January Seven research projects at NUI Galway backed by Irish Research Council

New Foundations initiative aims to deepen community and voluntary partnerships and supports North-South reconciliation

Seven researchers at NUI Galway have secured funding as part of an initiative to support projects that will have a tangible impact on societal issues. 

The awards have been made as part of the Irish Research Council’s New Foundations programme.

They projects focus on NUI Galway partnerships which aim to deepen collaboration with community and voluntary organisations, global development, north-south reconciliation, our shared island and police-community relations

They are: 

• Dr Conn Holohan will work with Galway Simon Community on immersive technology as a tool for advocacy and self-expression for people experiencing homelessness.
• Dr Elena Vaughan will partner with HIV Ireland in a stakeholder consultation and needs assessment to develop rights-based practice and policy guidelines to reduce HIV-related stigma in healthcare settings. 
• Dr Lindsay Reid will partner with Cúirt International Festival of Literature in her project - (Re)reading, (Re)writing, and (Re)shaping ‘The Classics’: Past, Present, and Future. 
• Dr Michaela Schrage-Frueh will partner with Age & Opportunity in the research project - Restorying Ageing: Older Women and Life Writing.
• Professor Patrick Lonergan will partner with Galway International Arts Festival on his research project - Diversity, Programming, and the International Arts Festival: Histories, Practices, and Policies. 
• Professor Jim Livesey was awarded funding for his research project - Citizens in Conflict: Early-Modern Political Theory and Contemporary Movements in Northern Ireland. 
• Dr Patricia Kennedy was awarded funding for her project - The Arts and New Digital Technologies for Peace Building and Reconciliation linked to Equality, Rights and Diversity. 

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris T.D., made the announcement, and said: “The community and voluntary sector plays a critical role in Irish life and will continue to do so. As these projects get underway, they support enhancement of the services this sector provides, while also providing excellent partnership opportunities for our researchers.” 

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