Public and political engagement

AMBER investigators and the leadership team have established themselves as thought leaders on national and international committees supporting the development of policies relevant to the economy and society.

In 2020, the AMBER Director (Prof. M.A. Morris) and Executive Director (Dr. L Byrne) coordinated a forum of the 16 SFI centre directors and executive directors which focused on the collective centre response to the COVID Crisis, exploring how the national research ecosystem could be optimised to address the emerging challenges post pandemic. This culminated in a whitepaper which was presented to Minister Harris and his department. The Minister has subsequently expressed the wish for the centre directors to act as an expert advisory panel to support policy and related activities, which has created a platform for increased direct engagement between the centres and government.

Prof Mick Morris also contributes to the work of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). He was the nominated expert to the technical committee tasked with drafting ISO standards for non-healthcare facemasks for COVID19 (Technical Committee, TC350), defining appropriate materials and minimum performance characteristics. These are now adapted worldwide. In a parallel activity, Prof. Morris is also an NSAI nominated expert for ISO TC323 drafting standards for the implementation of the circular economy. He has contributed to 3 standards (59004, 59020, 59010) as drafting team member, acting as lead author of 59020, Measuring and Assessment of Circularity which will deliver guidance on how circularity data should be calculated and reported. In particular, Prof. Morris developed terminology used in the circular economy and how meaningful measurements are made. These standards will have a first release data in November 2021.

Our researchers also contribute their expertise to various European Commission Technology Platforms, some of which (e.g. AM-Platform, Batt4EU) shape the Strategic Research Agendas which culminate in Commission Policy in that area