7 AMBER Researchers awarded fellowships as part of the Research Ireland Industry Research, Development, and Innovation Fellowship (IRDIF) Programme.

4 February 2025

AMBER is delighted to have 7 of the 28 Researchers that have been awarded fellowships as part of the Research Ireland Industry Research, Development, and Innovation Fellowship (IRDIF) Programme.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, announced on Monday 3rd February a €2.5 million investment to fund 28 fellowships through the IRDIF Programme.

The funding will enable researchers to undertake placements in 22 companies, working on projects across diverse fields including AI for computational safety, sustainable materials for solar panels, cell-sorting system for addressing male infertility, and developing multi-modal drug compounds for ulcerative colitis.

Minister Lawless said: “Research Ireland’s Industry Research Development and Innovation Fellowship Programme is an excellent example of how the best of academic research and industry expertise can be brought together to tackle challenges and deliver impactful solutions. The initiative strengthens our national research ecosystem and highlights the importance of partnerships in fostering innovation that drives societal and economic growth. I look forward to the significant contributions these fellowships will bring.”

Six of the AMBER Researchers selected are from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and one from University College Cork (UCC) including:

• Alexa Ennis of TCD for project ‘Innovative Smart Polymer Coatings for Catheter Devices’ awarded €82,352.45
• Althaf Raja Mohamed for project ‘Thermal Cooling Fluids: Development of Graphene/Metal Oxide Nanofluids’ awarded €97,183.07 to work with HT Materials Science Ltd.
• Cansu Ilhan of TCD for project ‘Advanced Material Solutions for High Voltage Analogue-CMOS Integration’ awarded €81,457.67 to work with Analog Devices Inc., (ADI)
• Lucy Prendeville of TCD for project ‘Magnetic Thin Films for Multiturn Sensors’, awarded €87,628.08 to work with Analog Devices Inc., (ADI)
• Sukhananazerin Abdulla of TCD for project ‘Roll-to-Roll, slot-die coating of biopolymer-based multilayer barrier films for sustainable food packaging’ awarded €102,233.37 to work with Versatile Packaging
• Tandra Ghoshal of TCD for project ‘Research and development of materials formulations for use in intraocular lenses (IOLs)’ awarded €122,300.14 to work with Alcon Laboratories Ireland Ltd
• Ayse Kont of UCC for project ‘Quality by Design Approach to Medical Device Polymer Bead Process Optimisation’ awarded €82,757.67 to work with Boston Scientific Cork

Bringing the total Research Ireland Award Amount Funded to AMBER Researchers to €568,284.37. The industry partners collaborating on the programme will collectively contribute co-funding of over €1.7 million. Researchers will bring valuable academic insights and research experience to their respective industry partners, while developing their industry and business knowledge during their placement.