two. Due to capacity constraints, not all candidates who have the necessary points and who achieve a pass in the examination may receive an offer. NUI Galway will also hold an intensive preparatory course for applicants intending to sit the exam. This free course will run from 14 to 19 August. The aim of the course is to bridge the gap between the Leaving Certificate lower level and that required to be successful in the exam. This will be achieved by tackling a variety of problems of increasing difficulty. Learning how to approach a problem and apply the knowledge available will be emphasised. Professor Peter McHugh, Head of the School of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway, said: “Engineers are designers and problem solvers, who innovate and generate the technology of tomorrow. Because of this, engineering programmes are focused on developing analytical and problem solving skills, and therefore require significant use of mathematics and applied mathematics. Every year we see a number of promising students who perform poorly on the day of the Leaving Cert exam. The Engineering Mathematics Qualifying Examination provides students with a second chance to demonstrate that they have the necessary standard in maths. Over the years, we have had some exceptionally talented students graduate and pursue successful careers in engineering because they were given the second chance which this exam represents.” NUI Galway offers students an undenominated entry to engineering. This programme is specifically designed for students who are interested in becoming an engineer, but are uncertain as to which field they want to specialise in. This programme offers students the option of studying engineering in a general way for one year before going on to specialise in their chosen field in year two. For information on the exam, the preparatory maths course and to apply for the Engineering Maths Qualifying Exam please visit: http://www.nuigalway.ie/engineering-informatics/undergraduatestudents/engineeringmathsqualifyingexamination/ -Ends-

Seans Eile á thabhairt ag OÉ Gaillimh do Mhic Léinn na hArdteistiméireachta trí Scrúdú Cáilíochta Matamaitice de chuid na hInnealtóireachta a Reáchtáil Tá Coláiste na hInnealtóireachta agus na hIonformaitice in OÉ Gaillimh i ndiaidh sonraí a chur ar fáil faoi Scrúdú Cáilíochta Matamaitice de chuid na hInnealtóireachta, scrúdú a thugann seans eile do mhic léinn tabhairt faoi ghairm na hinnealtóireachta. Beidh an scrúdú ar siúl Dé Máirt, an 20 Lúnasa, agus tá sé dírithe ar mhic léinn a bhaineann na pointí cuí CAO amach chun cúrsa céime san innealtóireacht a dhéanamh in OÉ Gaillimh ach nach bhfuil an marc riachtanach acu sa mhatamaitic. Le breis agus scór bliain anuas, tá an scrúdú seo á reáchtáil ag OÉ Gaillimh chun cabhrú le hiarratasóirí nár éirigh leo an grád riachtanach H4 nó os a chionn a bhaint amach sa pháipéar matamaitice ardleibhéil. Féadfaidh daoine nach ndearna ardleibhéal matamaitice san Ardteistiméireacht cur isteach ar an scrúdú chomh maith. Má fhaigheann mac léinn pas sa scrúdú seo beidh an riachtanas matamaitice comhlíonta aici/aige agus gheobhaidh sí/sé tairiscint eile ó CAO i mBabhta 2, ach na pointí riachtanacha a bheith aici/aige. Chomh maith leis sin, beidh dianchúrsa ullmhúcháin ar siúl in OÉ Gaillimh roimh ré dóibh siúd ar mian leo an scrúdú a dhéanamh. Beidh an cúrsa saor in aisce seo ar siúl ón 14-19 Lúnasa. Is é an aidhm atá leis an gcúrsa seo cur lena mbíonn foghlamtha ag daltaí ag an ngnáthleibhéal san Ardteistiméireacht, le go n-éireoidh leo sa scrúdú matamaitice. Cuirfear é seo i gcrích trí dhul i ngleic le fadhbanna éagsúla ag leibhéil éagsúla deacrachta. Cuirfear béim ar an gcaoi le tabhairt faoi fhadhb agus ar an gcaoi a gcuirfear an t-eolas atá ar fáil i bhfeidhm. Dúirt an tOllamh Peter McHugh, Déan na hInnealtóireachta agus na hIonformaitice in OÉ Gaillimh: “Is ionann innealtóirí agus dearthóirí agus daoine atá go maith ag réiteach fadhbanna, a chruthaíonn agus a chuireann teicneolaíocht na linne seo romhainn ar fáil. Dá bharr seo, tá na cláir innealtóireachta seo dírithe ar fhorbairt a dhéanamh ar scileanna anailíseacha agus ar scileanna chun fadhbanna a réiteach, agus dá bhrí sin, caithfear úsáid shuntasach a bhaint as matamaitic agus as matamaitic fheidhmeach. Gach bliain feicimid daltaí cumasacha nach ndéanann chomh maith agus a d’fhéadfaidís ar lá an scrúdaithe Ardteistiméireachta. Tugann an Scrúdú Cáilíochta Matamaitice de chuid na hInnealtóireachta deis eile do dhaltaí léiriú go bhfuil an caighdeán riachtanach sa mhatamaitic bainte amach acu. I gcaitheamh na mblianta, d’éirigh le roinnt mic léinn a raibh cumas eisceachtúil iontu céim a bhaint amach agus dul sa tóir ar shlí bheatha dóibh féin san innealtóireacht mar go bhfuair siad an dara deis leis an scrúdú áirithe seo.” Tá cúrsa neamhainmnithe san innealtóireacht ar tairiscint do mhic léinn in OÉ Gaillimh. Tá an clár seo dírithe go háirithe ar mhic léinn a bhfuil suim acu a bheith ina n-innealtóirí ach nach bhfuil siad cinnte cén réimse ar mhaith leo díriú air. Tugann an clár seo deis do mhic léinn staidéar ginearálta a dhéanamh ar an innealtóireacht ar feadh bliana sula roghnaíonn siad a réimse speisialtóireachta i mbliain a dó. Chun eolas a fháil faoin scrúdú, faoin gcúrsa matamaitice ullmhúcháin agus chun iarratas a dhéanamh ar an Scrúdú Cáilíochta Matamaitice, téigh chuig http://www.nuigalway.ie/engineering-informatics/undergraduatestudents/engineeringmathsqualifyingexamination/ -Críoch-

Loci Orthopaedics awarded €2.5 million grant, has US patent granted, and enters into new technology licence agreement Loci Orthopaedics, based in the Innovation Centre at NUI Galway, is lead partner in a consortium awarded in excess of €2.5 million to advance one of the company’s products to market, the “InDx Implant” under the European Commission’s ‘Fast Track to Innovation’ fund. The InDx Implant product has been designed for the treatment of arthritis of the thumb base joint. This condition affects over 30 million people across the EU, and results in significant hand pain, and restrictions in mobility and independence. In the next three years, the company will focus on launching the InDx Implant in hospitals throughout Europe and the USA. Loci Orthopaedics was founded as a spin-out from NUI Galway in 2017 by Dr Brendan Boland and Mr Gerry Clarke and is dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from arthritis through the development of novel, but evidence-based orthopaedic technologies. In 2018 the company closed an investment round of €2.75 million. The additional Fast Track to Innovation funding will bring the total funding raised for the InDx Implant product to almost €6 million, reflecting the major unmet clinical need that is being addressed. Speaking about this recent grant, CEO of Loci Orthopaedics, Dr Brendan Boland, said: “The orthopaedics market is one of the fastest growing segments in medical devices, and the area we are working in is the fastest growing sub-section in orthopaedics. Being the lead partner on such a prestigious European Commission sponsored grant is a great endorsement for the company of the unmet clinical need, the growing market, and the innovativeness of our own technology.” Mr Gerry Clarke, Chief Technology Officer at Loci Orthopaedics, said: “The InDx implant is the only thumb implant that is an evidence-based design. We have been working with three of the world’s leading hand surgeons from Stanford University, Brown University, and KU Leuven Belgium, to develop the first implant that can fully mimic the natural motions of the thumb base joint. This grant further supports the core technology of the product, as well as allowing us to accelerate the product to market to relieve the daily suffering of many millions of patients across the world.” The Fast Track to Innovation consortium includes EndoLab (Germany), NAMSA (UK) and Medvie (Ireland), and was one of only 15 consortiums from across the EU to receive such a prestigious funding award. Recently, the patent for the InDx Implant was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office entitled “Implant for a Bone Joint” and is the first patent to issue from Loci Orthopaedics growing intellectual property portfolio. The company has further patents pending as well as several international patent applications across the field of Orthopaedic Medicine. In addition to this portfolio, the company has entered into an agreement with NUI Galway, for a world-wide exclusive licence to the NUI Galway–developed “OsteoAnchor” technology. The OsteoAnchor technology is an additively manufactured surface finish for use in orthopaedic implants, which enables an implant to gain immediate fixation, via sharp claws, and long-term fixation, as the native bone grows around pillars and struts. This technology has been proven to provide enhanced fixation and osteointegration (bone growth around the implant), compared to other surface finish methods such as, plasma-spray coating. This is particularly useful in patients who require orthopaedic implants but have poor quality bone, for example, due to osteoporosis.  It is estimated that the combined market potential for these two products (InDx Implant and OsteoAnchor) alone is over $1.5 billion per annum.  Dr Boland commented: “Having the US patent granted for the core InDx Implant technology, as well as rapidly expanding the company’s Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio, is a very exciting time. We are developing a pipeline and platform of technologies to meet unmet clinical needs in the fastest growing market in orthopaedic medicine.”  For more information about Loci Orthopaedics, visit: http://www.lociorthopaedics.com/ or follow the company on Twitter @lociortho -Ends-

CÚRAM and Galway Film Centre’s ‘Science on Screen’ films celebrate continued international screenings and award successes in the US and Australia A Tiny Spark, the most recent film produced through the ‘Science on Screen’ initiative created by CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Medical Devices at NUI Galway and Galway Film Centre, has been awarded Best Medical Short at Sci On! Film Festival in Nevada. The film focuses on the first study of its kind in the world, which is being led by NUI Galway Neuroscientist, Dr Karen Doyle and involves the analysis of removed blood clots to determine what information they may yield and could point to big improvements to people’s lives. The film, directed by Niamh Heery and produced by Caroline Kealy of Swansong Films with animations by Eric Dolan, meets three stroke survivors Rebecca, Trevor and Helen who talk about life after a stroke and their individual roads to recovery. This research is an international collaborative study between NUI Galway, hospital partners in Beaumont Hospital and throughout Europe and the Mayo Clinic, USA.  Awarding the prize, one of the festival judges at Sci On! Film Festival had this to say about the film: “Such a powerful and perfectly-made film. The subject matter is so vital and relevant. It’s hard to find the words to describe such a meaningful and compassionate treatment of a condition that has impacted so many of us directly or indirectly, personally or through a friend or family member. Thank you for helping raise awareness - and to show that there is hope.” While a second judge remarked: “Absolutely superb and engaging documentary, with an excellent and sensitive blending of interviews with animated scenes.”  A Tiny Spark, which had its international festival premiere in March 2019 at the Oregon Documentary Festival, also screened at the SCINEMA International Science Film Festival in Australia, the largest science film festival in the Southern Hemisphere. The film has also just been selected for DOCUTAH Film Festival in Utah in September 2019 and more screenings will be announced soon. The CÚRAM and Galway Film Centre ‘Science on Screen’ initiative offers funding to filmmakers to produce a documentary that engages with research currently underway at CÚRAM in NUI Galway. This funding strand for creative documentaries set in the world of science is now in its fourth year. Other ‘Science on Screen’ films are also still screening to audiences around the globe. The 2017 film Bittersweet, directed by Hugh Rodgers and produced by Anna Rodgers and Zlata Filipovic of Invisible Thread Films, scooped the Best Educational Media Award at the Raw Science Film Festival 2019 in Los Angeles. Bittersweet follows the personal stories of young people who are living with diabetes and their daily challenges to manage it. Over the course of the film, audiences discover ground-breaking research and development in pharmacology and biomedical science, capturing the important work of CÚRAM’s Professor David Brayden and his team at UCD’s School of Veterinary Medicine, where they are developing new ways of delivering insulin to the body.  Bittersweet premiered in 2017 and has since screened at film festivals globally, as well as broadcasting on RTÉ 1 TV and at special screenings for healthcare professionals, and for school children and academics throughout Ireland. It recently screened at Galway University Hospitals to the Paediatric team in conjunction with Diabetes Ireland. The film’s success to date emphasizes the key goal of ‘Science on Screen’ which is to bring science to new audiences in the form of great storytelling through the medium of film.  Bittersweet is available on the RTÉ Player: https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/bittersweet/83918888259  A Tiny Spark Trailer is available here: https://vimeo.com/291731458 and for more about ‘Science on Screen’ visit: http://curamdevices.ie/curam/public-engagement/science-on-screen/ -Ends-

NUI Galway, Galway County Council Heritage Service and Skehana Heritage Group are collaborating on a photographic showcase on Galway Estates as part of Heritage Week, which takes place from 17 to 25 August. In 2016 Skehana Heritage Group first began displaying images of some of Galway’s “Big Houses”, the buildings from which landed estates large and small were managed for over 200 years. They were the multi-nationals of their day in providing employment. Sadly, however, their legacy was frequently one of control and which perpetuated an increasingly unsustainable economic model. The estates’ demise principally came about in the first decades of the twentieth century when the government-sponsored Land Acts advanced the money to tenant farmers to purchase their holdings and become owner-occupiers. It has been estimated that east Galway, in particular, had a larger proportion of such houses, large and small, than any other county in Ireland. The Skehana initiative complements the research conducted at NUI Galway’s Moore Institute in the Irish Landed Estates project which has been in existence since 2007. For more information on the Irish Landed Estates project see http://www.landedestates.ie/. The Heritage Week event will see hundreds of photographic images of these houses - some intact, some ruined, some whose memory only exists on the landscape in the form of a map or drawing from an earlier century – on display in banner format in the O’Donoghue Building foyer, from 19 to 24 August. An added attraction will be facsimile copies of leases, maps, memoirs and marriage settlements from the over 20 landed estate archival collections housed in the James Hardiman Library’s Archives and Special Collections. NUI Galway will also host a half day seminar, Galway Estates from the Archives, on Saturday, 24 August from 9.30am to 1.30pm. The seminar will explore how historians and other researchers employ these documents to tell the stories of their families, local areas, landscapes and communities. Marie Boran, NUI Galway Special Collections Librarian and Landed Estates researcher, said: “This is the first time the Galway Big Houses banners will be on display in Galway City, though they have been exhibited in various parts of the county. It will be a wonderful opportunity for Galway people and visitors alike to learn more about these buildings which are so central to our past.” Attendance at the event is free. Details of booking and information are available at: https://www.heritageweek.ie/whats-on/event/galway-estates-from-the-archives -Ends-

The Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN) based in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at NUI Galway has launched a new and innovative initiative, The People’s Trial, which challenges the public to get involved in creating, designing and running their very own fun clinical trial.  The initiative is one of the first of its kind in Ireland to establish an online virtual clinical trial platform and to fully engage with the general public at every step of the trial process, from question selection, to recruitment, to data analysis and beyond. For the first time, a fun clinical trial will be fully dependent on the public for its success, not just as study participants, but as trialists creating the trial at each step, deciding the trial question, selecting the outcomes and how they will be measured, and sharing the findings. The overall aim of this study is to help create a greater understanding of the clinical trial process, so that the public can be better informed as to why we need clinical trials and also how they can be used to answer a question. While randomised trials are expensive, time-consuming studies to plan and carry out, they are considered the gold standard of how to evaluate health care interventions. An intervention is anything that aims to make a change to someone’s health for the better. For example, providing a counselling service, prescribing a drug, or giving people information and training, are all described as interventions. The decision about which group a person joins in a randomised trial is at random, which means that a person is put into one of the intervention groups by chance.  Professor Declan Devane, Scientific Director of the Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network at NUI Galway, said: “In a world where the public are bombarded through multiple mediums with differing health choices and claims, we feel it is important that members of the public have the skills to consider the validity of these claims. This is how randomised trials become really important.”  Dr Sandra Galvin, HRB-TMRN Programme Manager at NUI Galway, said: “The People’s Trial offers the general public the rare opportunity to take over the controls of a fun, low risk, clinical trial and ask any question they like. Does taking a cold shower every day help improve physical and mental wellbeing? Does eating cheese before bedtime cause nightmares? Does taking a walk at lunchtime help improve work productivity in the afternoon? These are just some of the types of questions that this type of trial may seek to answer, but ultimately the general public will decide.” Speaking about the initiative, Dr Darrin Morrissey, Chief Executive at the Health Research Board, said: “Building public understanding of clinical trials is essential to increase participation. This project is a brilliant way to engage people in the trial process in a way that will build trust and understanding of the process of developing innovative clinical interventions. It is great to see the HRB-TMRN push new boundaries in the approach to clinical trials and embrace public and patient involvement in a proactive way.” The study is funded by the Health Research Board under the Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination Scheme Award.  For further information, visit: https://thepeoplestrial.ie/ or email info@thepeoplestrial.ie and hrb-tmrn@nuigalway.ie. Follow on Twitter @thepeoplestrial and People’s Trial on Facebook and peoples_trial on Instagram. -Ends-

Legislation developed by the School of Law at NUI Galway has been passed by the Oireachtas. The Land and Conveyancing Law Reform (Amendment) Act 2019 enables courts to consider better solutions for distressed mortgagers.  The Act has its genesis in the Keeping People in their Homes Bill, which was introduced in the Dáil in 2017 by Minister of State, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran TD. This legislation was originally inspired and drafted by Dr Padraic Kenna, Senior Lecturer in Housing and Property Law at NUI Galway, and NUI Galway Alumnus, Eugene Deering, BA, LLB, LLM, and Special Adviser to Minister Moran, following detailed research at the Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy Research in NUI Galway and discussions with Department of Justice officials.  The original Bill contained the key provisions of the new Act, including the critical ‘proportionality test’ – finding the outcome involving least interference with rights of respect for home, and taking into account the circumstances of all household members, advocated by Dr Kenna and Mr Deering.  Dr Padraic Kenna, School of Law, NUI Galway, said: “This legislation builds on existing Government initiatives designed to assist people in mortgage distress, and reflects government policy of keeping people in their homes, and ensures that the circumstances of everyone living in the home, including children, are fully considered in mortgage possession cases.”  Minister of State, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran TD, presented and advanced the Act in the Oireachtas. The passage of the legislation was facilitated by officials in the Department of Justice and Equality, former Minister, Frances Fitzgerald (now MEP), and current Minister, Charles Flanagan TD. It was also supported by Jim O’ Callaghan TD, Fianna Fáil spokesperson for Justice and Equality, and passed by agreement of all TDs in July 2019. The legislation enables a court or registrar to consider whether the making of a possession order would be proportionate in all the circumstances, whether the lender has put forward a statement to the borrower which would enable the borrower and their dependants to remain in the home and settle the matter, and “additional matters it thinks appropriate.” The court must now also consider the circumstances of the borrower and any dependants living in the home. This will include the circumstances of any children, and persons with a disability. The new Act also enables a court or registrar to consider any proposal made by the borrower to the lender, which would allow him/her, and any dependants, to remain in the home, or to secure alternative accommodation – as well as the response of the lender to that proposal. The court will be able to review the conduct of the mortgage lender, as well as the borrower, in their attempts to find a resolution. Dr Charles O’ Mahony, Head of the School of Law at NUI Galway, said: “This significant legislative development will enable Irish courts to fully consider the circumstances of those at risk of losing their home. It was inspired and drafted originally in the School of Law, following detailed research on EU developments, and clearly demonstrates the impact of our research and engagement at NUI Galway’s School of Law.”  The Act is available to download at: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2019/19/ For more information about the Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy Research, NUI Galway, visit: http://www.nuigalway.ie/chlrp/ -Ends- 

NUI Galway has secured €15 million in funding under the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructural Fund (HESIF) - Project Ireland 2040, announced by Minister for Education Joe McHugh T.D. for the redevelopment of the James Hardiman Library. The project - the new Library and Learning Commons - will redevelop, reconceptualise and fundamentally transform the James Hardiman Library building at NUI Galway in order to embrace, promote and support evolving approaches to teaching and learning. Welcoming the announcement, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of NUI Galway said: "I am delighted to welcome this very substantial support for NUI Galway’s library redevelopment which is a strong endorsement for teaching and learning at this University. This development will have a distinctively transformative impact on the learning experience of our students at NUI Galway. “Renewing higher education for the needs of our time and our place demands new types of space that allow deeper forms of engagement and new forms of connection between teaching, learning, research, and scholarship. This investment provides an opportunity to reconceive the library as an inclusive, accessible centre for active learning, a place of shared curiosity and for the co-development of knowledge and understanding in the world and for the world. I would like to thank the Department and the HEA for acknowledging our vision for HE in Ireland and in particular here in the west. “This is great news for NUI Galway, as well as for our broader University community. Today's announcement is a clear signal of our ambition for a new chapter in our University’s proud history.” John Cox, University Librarian, commented: “The transformed Library will be an inspirational, welcoming, space for learning and creativity, facilitating collaborative discovery and interdisciplinary engagement, with access to the world’s knowledge via a comprehensive digital library.”   ENDS Cuireann Uachtarán OÉ Gaillimh fáilte roimh Fhógra maidir le Maoiniú €15m don Leabharlann   D'fhógair an tAire Oideachais, Joe McHugh, TD inniu (Déardaoin, 29 Lúnasa) go bhfuil maoiniú €15 mhilliún faighte ag OÉ Gaillimh faoin gCiste Bonneagair Straitéisigh Ardoideachais (HESIF) - Tionscadal Éire 2040 - chun Leabharlann Shéamais Uí Argadáin a athfhorbairt. Déanfaidh an tionscadal - Ionad nua na Leabharlainne agus na Foghlama - athfhorbairt, athchoincheapú agus athrú bunúsach ar fhoirgneamh Leabharlann Shéamais Uí Argadáin in OÉ Gaillimh chun cuir chuigí atá ag teacht chun cinn i leith an teagaisc agus na foghlama a ghlacadh chugainn féin, a chur chun cinn agus a thacú. Agus é ag cur fáilte roimh an bhfógra, bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag an Ollamh Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, Uachtarán OÉ Gaillimh: “Tá an-áthas orm fáilte a chur roimh an tacaíocht ollmhór seo d’athfhorbairt na leabharlainne in OÉ Gaillimh, rud atá ina thacaíocht láidir don teagasc agus don fhoghlaim san Ollscoil seo. Beidh tionchar ó bhonn ag an bhforbairt seo ar thaithí foghlama ár mac léinn in OÉ Gaillimh. “D’fhonn an t-ardoideachas a athrú chun freastal ar riachtanais na linne seo teastaíonn cineálacha nua spáis a chothaíonn cineálacha éagsúla rannpháirtíochta agus cineálacha nua ceangail idir teagasc, foghlaim, taighde, agus léann. Tugann an infheistíocht seo deis dúinn an leabharlann a athmhúnlú mar lárionad cuimsitheach, inrochtana don fhoghlaim ghníomhach, mar áit don fhiosracht chomhroinnte agus tugann sí deis freisin dúinn eolas agus tuiscint a chomhfhorbairt sa domhan. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Roinn agus leis an ÚAO as a dtuiscint ar ár bhfís don ardoideachas in Éirinn agus go háirithe anseo san iarthar.   “Is dea-scéala amach is amach é seo do OÉ Gaillimh, agus do phobal na hOllscoile i gcoitinne. Is comhartha soiléir é fógra an lae inniu ar a uaillmhianaí is atáimid maidir le caibidil nua i stair bhródúil na hOllscoile.”   Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag John Cox, Leabharlannaí na hOllscoile: “Fágfaidh an t-athrú ó bhonn seo ar an Leabharlann gur spás fáilteach inspioráideach a bheidh ann don fhoghlaim agus don chruthaitheacht, áit ina ndéanfar éascaíocht don fhionnachtain chomhoibríoch agus don rannpháirtíocht idirdhisciplíneach, agus ina mbeidh rochtain ar shaíocht an domhain trí leabharlann dhigiteach chuimsitheach.”   CRÍOCH