Professor Fidelma Dunne, Interim Director of the Institute for Clinical Trials at University of Galway, has been elected as a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), the highest academic honour in Ireland. Professor Dunne was among 28 new members admitted to the Academy by Professor Pat Guiry, President of the Royal Irish Academy, at a special ceremony on Friday May 24th. Professor Dunne is a distinguished clinician researcher and Professor of Medicine at University of Galway and has been at the forefront of advancing clinical trials in new medicines and devices, crucial for enhancing global health outcomes. She is the Principal Investigator of the EMERGE randomised controlled trial, funded by the Health Research Board, with ground-breaking results published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) in October 2023 which showed that the drug metformin provided a safe and effective way to treat gestational diabetes. As the Interim Director of the Institute for Clinical Trials at University of Galway, Professor Dune’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping Ireland's clinical research landscape and to the advancement of clinical trials. With a rich background in clinical trials and extensive leadership experience, Professor Dunne has held pivotal roles both nationally and internationally. Her dedication to improving outcomes in diabetes and pregnancy spans over three decades, marked by over 250 peer-reviewed publications and prestigious accolades such as the Norbert Freinkel award from the American Diabetes Association in 2024 and the International Jorgen Pedersen Award in 2021. Professor Dunne said: "It is a profound honour to be elected as a Member of the Royal Irish Academy. This recognition underscores the importance of collaborative research efforts in addressing critical health challenges, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Ireland's academic and research community.” President of University of Galway Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said: "Professor Dunne's election to the Royal Irish Academy is a testament to her outstanding contributions to medical research and her exemplary leadership in clinical trials. Her dedication to advancing healthcare outcomes reflects our University's commitment to excellence in research and to serving the wider community, particularly in the field of healthcare." Election to membership of the Royal Irish Academy is the highest academic distinction in Ireland. The Academy has been honouring Ireland’s leading contributors to the world of learning since its establishment in 1785. Ends

The Access Centre at University of Galway has marked 25 years of creating opportunities for people to find pathways into higher education. Since its foundation in 1999, more than 3,500 people have been supported by the Access Centre, with the numbers of students from groups traditionally underrepresented in university continuing to grow. The anniversary celebrations have been led by Mayor of Galway Councillor Eddie Hoare who unveiled a plaque at the Access Centre offices and was guest of honour at the Uni4U awards ceremony which provides experience of university for sixth class pupils in Deis and Link primary schools in Galway. Mayor of Galway Councillor Eddie Hoare said: “As an alumnus of University of Galway it was my great pleasure to join the University’s Access Centre to celebrate 25 years. In that time more than 3,500 students have enrolled in their programmes which helps to play such a key role in removing barriers to third level education for so many. The Uni4U Programme is another great initiative rolled out by the Access Centre that provides opportunities for DEIS primary school pupils to see first-hand what the University has to offer. I’d like to congratulate Imelda Byrne as Head of the Access Centre and all the team for the great work they continue and wish everyone involved continued success.” President of University of Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, said: “Our values are what we strive for and to live by at University of Galway. In many respects the Access Centre is the embodiment of all those - openness; respect; excellence; sustainability. As we mark 25 years of creating opportunities and supporting the people in our community and hinterland, we should acknowledge the great work of those who dedicate more than just their time, knowledge and expertise to this endeavour - it is their passion and their motivation. And when we do that, we also celebrate all the 3,500 students who have travelled this path in the hope of making the most of these opportunities.” Imelda Byrne, Head of the Access Centre, said: “2024 is a significant milestone for us all at the Access Centre, University of Galway, as we celebrate 25 years of our Access Programmes. More than 3,500 students have participated on our programmes, which is 3,500 people whose lives have been significantly changed by the opportunities which we have been able to give them.  “Our focus is on supporting and empowering people in the Galway city and county, the western region, the border counties, and the midlands, to give them a path into higher education and to address the barriers which they experience. Our ambition is to ensure everyone has equal access to higher education and that no-one feels like an outsider. We are proud of the huge impact we have had and we are committed to growing our achievements.” Access programmes were established at the University in 1999, with the aim to provide a supportive, educational environment that prepares students academically and personally for a full-time undergraduate degree at third level.  Highlights of achievements and growth of Access: On average, 629 students enrol on undergraduate programmes through the Access Centre each year. In 2022, more than 150 students were supported in education at the University through the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR), which focuses on students from socio-economically disadvantaged groups, and another 281 were supported through the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE), which focuses on students with a disability. Since 2015/16 to 2022/23, there has been a 132% increase in students registering for the Disability Support Service at the University. The service is available to University of Galway students who need support or reasonable accommodations due to the impact of a disability, ongoing physical or mental health condition, or a specific learning difficulty. Since 2018/19, on average almost 500 students from DEIS schools have enrolled in University of Galway each year. Almost 100 students a year have enrolled at University of Galway from Further Education and Training since 2018/19. Along with the plaque unveiling, alumni events and panel discussions to mark the 25th anniversary of Access programmes at University of Galway, a Widening Participation Report was published to highlight and evaluate the progress that has been made to create a more level playing field for students from underrepresented groups in society to find a path to higher education. The University of Galway Access programmes involve a range of educational approaches and services to support students who are regarded by the Higher Education Authority as non-traditional and are perceived as disadvantaged or excluded from mainstream higher education. It has a particular focus on meeting the educational needs of citizens and supporting regional development in a catchment area of low density and dispersed rural population and includes students from under-represented, disadvantaged and minority groups, mature students and students with disabilities. Applications are now open for individuals to apply to a range of programmes, including programmes for school leavers and full/part-time courses for mature students. Students can opt to study on the University campus or in the Tuam area and An Cheathrú Rua area, depending on where they are located. Further information is available on Access Programmes - University of Galway Ends

Researchers at University of Galway have secured five major grant awards totalling almost €6 million to advance scientific and medical breakthroughs. The awards have been made under Science Foundation Ireland’s Frontiers for the Future programme, focusing on protein-based treatments; wind turbine technology; methane recovery; air quality; and diabetes. The projects are: Professor Alan Ryder – Awarded €1.23 million Downstream Protein Analysis - Polarized Emission Spectroscopy (Dpa-Pes) Making protein-based treatments like vaccines, antibodies and insulin - safely and in large volumes - poses many challenges, one of which is accurately measuring protein size, purity and stability during manufacturing. Proteins are inherently sensitive and are easily damaged, reducing their therapeutic effectiveness and the biggest issues are when protein shape or size changes. Professor Ryder’s research will develop fast, inexpensive, non-destructive and non-contact, light-based techniques for measuring proteins during manufacturing. This novel Dpa-PES measurement methodology exploits aspects of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and optics to better measure protein quality via their interaction with polarised light, ultimately leading to better quality medicines. Professor Sean Leen – Awarded €1.3 million Tailored Manufacturing For Safe, Sustainable Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structure Materials (Transforrm) This project proposes to use a combination of laboratory testing and computer modelling to improve manufacturing processes for high temperature rolling and welding of steels for more sustainable, safe, design of support structures for larger offshore wind turbines. Computer models will be developed to determine the effect of the rolling and welding processes on through-thickness non-uniformity of mechanical properties, especially cracking due to fatigue. The models will be verified by experimental testing. Digital tools will be developed using these models and applied to design case studies for fixed and floating offshore wind turbine structures, to demonstrate the sustainability benefits Guangxue Wu – Awarded €911,903; and co-funded by SFI and the Sustainable Energy Association of Ireland (SEAI) Alleviation Mechanisms And Microbial Interactions Induced By Conductive Materials In Sulphate-Stressed Anaerobic Digestion Ecosystems Methane recovery from waste reduces the dependence on fossil fuel energy, fulfilling UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this project - by combining advanced techniques from microbiology, engineering, and chemistry - underlying microbial mechanisms and interactions for methane production will be investigated with the dosage of conductive materials for alleviating sulphate inhibition. The outputs will provide knowledge for developing novel methane recovery biotechnologies from waste to protect ecosystem and conserve natural resources. Jurgita Ovadnevaite - Awarded €1.2 million Fingerprinting Climate Change And Air Pollutant Culprits (Epic-Air) Atmospheric aerosol particles contribute to more than 8 million premature deaths per year around the world due to their important role in climate change and air quality. It is crucial to understand the sources of these particles, as well as to assess their impacts on human health and climate. This project will deploy a sophisticated online instrumentation and develop new methods to allow the concurrent assessment of particle health and climate impacts. The project will use models to evaluate how toxic particles affect climate change and how climate change impacts the properties of the particles. Cynthia Coleman and Pilib Ó Broin - Awarded €1.3 million Midios: Microrna In Diabetic Osteopathy Type 2 diabetes can lead to unusual changes in bones, where higher bone density surprisingly results in more fractures. These fractures heal slowly, limit mobility, and extend hospital stays. The Midios team is working on a new therapy to address bone issues caused by type 2 diabetes. This collaborative project involves experts from various fields, including cell and molecular biology, biomedical engineering, computational biology, and clinical medicine. They will study adult stem cells in the bone to understand the changes diabetes causes and how these changes affect bone strength. The goal is to develop treatments that counteract the impact of diabetes on bones, ultimately improving the quality of life for people with type 2 diabetes. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan T.D., said: “These awards support the development of world-class research in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The projects and higher education institutions are focusing on will help deliver solutions to some of the major challenges facing society, including in healthcare, the environment and technology.” Professor Jim Livesey, Vice-President Research and Innovation at University of Galway, said: “Each individual researcher is to be congratulated for having the excellence of their research recognised in this way. We are intensely proud of their achievement and look forward to the results of the research. Moreover, the University is delighted at this support from SFI for researchers in two of our key strategic areas. Galway is committing significant resources to work in biomedical science and to sustainability and these awards will amplify the scale and scope of those investments.”  Dr Ruth Freeman, Director, Science for Society at Science Foundation Ireland, said: “The SFI Frontiers for the Future awards provide opportunities for independent investigators to conduct highly innovative, original research on important questions. I would like to thank SEAI for collaborating on this programme with SFI, supporting vital research in the area of sustainability.” Ends