March CÚRAM to Host Science on Screen 2019 Information Day for Filmmakers

CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices at NUI Galway and Galway Film Centre will host the ‘Science on Screen 2019’ Information Day for filmmakers on Friday, 5 April.

This year, CÚRAM and Galway Film Centre will partner with the HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland and PPI Ignite @ NUI Galway for Science on Screen 2019. A fund of €35,000 is available to create a half-hour documentary on the topic of Public and Patient Involvement (PPI), which means that people who are likely to be affected by new medical treatments or programmes developed through research are directly involved in planning and shaping decisions about the research. PPI Ignite @ NUI Galway aims to bring about a culture change in how health research is conducted across the University, supporting researchers to enable the public and patient voice to guide their research. 

In Ireland, many research teams have incorporated Public and Patient Involvement excellently into their research, notably in the areas of intellectual disability, mental health, diabetes, primary care, chronic disease and dementia. This year, filmmakers are being invited to bring the story of Public and Patient Involvement to the big screen. 

Science on Screen has been running since 2016 and is a fund for documentaries set in the world of science. To date, four documentaries have been produced and they have been screened throughout the world, received national broadcast and won international awards. The films have reached an audience of over one million people. A Tiny Spark (2018) highlights research of removed blood clots to see what information they may yield; Bittersweet (2017) captures the Irish health system’s fight to treat the rising number of diabetic patients; Feats of Modest Valour (2016) looks at the physical reality of living with Parkinson’s Disease; and Mending Legends (2016), researches the physical and psychological impact of tendon injuries among athletes. 

CÚRAM and Galway Film Centre together run the ‘Science on Screen’ project, which aims to facilitate, promote and increase the inclusion of science, technology, engineering and maths content and research in Irish film and TV production. The CÚRAM funded documentary filmmaking provides access to leading scientists and laboratories within CÚRAM, to explore methods of scientific ‘story telling’ and to produce a short film that incorporate aspects of current research being carried out by CÚRAM and its academic partners. These documentaries are available for community and educational screenings nationwide.

The Information Day will include speakers from PPI Ignite @ NUI Galway, HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland, CÚRAM and Galway Film Centre.

The event will commence at 10.30am on Friday, 5 April and will run for approximately two hours at CÚRAM, Biomedical Sciences Building, North Campus, NUI Galway.

Bookings are necessary, visit www.eventbrite.ie and search for (Science on Screen Information Day) and a schedule will be sent to attendees in advance. 

PPI Ignite is funded by the Health Research Board and the Irish Research Council. This Science on Screen documentary is funded by the Health Research Board’s Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination Scheme 2018 awarded to the HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland, and supported by CÚRAM.

For more information, contact Mary Deely, CÚRAM, NUI Galway at mary.deely@nuigalway.ie or Jade Murphy, Galway Film Centre at jade@galwayfilmcentre.ie.

For more information about Science on Screen, visit: www.curamdevices.ie.

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