Origins & Ethos

ILAS was formally established, and the Institute building was opened, in 2014. Linked to an original Atlantic Philanthropies grant for a life-course building, this marked the culmination of a 6-year collaboration between three Atlantic funded centres: Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG), Centre for Disability Law and Policy (CDLP), and UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (UNCFRC).

Accordingly, and in line with the ethos of the Atlantic Philanthropies, ILAS was developed around the core idea of working for change that leverage greater equity for its communities and stakeholders. The state-of-the-art ILAS building has driven the development of ILAS and marked a significant coming together of the University and the community, in symbolic and programmatic terms.

There are now nine constituent ILAS centres and units, representing different disciplines, a diverse range of methodologies and different populations of interest, and 55 associated staff comprising of researchers, professional staff (including PPI and Engage staff) and academic faculty, and a further 45 PhD students.

Additional research communities committed to joining the Institute include Community Knowledge Initiative, Community Engaged Research in Action (CORA), Health Economics and Policy Analysis Centre (HEPAC), Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research (ICAN), PPI Ignite Network and Speech & Language Therapy

ILAS

The Institute aims to advance people’s lives in Ireland and internationally who face issues with older life, living with disability, children, youth and parents who are vulnerable in social and other contexts. The research at the Institute is underpinned by academic staff and researchers who are keen the work we do makes a difference.

Co-Funded by the Irish Government and the EU