Galway University Secures €10M EU Funding for Health Innovations

The University of Galway has been awarded over €10 million in funding from the European Union to lead three innovative projects aimed at addressing significant health challenges. These initiatives are part of the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network programme, which falls under the Horizon Europe 2020 framework.

Advancing Medical Treatments through Innovative Research

Dr. Mihai Lomora will spearhead a project entitled ‘CerebroMachinesTrain’, which has received €4.2 million. This initiative focuses on developing advanced 3D brain models to evaluate tiny machines designed to deliver medical treatment precisely where needed. “By combining advanced drug delivery with relevant brain models, we’re not only speeding up research – we’re also reducing the need for animal testing. This is a big step forward for both science and society,” Lomora stated. As a lecturer and principal investigator in bio(material) chemistry at the University’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, he also serves as a funded investigator at Cúram, the Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices. The project collaborates with 14 partners from eight countries and will support four PhD students.

Another significant project, ‘Medalloy’, led by Dr. Willian Ronan, has secured €2.71 million. This research will focus on enhancing the durability and affordability of minimally invasive medical devices such as stents and heart valve supports. “Nitinol is a remarkable material used in life-saving heart devices, but it can still be improved. Through the Medalloy project, we’re making these devices more durable and affordable,” Ronan explained. As a lecturer and principal investigator in biomedical engineering at the College of Science and Engineering, he will oversee a network that includes partners from six countries and will train nine PhD students.

Dr. Eimear Morrissey is leading the €4.4 million ‘Edict’ project, which aims to enhance inclusivity in clinical trials. Funded by the Health Research Board-Trials Methodology Research Network, this initiative will focus on including older adults, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and individuals from lower-income backgrounds in clinical studies. “Clinical trials are how we assess the effectiveness of new treatments and improve healthcare, but they often fail to include the full range of people affected by disease and who could benefit from treatments,” Morrissey, a lecturer in evidence-based healthcare at the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, said. This project will train 16 PhD researchers across 26 organisations in 12 countries.

Exploring Cultural Decadence through New Lens

In addition to health-focused initiatives, the University is collaborating with Goldsmiths University, University of London, and Galway’s Cúirt International Festival of Literature on a project called ‘Decadocs’. This marks the first doctoral network dedicated to the study of decadence, a societal phenomenon linked with decline and decay. Dr. Muireann O’Cinneide, a researcher in English, media, and creative arts at the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, is involved in this project. Decadocs will investigate late nineteenth-century travel and mobility, exploring counter-cultural sexualities and complex imperial identities. “University of Galway and Goldsmiths want to explore how seemingly elite frameworks of cultural reception can become reshaped by alternative cultural encounters,” O’Cinneide said.

The MSCA-DN programme not only funds these innovative projects but also provides training aimed at enhancing the creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation of researchers, ultimately boosting their long-term employability.

Prof. Fidelma Dunne, the director of the Institute for Clinical Trials at the University of Galway, remarked, “These projects show how research can make a real difference in people’s lives. University of Galway is proud to be leading the way in creating smarter, safer, and more sustainable healthcare solutions.”

These developments reflect the University of Galway’s commitment to advancing medical research and addressing pressing societal issues through innovative and inclusive approaches.