AMBER Researchers awarded funding under the Research Ireland – Innovating in Health and Wellbeing Challenge

12 February 2026

AMBER Researchers have received funding under the Research Ireland – Innovating in Health and Wellbeing Challenge for ‘SMART-Sling’ An innovative solution for female pelvic organ prolapse. 

This Challenge programme was developed to support novel, potentially disruptive, ideas to drive affective, scalable and sustainable solutions that address complex health and wellbeing challenges in Ireland.

SMART-Sling – An innovative solution for female pelvic organ prolapse:  Lead: Professor Caitriona Lally, Trinity College Dublin; Co-Lead: Dr Larisa Florea, Trinity College Dublin and Societal Impact Champion: Professor Michelle Flood, PPI Ignite Network Lead, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Ireland’s healthcare system is undergoing a critical transformation, underpinned by the need to embrace a whole-system, life-course, person-centred approach to healthcare, that addresses the wider foundational factors of health and wellbeing. Research and innovation are cornerstones of Ireland’s strategic approach to improving healthcare design and delivery, providing better health and wellbeing services, promoting long and healthy lives for all, and reducing health inequalities across the population.

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO, Research Ireland, said:

Through the Innovating in Health and Wellbeing Challenge, we are empowering research teams to take bold, interdisciplinary approaches to some of the complex issues facing our healthcare system. Together, these seven projects will address the health and wellbeing needs of diverse population groups – from infants & children to older adults, and individuals with chronic conditions – reflecting the programme’s ambition to create better health outcomes for everyone.

These projects have the potential to reshape care pathways, improve outcomes, and ultimately contribute to a better healthcare system for all. We are proud to support these teams at the start of their journey and look forward to seeing their progress over the coming months.

This funding award coincides nicely with International Day of Women and Girls in Science which occurred yesterday, and provides a great example of an all female research team advancing women’s health innovation.