Engagement Fund

University of Galway Model United Nations

Lead: Hugh Gately (Literary & Debating Society)

In January 2024, more than 100 school pupils, teachers and parents from across Ireland attended University of Galway’s first ever Model United Nations conference to tackle issues of global importance.  

Organised by students in the University’s Literary and Debating Society, with support of the Societies Office and Sustainability Engagement Fund, the two-day event taught participants how to understand current political and human rights issues, debate and represent different positions, and articulate complex arguments. 

During the event, teams assumed the role of a country at the United Nations and were tasked with discussing global problems, simulating foreign relations with other countries, and resolving real-world international issues with the perspective, values and ideals of their assigned nation in mind. 

The conference was officially opened by Professor Siobhán Mullally, the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway, who offered insights into the role of the UN in the ever-changing world.  

Hugh Gately, Literary and Debating Society, said: “The event as a whole proved a roaring success, having provided students with a hugely enjoyable experience as well as improving their abilities in public speaking, debating, and problem resolution, and developing their awareness of the importance of foreign relations, international diplomacy and collaboration, and the issues facing our world today. Emboldened by displays across the conference indicative of impressive research, vast knowledge, and passionate participation, the participants left the conference at the end of the weekend agreeing on one thing for certain- they hope to return again next year.” 

Dr Richard Manton, Director of Sustainability at University of Galway, said: “As Ireland’s leading university for action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, University of Galway was proud to host a Model United Nations. It was inspiring to hear school students debate global challenges such as clean water and sanitation for all, which comes under Sustainable Development Goal 6. I would like to thank all the University of Galway volunteer organisers, photographers, chairs and clerks who made the event such a success.” 

Delegates strive to be chosen to present their resolution to the conference (photo by Nithin Ravi from the University of Galway Photography Society)

Deliberations between Chelsea Owolabi, Jenny Hession, and Eva Mullaney from Merlin College Galway as they represent South Africa (photo by Ruth Merkli from the University of Galway Photography Society)

Best Overall Delegation winners Abigail Conroy, Alexandria Wilson, and Matthew Kane from Holy Rosary College Mountbellew with organiser Hugh Gately of the Literary and Debating Society (photo by Ruth Merkli from the University of Galway Photography Society)

Multimedia storytelling showcasing community-driven solutions to water-related challenges

Lead: Andreea Alexandrov (School of Engineering)

This initiative advances climate action and sustainability education at UG through multimedia storytelling, showcasing community-driven solutions to water-related challenges. It integrates collaboration, communication skill-building, and impactful outputs to drive engagement and foster meaningful connections. SPECIFIC GOALS: 1. Build interdisciplinary collaboration: Engage students from societies such as Environmental, Art, and Photography Societies, as well as MA Global Media students, to foster engagement and develop expertise in climate communication. 2. Produce engaging outputs: Create two audio stories, one video story, and a campus-based photography exhibition addressing SDG6 and SDG14. 3. Amplify community initiatives: Use university networks to showcase impactful actions, increasing visibility and engagement. UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITIONS: - Fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, breaking silos between student groups. - Provides professional climate communication training for students, building career-ready skills. - Strengthens campus-community ties, enhancing sustainability through storytelling. - Positions the university as an SDG Ambassador, laying a foundation for future initiatives. INTEGRATION WITH EXISTING INITIATIVES: This proposal builds on Climate Connected (climateconnected.ie), a cross-sector, community-focused climate action project coordinated by the University of Galway. By leveraging established networks to spotlight water-related community actions, it enhances visibility and engagement through innovative storytelling, bridging community efforts and campus engagement.

‘Hidden Depths’ workshops with primary school pupils and an active retired community

Lead: Lucy Elvis and Michela Dianetti (School of History and Philosophy)

‘Hidden Depths’ is a climate education project that explores the attitudes underpinning our relationship with water through outreach workshops at Westside Library. The library will help us to recruit one primary school and one active retired community that will dialogue philosophically together. This intergenerational project aims to engage young and older persons meaningfully with the conceptual issues underlying water conservation in today’s society. The public philosophy team at the University of Galway will use the community of philosophical inquiry approach to explore our relationship with water creatively, underlying its ubiquitous and precious value. Different staff members from the Philosophy Department will present water’s conceptualisations through philosophy – from the Ancient Greek philosopher Thales, who identified water as the arché, to contemporary environmental studies. The project will be delivered through interactive workshops designed to spark curiosity by: i) Sharing philosophical ideas inspired by water; ii) Supporting participants to discuss the questions raised by these examples in a caring and democratic space; iii) Creating a collective video about water, inspired by the workshops and discussions. This final phase of the project will be conducted in collaboration with a professional video artist.

Galway Coast/Aquarium Documentary and River Corrib Exploration

Lead: Storm McDonald (School of Natural Sciences)

This project will use an advanced underwater imaging setup (OM SYSTEM Tough TG-7, Ikelite housing, and dual-strobe/video light tray) to enhance marine conservation and education. The equipment will enable the creation of high-quality visual documentation of marine ecosystems, supporting biodiversity research and public awareness. Key proposed initiatives include: Galway Coast/Aquarium Documentary: Producing a video on the marine life along Galway's coast to complement the upcoming Marine Ryan Institute (MRI) aquarium exhibit. This video will enrich the SDG campus trail, particularly at the Zoology and Marine Biology Museum, enhancing its educational value. River Corrib Exploration: Documenting the underwater biodiversity of the River Corrib, which flows through campus, as part of the SDG/Biodiversity trail. This initiative will engage students and staff in research and link directly to on-campus sustainability efforts. Through research, education, and community engagement, this project aligns with SDG 14 and the University of Galway's sustainability objectives, inspiring collective action for ocean conservation.

Boardgame on water management in lab environments

Lead: Paola Sofía Serrano Bravo (Cúram)

The project’s goal is to create a package for water management, especially in lab environments, based around a boardgame. This can be used through a workshop, facilitated by the project team, or just engaged with by the users of different laboratories on campus. It would also include a set of stickers on general water management to help drive behavioural changes around water. The project team would develop a list of core laboratory-specific facts and actions that could improve water management in laboratories. For example, the need for distilled water in certain experiments and some suggestions on how to optimise its use, which would then be incorporated into the game so that users are more aware of methods to have a better management of resources. This would result in a list of actions the users can take after learning about them, or for them to research more about a topic that may be of interest to them. The game would also include some location-specific questions, such as the number of taps in the lab they work in, and users would be prompted to put up the stickers (reminders of water management good practices, such as turning off taps) in such locations.

Call for applications (closed November 2024)

The Sustainability Engagement Fund will support engagement activities on key sustainability issues thereby supporting the implementation of the University of Galway Sustainability Strategy 2021-2025 and our role as a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Ambassador. The fund is available to staff and students with grants normally ranging from €1,000-€2,000.

In 2024/25, we are piloting the Sustainability Engagement Fund and will focus on 2 of the 17 SDGs:

• SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• SDG14: Life Below Water

Proposals may be made by an individual staff member, an individual student or by a group of staff and/or students. Engagement activities should target community groups (could be local, regional, national or displaced communities), policymakers (could be local, regional or national government or NGOs) or the University community (students, staff, alumni). Engagement activities could include a workshop, seminar, training, educational resource, field trip, living lab etc. The activity must be free for participants to attend.

Applications for funding can be made under three themes:

1. Engaging community groups or policymakers on SDG6, e.g. water management, conservation or security.
2. Engaging community groups or policymakers on SDG14, e.g. sustainable fishing/aquaculture or aquatic ecosystems
3. Engaging the university community on SDG6 or SDG14.

Applications

Applications must be submitted using this application form. The deadline for applications is 17:00 on Friday, 29 November. Applications which are late, incomplete or do not display sufficient planning / attention to detail will not be considered.

Eligibility

Proposals may be made by an individual staff member, an individual student or by a group of staff and/or students. A Project Organiser must be appointed as the point of contact and responsible party. Proposals from individual students/student groups must be linked with an appropriate staff member/Unit/School to provide mentorship. Joint staff and student initiatives are particularly welcome.

Selection process

The Sustainability Engagement Fund is overseen by a subcommittee of the Community University Sustainability Partnership. The subcommittee will consider the applications received by the published deadline and will award funds to selected proposals following the selection process outlined below.

The Sustainability Engagement Fund will be awarded as several grants, across a variety of initiatives, based on the information provided in the application form. Normally, grants will range from €1,000-€2,000.

The Sustainability Engagement Fund will support activities which will support engagement activities on key sustainability issues thereby supporting the implementation of the University of Galway Sustainability Strategy 2021-2025 and our role as a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Ambassador.

Proposals will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Relevance to the SDG (30%)
• Quality of engagement (30%)
• Originality and creative approach (20%)
• Value for money (20%)

The Sustainability Engagement Fund subcommittee will reserve the right to only award funds to those proposals which achieve an overall score of 70 or higher, noting that this could result in the full fund not being awarded at any particular time. Depending on the number and quality of the received proposals, not all projects scoring 70 or higher may receive funding, and the subcommittee reserves the right to award any particular project an amount of funding which is lower than the sum requested in the application.

Conditions of the offer

Successful project recipients are required to sign an acceptance letter which will include but is not limited to:

• Start date and completion date for project;
• A named “Project Organiser” who will liaise with the Sustainability Office in all matters relating to the project;
• A statement of activities and actions to be delivered;
• Funding amount and funding draw down arrangements;
• A ‘D’ cost centre is provided to transfer the funds
• Agreement that all payments must comply with the university’s Procurement, Payroll, Invoice and Reimbursement guidelines;
• Project review, reporting and financial requirements.

Projects funded under the 2024/25 scheme must be completed by August 2025, except in exceptional circumstances where an extension has been granted by the subcommittee.

Each project proposal must name a “Project Organiser” who will liaise with the Sustainability Office in all matters relating to the project. The Project Organiser is responsible for:

• The project's budget
• implementing the project
• ensuring that the project is completed in accordance with the Sustainability Engagement Fund Terms of Reference and relevant University policies
• Submitting a final project report

In case of any query or difficulty arising with a project, the Project Organiser must contact the Sustainability Office immediately. The Sustainability Office will assist project organisers with:

• Transferring funds to nominated cost centre
• publicising projects
• general advice and guidance

Payment of the grant

The awarded fund will be transferred to a ‘D’ cost centre nominated by the project organiser. All expenditure must be receipted and accounted for, and a final financial report provided as part of the Sustainability Engagement Fund Report. 

Project report

All recipients must complete the Sustainability Engagement Fund Report provided upon completion of the project and submit it, together with any other specified documentation, to the Sustainability Office. Project Organisers may also be requested to provide updates on their progress throughout the timeline of the project.

Launch webinar

The Sustainability Engagement Fund 24/25 was launched during a webinar on 'Sustainable management of water, aquatic ecosystems and marine resources'.

The speakers and topics were: 

• Introduction to University of Galway research on water and environment - Prof. Frances Fahy, Ryan Institute & School of Geography, Archaeology & Irish Studies 
• Wastewater Engineering: Key to clean environment, sanitation and a sustainable future - Prof. Xinmin Zhan, School of Engineering 
• It’s all about water, water means life - Dr Liam Morrison, School of Natural Sciences 
• Irish Marine Biomaterial Repository - Prof. Olivier Thomas, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences 
• Launch of the University of Galway Sustainability Engagement Fund 2024/25 - Dr Richard Manton, Director of Sustainability