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Research Matters
National University of Ireland, Galway
Issue 7 SPRING 2014
Research Matters
National University of Ireland, Galway,
University Road, Galway,
Republic of Ireland
T: +353 9149 5312
E: researchmatters@nuigalway.ie
Beyond Research The EU App Economy Young Researcher Profiles
nuigalway.ie
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VP Letter Contents
W elcome to Issue 7 of Research
Matters. The following pages give a
snapshot of some of the important
will help build on the success of previous
plans and contribute significantly towards
the University of the future. Featured Articles:
03
research activities in the University in recent I am also pleased to share our recent
times. This issue’s theme, ‘Beyond Research’, successes in terms of improving research
Editorial Board
John Holden, Editor
Beyond Research
broadens the focus somewhat in terms of supports at NUI Galway. In February we
Eithne O’Connell, Deputy Editor
coverage of the research horizon and its launched the Research Support Services
many facets. Initiative, created to support researchers at
Sarah Knight
Undoubtedly, it is a very exciting time for all stages of the research lifecycle through the Jim Duggan
research at NUI Galway. Numerous successful introduction of a support desk, an integrated Valerie Parker
funding applications have created a confident website and additional support workshops and Patrick Hayes
07
Joanne O’Connor
and thriving research atmosphere. In a variety
of disciplines, we are now recognised as world
events. Research Support Services also hosted
the first meeting of the Research Support Patrick Lonergan The Mechanics
class leaders. Recent successes include EU
Marie Curie Awards - SphereScaff, Kinseed,
Committee, a new group focused on developing
a community of practice and harnessing the
of Stabbing
Rhak, EpicS and Gendowl. NUI Galway was knowledge and expertise that exist across
also awarded 31 Irish Research Council New NUI Galway with respect to research support.
Foundations Awards, such as Genesis, ShorTIE, This month we launch the Online Grant
Choices, newspeakers, Neander150 and Management system to support research project
Blooms2Feeds. Further funding and awards
have also come from Enterprise Ireland, EU FP7
and SFI.
From a strategic planning perspective we are
currently engaging with the campus community
management and administration. Furthermore
we will grow our Research Support team in May
through the appointment of our new H2020
advisors. These supports will all contribute
toward a stronger research support footprint
International Council
for Traditional Music
(ICTM)
09
to develop a Research and Innovation Strategy for NUI Galway.
bringing us to 2020. As we move forward
14
through the strategic consultation and planning Professor Lokesh Joshi ,
process we are looking forward to the various Vice President of Research Brain Awareness Week
contributions that will influence the future of
research at NUI Galway. We are confident that
the University Research and Innovation strategy
From the Editor
Participatory Action
Research 19
T his issue looks at some of the external forces affecting 21st century professional research.
“Beyond Research” is the theme underpinning Issue 7 and in the introductory piece I talk
to VP for Research Prof Lokesh Joshi about current challenges and opportunities. Like a
ship navigating its way through a storm, the lighthouse can often be one’s saving grace. In the last
number of months NUI Galway has upped its game to make itself that lighthouse for its researchers
by offering improved support structures.
We will also feature various fascinating research areas, some of which have not been covered here
before. From the world of Applied Maths to the goings on at NUI Galway’s Centre for Irish Studies
we showcase some very interesting work indeed. In addition, a number of the University’s younger
researchers have been profiled to show just how much promising talent there is on the way up. Enjoy.
John Holden,
Editor
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Beyond Research
While research and experimentation are the primary focus
of academics, inventors and innovators, there’s a whole lot more
to 21st century enquiry. RM Editor John Holden interviews Vice
President of Research Professor Lokesh Joshi about some of the
main challenges facing NUI Galway’s research community.
Introduction Funding Commercialisation Internationalisation
T he days of innovators like Robert Boyle,
Francis Beaufort, Ernest Walton and
even NUI Galway’s Vincent Barry may
be well and truly over.
Modern research in any field –scientific,
“Certainly funding is essential for research,
but what is more important is the impact of that
research,” explains Professor Lokesh Joshi.
“We can think of this impact in both soft
and hard terms: soft might be considered
“Commercialisation is a very direct way of
showing the impact of research coming out of
universities that is tangible and measurable,” he
says. “Any product we use – from a new drug
to a smart phone - is the result of many years of
“Networking is key to a healthy university
research environment. The way the globe
is moving, the way international funding
structures are moving, NUI Galway needs
to be plugged into anything that relates to
social or artistic - is routinely interrupted, as anything which has long-term value to hard work by many people. What we want is for our research, whether it’s in San Francisco or
influenced and shaped by extenuating factors. communities or society at large.” [these our research at NUI Galway to translate directly Sydney. Likewise, across the world we need
Funding applications, commercialisation, might be political, social, economic and/or to products found in the market, to processes to be known for doing certain things well.”
internationalisation, social embedding and psychological benefits]. “Social embedding is that maximise agility and efficiency and to
societal impact are just some of the issues that the bedrock of research. We can do great work services that drive technological change. The by JOHN HOLDEN
are affected by modern research outcomes. in the university but if people don’t know about beauty of innovation is its ability to transcend RM Editor
One could be forgiven for thinking that time it and are not impacted by it, it really is of the traditional School and College boundaries
spent filling out forms and paperwork to justify little consequence.” and create collaborative opportunities which
research is now competing with the task at hand. “The harder impact might relate to the underpin our research ethos in terms of cross
However, the increasingly structured innovation of a new product or service. Issues cutting and interdisciplinary research.
approach has its advantages. For example, it can surrounding commerialisation, translation, “Still we shouldn’t get hung up on
lead to more practical outcomes and solutions industrial interaction: these all relate to commercialisation alone,” he stresses. “Not
to real challenges facing society in a number harder impacts. everything can be measured this way. Equally
of areas – healthcare, social inclusion, equality, “That being said, research funding is impactful research adds to policies which
technology deficits, improved meta-analysis simply a vehicle, which is not required in all benefit society and government in ways where
etc. In addition, as NUI Galway continues areas equally. The engineer, the scientist or the traditional metrics are less easily defined. What
to become known for world class research medical researcher might need it at high levels. is important to realise for Ireland as a nation -
in specific areas, larger funding doors begin The economist, sociologist or psychologist (and with a huge skill set base - is that we encourage
to open as well as opportunities from more others in the arts and social sciences) may not our researchers to think about translating their
interesting collaborations with similar institutes require as much funding as the scientist does, knowledge through commercialisation to make
around the world. yet their research might have just as much of sure there’s an impact on society.”
an impact.
“There’s no doubt our researchers are under
pressure for funding from government agencies
and other funding streams but we need to
balance funding and impact. From our point
of view, funding is the mechanism but impact
is the goal.”
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Insight EU App Economy Energy Night 2014
The various participants who
European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes with NUI Galway's Dr John Breslin took part in Energy Night
The EU App Economy In addition to €6 billion in app sales, in-app Eurapp is one strand of the Startup Europe
spending for virtual goods, and advertising, EU manifesto for entrepreneurship and innovation
L Energy Night was held in February 2014 in the New Engineering Building at
eaders from the EU app economy developers raised €11.5 billion in 2013 from in the EU, and the project is led by the Insight
gathered in Brussels in February for contract labour. Much of the developer-for-hire Centre for Data Analytics at NUI Galway and
the launch of the Eurapp study report business is commissioned by companies that Gigaom Research. NUI Galway. Two hundred people attended the event which was organised by
are not really in the apps business per se, but use “Throughout the past year, the Eurapp team
“Sizing the EU App Economy”. Guest speakers
including Neelie Kroes and Rovio’s Peter apps to support and market their mainstream have interviewed a variety of stakeholders in energy engineering students in conjunction with the Career Development Centre.
Vesterbacka discussed the future of the EU app offerings: such as financial services, retailing, the EU app economy and surveyed hundreds
and packaged goods. of companies that are producing apps, both
T
economy in the context of Eurapp; a yearlong
project run by NUI Galway and Gigaom which • Fewer than half of the independent big and small,” says NUI Galway’s Dr John he event began with tours of the New Monaghan, Mechanical Engineering Discipline
looks at the opportunities and challenges facing developers that were surveyed by the study Breslin, leader of the Eurapp project. “Some Engineering Building departing from and Director of the NUIG Energy Systems
the EU app economy. said they were offering services for hire; this of the main bottlenecks facing app companies the foyer and included demonstrations Engineering Course, entitled “Energy in Ireland
Launching the study, Neelie Kroes, Vice is a potentially untapped market for startups. in the EU were identified in these interviews of lab equipment, Building Management – Local Wellbeing, National Priorities, Global
President of the European Commission, Similarly, half of the enterprises that did their and workshops, followed by crowdsourcing Systems and a tour of the state-of-the-art Energy Challenges” examined the impact, conflicts and
highlighted its importance. "The amazing scale own in-house development also used third- challenges where nearly 100 innovative Centre. There was also an ESB electric car on opportunities that arise in local communities
of the European app economy is only getting party developers. Also, in-house developers are solutions were submitted to address those display. through the development of large-scale energy
bigger, with 1.8 million jobs, rising to nearly 5 by and large more satisfied in achieving their bottlenecks.” Several speakers from major players in the projects of national importance. This is a topical
million by 2018 and revenues of €17.5 billion commercial objectives than independents, The launch event also featured talks from energy industry, including ESBI, ENERIT, subject, which is reflected in the current debates
rising to €63 billion in the same period. Yet just many of which are frustrated by low prices, free other leading figures in the app and tech startup ÉireComposites, Glan Agua and the Irish Wind over wind farm development and transmission
five years ago, it didn't exist at all." products, or barely-emerging ad revenues. space: Peter Vesterbacka, Chief Marketing Energy Association, delivered presentations network expansion. Speakers on the night
The “Sizing the EU App Economy” report • The EU app developer workforce will Officer at Rovio, who leads the marketing and to students on the various employment were Gabriel D’Arcy (CEO, Bord na Móna),
focuses on sizing and qualifying the EU apps grow from 1 million in 2013 to 2.8 million in brand strategy for the Angry Birds video game opportunities available in the sector. Mike de Jong (Communities for Responsible
ecosystem, with a focus on revenue generation, 2018. Additional support and marketing staff franchise, one of the EU’s top app success There was a Research Poster Showcase Engagement with Wind Energy) and John
jobs supported and the bottlenecks still facing result in app economy jobs of 1.8 million in stories; Simon Schaefer who has made angel highlighting the important work and innovative Fogarty (Chairman of Templederry Windfarm
EU apps developers. Key findings from the 2013, growing to 4.8 million in 2018. investments in many European startups and thinking currently being carried out by Ltd. which is 100 percent owned by equal
analysis by Gigaom Research’s Mark Mulligan EU developers face more business than app companies (including 6Wunderkinder, researchers in Irish third level institutions. shareholders from the local community). This
and David Card, which is based in part on two technical bottlenecks. It’s difficult to increase the creators of Wunderlist) and founded This year the Energy Night panel was followed by an energetic Q&A session.
surveys of developers targeting EU markets, users' willingness to pay for apps, but better The Factory in Berlin, a 16,000 square metre discussion, which was moderated by Dr. Rory
include the following: discovery vehicles could help relieve high startup campus; and Gemma Coles, director of
• EU developers will take in €17.5 billion customer acquisition costs. Similarly the study mobile strategy for Mubaloo, one of Europe’s by DR JIM DUGGAN
in revenue in 2013, and the study forecasts saw an opportunity for an EU marketplace leading enterprise and consumer mobile app College of Engineering and Informatics
that figure will increase to €63 billion in five where companies needing app development development companies.
years. The source of that revenue is surprising. could identify, negotiate with, and hire
contract developers. by DR JOHN BRESLIN
College of Engineering and Informatics
and researcher with DERI.
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Making a Stab at Forensic Biomechanics
In recent years, the fields of biomechanics and forensic medicine
have merged to form a new discipline: forensic biomechanics. This
discipline has met the needs of the legal system in particular, with
engineers increasingly acting as expert witnesses in courts of law. A drug eluting stent increases the flow of
blood through a diseased coronary artery
and releases a drug to prevent narrowing
of the vessel due to inflammation
NUI Galway Maths Research in Focus
Mathematics at NUI Galway is more vibrant than ever with numerous research
areas looking for solutions in key areas, particularly medicine and biology.
Mechanics of the Brain system. Eventually their research should assist in
the design of better stents.
sequences; assembly and analysis of the
genome of Hydractinia echinata, a new model
The mechanics of the brain are being organism that is being used to study stem cell
investigated in order to gain better
understanding of the physical properties of
Visualising Decision Space regeneration and cancer at NUIG; analysis of
the structure and function of DNA in difficult-
brain tissue – an under-researched area where One way to conceptualise how we make to-sequence regions of the human genome
greater levels of understanding could assist in a decisions is to consider our possible choices that were neglected by the Human Genome
Knife puncturing porcine skin Biaxial tension device variety of medical treatments. as “attractors” in a “decision space”. We make Project; development of new probabilistic tools
Prof Michel Destrade, Head of Applied a decision when our behaviour reaches the to understand how some human antibodies
Mathematics at NUI Galway, teamed up with vicinity of one of these equilibria. By tracking can control HIV by targeting specific parts of
how individuals make their choices, for instance
W
Prof Michael Gilchrist and Dr Badar Rashid the virus; and understanding how proteins
ith this in mind, Prof Michel Destrade, the force as either mild, moderate or severe. “The “The chief advantage of developing such in Mechanical Engineering at UCD to address through the trajectory of a computer-mouse interact with one another, forming complex
Head of Applied Mathematics at problem with such descriptions is that they are a model is that once the development process this knowledge gap. They conducted a series choice, it is possible to infer the pull towards networks that are an important aspect of how
NUI Galway, teamed up with the open to interpretation,” adds Cassidy. “Moderate is complete, the same model can be used to of experiments on porcine brain matter in available responses prior to the eventual cellular systems work. In many cases we can
Irish State Pathologists Prof Marie Cassidy and could mean something completely different to me investigate the influence of the many factors order to model and simulate the mechanical response, and in so doing, to infer characteristics analyse large amounts of genomics data that are
Dr Mike Curtis, and Prof Michael Gilchrist and than it does to a juror.” associated with stabbing incidents,” explains properties of the brain. They also studied the of the decision space where these choices exist. now being shared globally, while also enabling
Dr Aisling Ni Annaidh from the The School of It’s an unusual research interest for applied Dr. Ní Annaidh. “This work has lead to the microstructure of brain matter Dr Petri Piiroinen at the School of NUIG researchers to benefit from advances in
Mechanical and Materials Engineering, at UCD to mathematicians and engineers, but this work has development of a stab metric that can indicate the Mathematics and Dr Denis O’Hora at the genomics technologies.
carry out multidisciplinary research on some of the
big questions in forensic biomechanics. One such
successfully combined experimental techniques
with sophisticated finite element methods to
level of force used in a given stabbing incident.
It has been disseminated in the best forensics
Polymer Free Stents School of Psychology in NUI Galway have
project focuses on the mechanics of stabbing. develop a measure of the minimum forces required journals including Forensics Science International Eighty percent of global stent production
devised a method to visualise and analyse
decision spaces. They are currently developing
Computational Algebra
“When a stabbing is fatal, the amount of to puncture human skin. A series of experiments and The American Journal of Forensic Medicine is carried out in Ireland. Stents are a major new tools to analyse dynamical decision- A de Brún Centre team are using algebra
force required to inflict the stab wound is often allowed for the investigation of the effect of a and Pathology. mechanical tool in the treatment of blocked making, based on the modeling of behavioural to design and compute shape invariants for
the source of much debate in court,” says Prof number of key variables in stabbings, including “It has been a fantastic adventure to coronary arteries. Dr Martin Meere from experiments conducted at the university. Their proteins, data sets, fractals, networks, medical
Marie Cassidy. “As an expert witness, I am the thickness and tension of the skin, the angle of collaborate with such high-calibre experts in the School of Mathematics at NUI Galway preliminary results have just been published in images, hyperbolic space, number theory, group
usually asked to quantify the force involved in the attack, the underlying substrate, the presence of engineering and forensics,” says Prof Destrade. has teamed up with the National Centre of Nature Scientific Reports. theory etc.
stabbing attack. The answer that I give is critical in clothing, the speed of the attack and the type of “I have learned a lot and I’m excited to be able to Biomedical Engineering Science (Galway) to
determining the harmful intent of an assailant.”
Traditionally, the pathologist assesses the
instrument used.
Based on the results, a finite element model
use applied mathematics for this on-going effort
to model the mechanics of stabbing.”
propose sound mathematical models of drug
release from polymer free stents. They hope
Bio-informatics Biostatistics
force used based on the condition of the blade, of blade penetration was developed. The model to help identify the dominant mechanisms Bio-informatics research at NUI Galway Biostatisticians are working to improve and
the extent of the tissue damage, the presence of replicates the conditions of the stab-penetration by PROF MICHEL DESTRADE involved in drug release and help quantify includes understanding how mutations cause better understand optimum Sugar Cane
clothing and the wound itself, and then categorises test and uses a sophisticated failure criterion to College of Science how the release behaviour depends on the drug resistance in Leishmania, a neglected Growth, anti-malarial drug interactions, HIV
model the puncturing of the skin. geometrical and material properties of the tropical pathogen, from analysis of genome outcomes, etc.
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RESEARCH MATTERS / NUI Galway
ICTM Conference T he theme of the conference - ‘Music,
Place and Community’ - operated at
numerous levels during the weekend and
there was a notable level of community-building
among scholars drawn together by diverse but
complications (reverting back to processes
of modernity), also ran through much of the
work presented.
Place and community as articulated,
negotiated and worked out in music is of course
place and community are especially consistent
in his poetry. In the same semester as a
memorial event for Heaney was held at NUI
Galway it was fitting that the conference closed
with a reference to Heaney’s poem, ‘The Forge’.
Comhrá Ceoil and the Centre for Irish connected interests. reciprocal and dynamic: music is worked out In it he begins with ‘All I know is a door into the
Studies were delighted to host the Throughout the conference, scholars with
interests in a variety of music-making and musical
in place and by individuals in communities
too. Underpinning all of this and mentioned
dark . . . ‘, offering a tantilising glimpse of the
possibilities that lie within. A conference offers
International Council for Traditional experiences - ranging from local, national to explicitly in some of the papers was the essential that glimpse, and the final line of the poem
international contexts - engaged with topics role of memory. It is through the prism of suggests the work that might take place in that
Music (ICTM) Ireland conference across the spectrum. Discussions and debates, memory that the themes of music, community place, ‘To beat real iron out, to work the bellows’.
this year. It is the first time it has both at panel sessions and in the corridors of St
Anthony’s, the conference hub, prompted many
and place relate to each other. A recurring
question was: How does music ‘become’ and by Dr MÉABH NÍ FHUARTHÁIN
taken place at NUI Galway and is an questions: no doubt issues from ICTM 2014 will how does music ‘mean’ as it moves through Acting Director, Centre for Irish Studies,
be revisited in other fora. A conference such as and embeds in the memory of individuals Programme Director, BA with Irish Studies
acknowledgement of the research in this can, and ideally should, operate as a space and of communities?
Irish music and dance studies at the where discourse is imaginatively and creatively
realised. From that perspective ICTM 2014 was
A particularly special event run as part
of the conference was Oíche ar an Sean-nós
The 2014 ICTM Conference was generously
supported by Comhrá Ceoil, the Centre for Irish
Centre for Irish Studies, through the a tremendous success. which opened the proceedings on Friday night Studies, the Millenium Grant Fund, and Drama,
A diversity of music practices and at An Taibhdhearc. Past and present Sean-nós Theatre and Performance at NUI Galway.
research network Comhrá Ceoil and in cultures were discussed through political, Artists in Residence at the Centre for Irish
other related disciplines here in Galway. psychoanalytical, emigrant and musicological Studies performed and in doing so, tied together
frameworks. This illustrates the vibrancy of the the themes of music, place and community
conference and of ICTM as an organisation, perfectly. Artists included singers Joe John Mac
which has over the years worked hard at creating An Iomaire, Treasa Ní Mhiolláin and dancers,
an intellectually unquarantined space, where Róisín Ní Mhainín and Gearóid Ó Dubháin.
musics of all hues sit easily together. Our poet laureate, Seamus Heaney, was
Forty-five papers were presented and, concerned with many ideas and the themes of
remarkably, they were all thematically loyal,
speaking to the main themes of place, music
and community. Whether discussing Lockey’s ICTM Conference Poster
rap in London, or Cypriot emigrants’ music in
Birmingham, they all connected.
Nonetheless, particular subthemes and
tropes were deployed. The tipping point between
past and present in music practice was a powerful
thread in many and a keen interest in the ways
in which music-making moves from the past
to the present was also particularly evident.
Ethnomusicology, an organising discipline
for several of the conference delegates (even
those operating in cognate fields), has at times
suppressed the historicity of practice, operating in
the ‘now’ as if it didn’t have a ‘before’. However it
was found that the presence of history (musical,
social, cultural) was woven into papers presented,
illustrating the worth of mining historical context
for musical cultural analysis.
Scholars in the field of Music Studies/
Ethnomusicology have moved away from
a simplistic binary of tradition/modernity
and instead many papers grappled with the
interstitial space of music-making as it finds
itself at a moment in time, moving forward but
Dr Lillis Ó Laoire, Head of the School in Languages, Literatures inextricably tied somehow to its pasts. This was
and Cultures. Lillis was Fear an Tí at Oíche ar an Sean-nós on especially true as the subtheme of mediaisation
21 February which took place at An Taibhdhearc in Galway and its various manifestations, effects and
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Profile: Young Researcher Tara Sugrue The 3-Cities Project
The 3-Cities Project has one key aim: to engage in a citizen-led and collaborative process
to re-imagine services as a means of maximising participation for children and youth,
“I am a 25-year old
people with disabilities and older people in their communities and cities and in Irish society.
researcher from Killarney,
Galway cityscape
County Kerry. I began my
scientific career in 2006 as
a Bachelor (Hons) student
T his three year programme of work, and cities in general, in the health and well- Research Centre, the Irish Centre for Social
which commenced in October 2013, being of children and youth, people with Gerontology, and the Centre for Disability
of Biotechnology at NUI focuses on older people (aged 65 years
and over), children and youth (aged 12 to 18
disabilities and older people.
The 3-Cities Project marks the first
Law and Policy.
Galway where I became years) and people with a disability (sensory/ major programme of work undertaken by by DR KIERAN WALSH
Deputy Director
physical and intellectual disability) in Galway, Project Lifecourse (http://www.nuigalway.
Tara Sugrue interested in stem cell Limerick and Dublin cities. ie/lifecourse/) and will be led by the Project Irish Centre for Social Gerontology
With a work programme that involves Lifecourse team (Pat Bennett, Director; Keith
biology and immunology. service users, services managers and service Egan, Researcher; Danielle Kennan, Research
providers, and that encompasses both in- Associate; Áine Ní Léime, Research Fellow
I
depth qualitative research and service design & Kieran Walsh, Senior Research Fellow) with
n my final year, I carried out a research I worked in the laboratory of Prof Antonius
and transformation, this project endeavours support from the UNESCO Child and Family
project with Prof Rhodri Ceredig Rolink (University of Basel, Switzerland), where
to go beyond data-collection, focusing on
(REMEDI) and realised that I really I studied the radio-biology of immature T cells.
the development of evidence-based policy
enjoyed academic research. So I decided to “From my PhD experience, I gained a
and social innovation for our communities
pursue a PhD with Prof Ceredig. great interest in how cancers develop within
and cities. The final year of the 3-Cities
“In collaboration with Prof Noel the immune system and wanted to pursue
Project will be dedicated to the development,
Lowndes – from the Centre for Chromosome this further. As a postdoctoral fellow in the
implementation and evaluation of community-
Biology - we studied the mechanisms used by laboratory of Prof Freddy Radtke, EPFL,
based service models in one community in each
mesenchymal stromal cells to deal with DNA Switzerland, I am now investigating the role
city. Through its interconnected work packages,
damage following irradiation and followed this of Notch in the development of T-acute
the 3-Cities Project provides a means of linking
up by investigating the effect of low oxygen on lymphoblastic leukaemia and chronic
research, policy and practice to achieve real and
these processes. As an EMBO Fellow, in 2012 lymphocytic leukaemia.”
valuable outcomes for individuals and
their communities.
Therefore, the 3-Cities Project is interested Programme of Works in the City
in how services can enhance the participation
of children and youth, people with disabilities, WP=work-package;
and older people in our cities, and on how SP = service provider;
these citizen groups can be involved in the SU = service user;
development of such services. More than this, OP = older people;
however, the Project will provide insight into PD = people with a disability;
the role of neighbourhoods and communities, CY = children and youth.
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Researcher Profile: Dr Patrick Collins Brain Awareness Week
Dr Patrick Collins is an economic geographer at
the School of Geography and Archaeology and
co-leader of the Creative, Liveable and Sustainable
Communities cluster at the Whitaker Institute.
Dr Patrick Collins
Dr Patrick Collins speaking at the Creative Edge You are in the process of wrapping up the €1.1
conference entitled “How Creative Industries million Creative Edge project. Explain to us
Contribute to and Shape Peripheral Region Societies how this project came about and the impact it
and Economies” held in An Taibhdhearc in Galway has had on your research?
City December 2013 “The Creative Edge project came about through a
How did you become involved in Creative call for interest in funded programmes that sought
Economy research? to sustain the periphery of Europe in economic
and social terms issued by the EU’s Northern
“As often happens, I found that my research
Periphery Programme (NPP) in 2010. My work
focus was drawn towards the creative economy
as a result of work I carried out in a seemingly
unrelated domain. After I completed my PhD at
on the creative economy had an obvious affinity
with this so I headed to a meeting organised by
Dr Patrick Collins and Garry Hynes
Galway Neuroscience Centre Reaches Out for Brain Awareness Week
the NPP in the hope of finding partners to work
A
the University of Hull, I returned to NUI Galway
with. Ian Brannigan of the Western Development s part of the international ‘Brain Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, brain injury and (School of Natural Sciences), played a key
in 2007 and worked on a PRTLI-funded research
Commission was in attendance and we saw the Awareness Week’ event, staff and spinal cord injury. Information leaflets obtained role in organising the event. In addition, the
project that was concerned with internationally
opportunity to collaborate on a project proposal. That project then opened the door to the Creative students of NUI Galway’s Neuroscience from brain-related charities and organisations Galway Neuroscience Centre’s public outreach
traded service industries operating out of Ireland.
We put this to all members present and that Edge funding, which has helped situate me and the Centre organised a major public information were on display and available for the public exhibition has been selected by an International
Prof Seamus Grimes and I noted some interesting
was the foundation of the Creative Edge project university as central in the creative economy debate exhibit in the Aula Maxima, Quadrangle, NUI to take away, such as the DANA Foundation, Brain Awareness Week Awards Committee
patterns, not least of these was evidence of what
team. We came together with partners from in Ireland and Europe. I am currently working on a Galway in March of this year. MS Ireland, Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland, for presentation at this year’s FENS Forum in
we termed ‘network embeddedness’; that is
various backgrounds (regional development bid for additional funding from the NPP to develop Members of the public and children from Parkinson’s Association of Ireland, Aware Milan. The FENS Forum is Europe’s largest
foreign-owned corporations in Ireland embedding
agencies, universities and film centres) to form and expand on the research and outputs from the local schools visited the exhibit to learn more (relating to depression), Chronic Pain Ireland, international neuroscience meeting, attracting
themselves in the global production network
a proposal for promoting the creative economy Creative Edge project. about how the brain and nervous system work. Shine (relating to mental health, Acquired Brain over 6,000 scientists within the neuroscience
of their corporations but not ‘geographically’ in
in our four peripheral regions: West of Ireland, “I should state that I do not believe that The exhibit consisted of interactive displays Injury Ireland and Brainwave (the Irish Epilepsy community. “This is an excellent achievement
Ireland in the traditional sense.
Northern Ireland, Finland and Sweden (for more research funding is the ‘be all and end all’. Research where visitors could learn more about the Association). and a testament to how our public outreach
As an economic geographer, questions of
information see www.creative-edge.eu). itself is what matters. For me and the stage in nervous system in a hands-on way. For example, Microscopes were available to view programme and Brain Awareness Week exhibit
industrial location are always to the fore. With
my career I was at (working under contracts of there were various puzzles and tests of hand- brain cells and brain tissue sections for those has developed,” says Leader of the Galway
regard to foreign direct investment in Ireland,
You have also been part of a number of ancillary indefinite duration) funding helped me to stay eye coordination, visual perception, left/right interested in seeing what a brain cell and brain Neuroscience Centre, Dr David Finn. “Special
many location decisions can be explained by
projects, such as Galway’s bid to become an working in the research environment. It is not handedness and creativity. tissue really looks like. Additional features thanks must be given to our members who have
lucrative tax incentives, but this was not explaining
UNESCO City of Film, the Galway Arts Festival ideal but it is the model that we are working in. I There was also general information about included plastic models of the nervous system, supported and contributed to the development
everything. I began to look at the other reasons
and the Volvo Ocean Race economic impact consider myself fortunate as there are numerous the brain and visitors had the opportunity to and even Play-Doh and colouring books for the of our outreach programme over the years.”
why some of the world’s leading technology
assessment. pieces of fantastic work that are not getting funded. learn more about brain disorders, via a series very young!
firms were setting up in Ireland. Answers such as
“One of the mantras that I have come to recognise I was lucky to have the support of colleagues in the of large information posters prepared by the The Galway Neuroscience Centre by DR DAVID FINN
business environment, an educated workforce and
as a truism in the world of research funding is Whitaker Institute and the School of Geography staff and postgraduate students of NUI Galway acknowledges funding from the National College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
access to the European market all featured, but the
that ‘money begets money’. Not that all of these and Archaeology that recognised the potential Neuroscience Centre. Approximately 180 Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science
terms ‘culture’ and ‘creativity’ began to crop up
were funded projects (indeed most were taken on of the work I was trying to do. The Whitaker million Europeans are thought to suffer from and from EXPLORE at NUI Galway, as well
more and more. So managing directors of these
purely out of research and civic interests). When Institute’s Director, Dr James Cunningham, realised a brain disorder, at a total cost of almost €800 as a grant from the DANA Foundation to
large companies were telling me that the cultural
I think about the chronology, what I recognise the potential of my research pursuits. I would have billion per annum. The posters covered a variety Dr Una Fitzgerald, which made this event
associations of Ireland and the creative industries
is winning a small research grant was the first found it incredibly difficult to carry out any of this of conditions including: epilepsy, Parkinson’s possible. Dr Fitzgerald, together with Dr Karen
alongside a creative entrepreneurial spirit were
stated faith in my work. On the back of that I work without all the support I’ve had.” disease, pain, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, Doyle (Physiology) and Dr Muriel Grennon
active agents in their decision to locate here. That
revelation helped me see Ireland and its business successfully tendered to carry out a project that
offering in a different perspective and pointed involved slightly larger funding (an economic
me to an emerging area of research in economic impact assessment of the Creative Economy of
geography: the Creative Economy.” the West of Ireland commissioned by the WDC).
Issue 7 \ Spring 2014 \ Researcher Profile: Dr Patrick Collins Brain Awareness Week / Spring 2014 / Issue 7
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NUI Galway \ RESEARCH MATTERS Galway
RESEARCH MATTERS / NUI Galway
Community Outreach
There was so much Community Outreach activity over the last year that in this issue
we have put together a collection of pictures showcasing a variety of projects.
The ReelLife Science project run by Dr Enda O’Connell, NCBES, with students Gold medal recipients of the 2013 Gaisce Award David McGurrin, Oisin
from St Enda’s College, Galway Conor Elliot, Shane Kelly, Sorcha Whyte, Alice O'Carroll, Sarah Kilduff, President Michael D Higgins, Rion Breslin &
O'Donnell and John Ugwu. Photo by Iain Shaw Christina Quinn
Nuala Dalton (Milltown NS), Professor Tom Sherry (Dean of Science NUIG);
A school group receives a guided tour of neighbouring Terryland Forest Park. Des Foley (Head of the School of Science GMIT) and John McNamara (R&D
The park is being promoted as an Outdoor Laboratory for university Director Medtronic) at the vintage classroom exhibit during the Galway Science
research and and as an Outdoor Classroom for local schools and Technology Festival Fair held last November in NUI Galway
RailGirls Women in Technology Workshops and Conference DERI May 2013
Judges and winners at NUI Galway’s THREESIS 2013 competition at
An Taidhbhearc Theatre, Galway. John Holden, Irish Times Journalist and
Editor of NUI Galway’s Research Matters publication; Eithne Verling, Dr Michel Dugon
Director of the Galway City Museum; Sara Vero, Ryan Institute and is joined by junior
THREESIS runner-up; James Curry, Moore Institute and THREESIS eco-explorers in “Bug
Dr. Anna Soler (2nd from right), winner of the winner; Joanne Kenny, Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory and Hunters” an RTÉ
Brendan Smith of INSIGHT being presented THREESIS runner-up; Prof. Lokesh Joshi, VP Research NUI Galway
with the inaugural 'IT in the schools’ award Ryan Institute’s first annual Award for Selfless series of 15 mini
at the annual ITAG awards ceremony Cooperation. Pictured here with her colleagues documentaries on
from the Irish Seaweed Research Group after Irish wildlife
receiving her award at the Ryan Institute’s
Research Day in September. Alex Wan, Dr. Benoit
Quéguineur, Dr. Richard Walsh, Dr. Anna Soler,
Dr. Liam Morrison
Nina Walsh from St Senan's Primary School
Kilrush Co Clare with her certificate of
participation at the Youth Academy Graduation Wisdom Agba entertains
February 2014 a crowd of visitors with
a thermal camera at
Engineer’s Week Family
Day in St Nicholas
Church organised by the
College of Engineering
and Informatics as part
of National Engineers
Emma Richardson (6) from Galway Educate Dr Louise Firth of Zoology at Galway Week 2013
Together National School at the launch of NUI Atlantaquaria for National Science Week Junior Infants in Scoil Iognaid made “Little heart cells” during
Galway’s 8th Annual Teddy Bear Hospital November 2013 a Cell EXPLORERS workshop
Issue 7 \ Spring 2014 \ Community Outreach Community Outreach / Spring 2014 / Issue 7
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NUI Galway \ RESEARCH MATTERS Galway
RESEARCH MATTERS / NUI Galway
Aran Open Access Research Support Services
Maximising the Impact of Your Open Access Publishing Open Access Publishing
Research through Open Access OA publishing operates in parallel with at NUI Galway The goal of NUI
conventional publication channels, such as
Publication journals, by making research outputs accessible
ARAN (Access to Research at NUI Galway,
http://aran.library.nuigalway.ie/) publishes
Galway’s Research
NUI Galway’s ARAN system publishes the
University’s research outputs on an open access
free of charge online and without subscription
barriers, sometimes after an agreed period has
University research outputs and is linked Support Services is to
from the IRIS system to enable easy deposit
(OA) basis, thereby maximising recognition, elapsed since initial publication.
of papers, after which Library staff complete promote, develop and
use and citation. The use of ARAN offers
benefits and requires limited effort.
the publication process. Download reports per
publication can be generated. enable research activity
at NUI Galway.
Advantages of Open Access Publishing
• Studies show that:
Making Your Publications
- OA articles are cited more than non-OA articles in the same journal Openly Accessible via ARAN
- OA articles are cited sooner as well as more often
This involves minimal effort on your part.
- This happens in most disciplines, although at different rates, for example:
Please contact:
Rosie Dunne
Physics Research Services Librarian
Sociology ext. 5959
Psychology
rosie.dunne@nuigalway.ie
Law The Research Support Services Team
Mike Lynch
T
Management
Digitisation & Institutional Repository he service launched in February 2014 a new website focused entirely on the research community. Now that we have launched our
Education Librarian
Business
and is a collaboration of the Research lifecycle. initial services we are looking to create other
ext. 5961 Office, Research Accounting Office, “We are moving toward a stronger and more supports that make managing a research project
Health Science mlynch@nuigalway.ie Technology Transfer Office and Human cohesive support model for our researchers,” an easier task.”
Political Science Resources. explains Natalie Walsh, Manager of Research
Economics To add publications already in IRIS, The focus of Research Support Services is Support Services. “As a group we feel that the The support desk can be contacted at
Biology please see the guide at to provide assistance to the research community introduction of the research support desk - 091 495969, via email at rss@nuigalway.ie or by
http://tinyurl.com/mxa9qxt through a new research support desk which will staffed by a team of experienced administrators visiting www.nuigalway.ie/research-support-services
0 50 100 150 200 250
% increase in citations with Open Access manage general queries for all four offices, the - is a welcome addition to the existing services
introduction of dedicated research management we offer. Our intention is to create a stronger
workshops, the introduction of a new research research support structure in the university
http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/265852/2/serev-revised.pdf by JOHN COX network for administrators and the launch of to meet the varying needs of our research
• Publications can be easily discovered through a variety of sources, including Google and Rian.ie University Librarian
• OA publishing increases university competitiveness and recognition
• Research funders place increasing emphasis and expectation on the widest possible access to
research findings
• OA has the potential to reduce costs for journal subscription if widely adopted
Issue 7 \ Spring 2014 \ Aran Open Access Research Support Services / Spring 2014 / Issue 7
17 CONTENTS PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE ZOOM IN + ZOOM OUT - 18NUI Galway \ RESEARCH MATTERS RESEARCH MATTERS / NUI Galway
The Activist Researcher - Promoting long lasting Measurement Instrument Database
change beyond the academy and the potential of for the Social Sciences Goes Global
Participatory Action Research (PAR)
The Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Sciences (MIDSS), hosted
by the Whitaker Institute, is an open access repository of shareable assessment
instruments used to collect data from across the social sciences.
R esearchers worldwide have submitted
their measurement instruments, and
the database currently holds in excess
of 530 instruments. The website has an average
of over 11,000 visits and approximately 4,000
research. Going on the statistics, it looks like it is
well on its way to becoming the go-to repository
of shareable assessment instruments across the
social sciences.
The development of the MIDSS is
F ew who consider the state of the initially during the 1970s as a reaction to PAR approach to their work, NUI Galway’s instrument downloads per month. The global supported by the Whitaker Institute through
world would deny the requirement for traditional ‘extractive’ researcher-led approaches Community Knowledge Initiative provides impact of MIDSS is also evident with the funding by the Irish Social Sciences Platform,
sustainable change in many areas of to social science. A fundamental assumption a great platform of support for researchers majority of visitors based outside of Ireland - funded under the Programme for Research
society and the environment. An increasingly of PAR is that the process of research is crucial to foster community-engaged research and USA: 40 percent, UK: 10 percent, Canada: in Third Level Institutions, administered by
complex mix of social, environmental, economic to the long-term outcomes of that research. knowledge exchange. 6 percent, India: 4 percent and Philippines: the HEA and co-funded under the European
and political challenges requires new ways Researchers adopting PAR principles in their In essence, PAR represents a research style - 4 percent. Regional Development Fund.
of thinking about and approaching research. work emphasise principles of collective, an orientation rather than a single methodology. MIDSS was established as a first point
The question of whether researchers can do participatory inquiry as a means to address At its very basis is the commitment to using of consultation for researchers looking for For more information, or to upload/download an
more to consider the long term implications of socially progressive issues and empower the field of research as an educational and measurement tools to conduct their own instrument, visit the MIDSS website:
their work is a long-standing one in the social communities both during and after the research empowerment tool to benefit communities www.midss.org
sciences. In this context, the role of the “activist process. and society to the greatest extent possible. In
researcher” and in particular the potential of the My work has involved participatory action the context of increasingly complex challenges
methodology of “Participatory Action Research” research with environmental organisations facing society in the 21st century, the potential
(PAR) as a route to bringing about progressive and social movements, such as the Transition of PAR as a means of promoting social change
change beyond the academy has recently gained Town Movement. When working with any beyond research and the academy should not be
prominence among social scientists. community or stakeholder group it is essential overlooked.
PAR is a form of applied research that that the research process supports a genuine
involves the study of a particular issue with two-way flow of information. PAR is perfect by MARY GREENE
the full engagement of those affected by it. In for this, and as such is broadly used by many College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
essence it is research with, by and for people other researchers in the field of geography. For
rather than research on people. PAR emerged researchers who are considering adopting a
Issue 7 \ Spring 2014 \ The Activist Researcher Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Sciences Goes Global/ Spring 2014 / Issue 7
19 CONTENTS PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE ZOOM IN + ZOOM OUT - 20NUI Galway \ RESEARCH MATTERS RESEARCH MATTERS / NUI Galway
Galway
New Publications
Judges, Law and War Integrated Reporting: Concepts and Cases that Redefine
Dr Shane Darcy Publisher: Cambridge University Press Summer 2014 Corporate Accountability
A new book by Dr Shane Darcy of the Irish the substantive rules and principles of the Prof Cristiano Busco, Frigo M.L., Riccaboni A, Quattrone P (Eds.)
Centre for Human Rights explores the judicial law of armed conflict, as well as the creation, Publisher: Springer 2013
contribution to the development of international application and enforcement of this corpus of
humanitarian law. In Judges, Law and War, laws. Dr Darcy also gives consideration to the Professor Cristiano Busco, joint leader of the of initiatives, organisations and individuals
Dr Darcy examines the formative role played contemporary place of judicial bodies in the Performance Management research cluster at the have begun to converge in response to the
by international courts and judicial bodies international law-making process, the challenges Whitaker Institute for Innovation and Societal need for a consistent, collaborative and
developing international rules applicable to presented by judicial creativity and the role of Change, has co-edited a new book entitled internationally accepted approach to redesign
situations of armed conflict. This substantial customary international law in the development Integrated Reporting - Concepts and Cases that corporate reporting. Integrated Reporting is a
research, completed while on sabbatical at of humanitarian law. The book will be published Redefine Corporate Accountability. process that results in communication of the
Harvard and the University of Queensland, by Cambridge University Press this summer. annual “integrated report” which describes
shows how judicial bodies have influenced The authors have elaborated on one of the value creation over time. An integrated report
most relevant topics on reinventing corporate is a concise communication about how an
reporting in the current business scenario. The organisation’s strategy, governance, performance
book offers a fresh perspective focusing on and prospects lead to the creation of value
Technology Entrepreneurship - Bringing Innovation to the Marketplace both theoretical underpinnings and practical over the short, medium and long term. This
Dr Natasha Evers, Dr James Cunningham, Dr Thomas Hoholm challenge and presents a sound redesign book offers a fresh perspective with expert
Publishers: Palgrave-Macmillian London 2014 to corporate accountability. It focuses on contributions focusing on both the theoretical
integrated reporting as a contemporary social underpinnings and the practical challenges for
and managerial innovation where a number the future of corporate reporting.
This book provides students from engineering, tools and frameworks required for managing,
technology and science-based backgrounds commercialising and marketing technological
with the theoretical knowledge and practical innovation. With real life examples and case
skills required to transform innovative ideas studies from a range of countries and industries,
into commercially viable businesses for profit it will equip students with the understanding William Lloyd Garrison and Giuseppe Mazzini:
and/or social ends. Blending together theory, required to successfully launch their product. Abolition, Democracy, and Radical Reform
policy and practice in a manner that is accessible A variety of case studies are included from
to readers with little knowledge of business North America, Europe, Scandinavia and Asia Dr Enrico Dal Lago Publisher: Louisiana State University Press 2013
commercialisation, it offers a framework for in technology-related sectors such as web-based
understanding the entrepreneurial process for technologies, green technologies, nano and William Lloyd Garrison and Giusseppe Mazzini and Mazzini nonetheless represent a connection
technological ideas. The book gives students biotechnology, material science, marine food were two foremost nineteenth-century radicals between the egalitarian ideologies of American
a comprehensive insight into the specialised processing, instrumentation and electronics, and who lived during a time of profound economic, abolitionism and Italian democratic nationalism.
field of ‘technopreneurship’. It provides the information technology. social and political transformation in the United Focusing on Garrison’s and Mazzini’s activities
States and Europe. Both born in 1805, but into and translational links within their milieus
quite different family backgrounds, the American and in the wider international arena, Dal Lago
Garrison and Italian Mazzini led entirely shows why two nineteenth century progressives
Social Marketing: From Tunes to Symphonies different lives – one as a citizen of a democratic and revolutionaries considered liberation from
Prof Gerard Hastings & Dr Christine Domegan Publisher: republic, the other as an exile proscribed by enslavement and liberation from national
Routledge Press 2013 most European monarchies. Using a comparative oppression as two sides of the same coin.
analysis, Enrico Dal Lago suggests that Garrison
‘Social marketing’ involves the application of (CBPM) and the vital role of critical thinking.
marketing techniques (usually associated with In addition, the communications chapter is
promoting consumption) to social ends. Beyond extended and radically updated to include much
this simple definition, social marketing offers an more on digital media. The rise of corporate
alternative to the standard Western economic social responsibility is also critically analysed.
model of consumption at all costs.
The subject of social marketing is brought to life
This popular introductory textbook has been with the integration of case studies from across
updated to provide greater depth on marketing the world to provide a textbook which is required
theory, more on branding, co-creation of value, reading for students at advanced undergraduate
Community Based Prevention Marketing and postgraduate levels.
Issue 7 \ Spring 2014 \ New Publications New Publications / Spring 2014 / Issue 7
21 CONTENTS PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE ZOOM IN + ZOOM OUT - 22You can also read
