Irish Research Council Announces Programme #LoveIrishResearch

28th January 2016

Posted In: FYI
LoveIrishResearch

A new initiative to highlight the achievements of Irish researchers was launched today by Mr. Damien English TD, Minster for Skills, Research and Innovation. 

#LoveIrishResearch – an initiative of the Irish Research Council – will run throughout 2016 with the aim of increasing public awareness of the important research conducted in higher education institutions throughout the country.

Commenting at today’s launch, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, Chair of the Irish Research Council, said: “Ireland punches significantly above its weight across a range of research disciplines and, historically, we have a hugely impressive record in terms of research discoveries and breakthroughs.”

“Eleven Irish researchers are listed among the top one per cent of researchers currently practising worldwide, while – as a country overall – we are in ninth place on the most recent Thomson-Reuters InCites global scientific rankings.  In a number of disciplines – including nanoscience, nanotechnology, immunology, computer sciences, and neurosciences and behaviour – we rank in the top five.  In relation to the Arts and Humanities, Irish universities rank amongst the top 100 universities in the world”, she added. 

“For a country of this size, these are major achievements.  Add to that the historic accomplishments of researchers such as Robert Boyle, George Boole, John Tyndall and Kathleen Lonsdale, and it is clear that Ireland has a rich legacy of ground-breaking research.”

The first publication produced as part of the initiative was unveiled today: ‘Discovery Ireland’, a book exploring the role of discovery research, celebrating the achievements of great Irish scientists, and highlighting the fundamental research currently underway in Ireland. 

Contemporary case studies included in the book range from research on how solar storms on the sun disrupt communications networks on earth, to how cells die and the implications for resistant cancers where the normal cell death process is disrupted and cancer cells continue to grow.

(Pictured: Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English TD and Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, Chair of the Irish Research Council.) 

www.research.ie/aboutus/loveirishresearch