Meetings & Events

Innovation Dublin is a week-long festival of events highlighting and promoting innovation in the city and takes place from the 14th-20th October. As part of Innovation Dublin, there are a number of events taking place throughout the week in DCU. One such event is a poster session in the foyer of the R&E building outlining research excellence and innovation from CSETS, including CLARITY and the BDI. The poster session takes place on the 19th & 20th from 9am-5pm on both days. For more information on Innovation Dublin please go to www.dcu.ie/strategy/innovation_dublin.shtml.  

The 21st International Ion Chromatography Symposium (IICS) was held in the Grand Hotel, Malahide from the 21st—24th September. The conference was organised by the CASSS—An International Separation Science Society, and chaired by Prof. Brett Paull and co-chaired by Dr. Mirek Macka, both members of the NCSR. Each year, the leaders of the specialised applied technology known as ion chromatography, gather at the IISC to report on advances in the basic technology and applications, as well as future directions of Ion Chromatography and Capillary Electrophoresis. This years programme, boasted the largest number of invited and submitted oral and poster presentations since 2003 and showcased the latest developments and applications in ion analysis, together with a number of enjoyable social activities tailored to facilitate maximum interaction and discussion amongst delegates. In addition to the usual oral and poster sessions, a number of expert delivered short courses and workshops were included in the symposium programme, covering such diverse topics as method development in ion chromatography, statistics for analytical chemists and detection options. Overall the conference was a huge success with over 160 national and international delegates from academia, industry and government bodies attending. Congratulations to all involved with organising this event. The proceedings of IICS 09 will be published in a special issue of The Journal of Chromatographic Science.

The Society of Chemical Industry hosted a one day workshop on the 17th September in the NCSR. This meeting brought together industrialists and academics involved in both the preparation of novel materials and their use in more accurate and selective sensors. The workshop included of range of topics including Design and fabrication of gas sensors based on nanostructured active layers, Novel materials for biomedical diagnostics and Improving MOS sensor discrimination using zeolite transformation layers. Overall the conference was a huge success for the organisers. Congratulations to all involved in the event.

The first ‘International Symposium on Functional Nanomaterials’, was hosted by the NCSR on the 10th and 11th September. This two day event brought together over 60 delegates from China, Australia, the USA and Europe, to present the latest advances in nanomaterials research. The symposium was sponsored by SFI, Sigma-Aldrich, the Royal Society of Chemistry and CLARITY. The event was officially opened by Prof. Eugene Kennedy (DCU’s Vice President for Research) and Prof. Dermot Diamond (Director of the NCSR, and CLARITY PI). The talks began with an entertaining and enlightening talk by Prof. AP De Silva from Queens University Belfast. Prof. Lo Gorton from Lund University in Sweden followed with his talk entitled, The Effect of Nanostructured Carbon Electrode Surfaces on the Percentage of Adsorbed Redox Enzyme Molecules in Direct Electron Transfer Contact. Industry representatives, Dr. Robert Allen (IBM Almaden Research, California) and Dr. Thomas Phely-Bobin (Foster-Miller, Massachusetts) also addressed delegates on the first morning of the conference.

The latter part of day one comprised of talks given by Dr. Alan Dalton (University of Surrey), Dr. Donal Leech (NUI Galway), Prof. Jonathan Coleman (CRANN, Trinity College Dublin), Prof. He Tian (East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai), and Dr. Michael Higgins (Intelligent Polymer Research Centre at the University of Wollongong, Australia). The first day of the conference ended with a drinks reception and dinner in the 1838 Club, with the National Chamber Choir entertaining guests.

A further four sessions were held on the second day of the symposium with presentations including; Nanostructured electrode materials in biosensors and biofuel cells by Prof. Wolfgang Schuhmann (Ruhr University Bochum, Germany), Designing materials from Nanoscale Building Blocks; The search for Flexible Transparent Conductors by Prof. John Boland (Director CRANN), Non-cyclic Fluorescent Sensors with High Sensitivity and Selectivity by Prof. Xuhong Qian (East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai), and Can man-made nanomotors compete with biomotors?, by Prof. Jo Wang (University of California San Diego).

Dr. Emer Lahiff and Prof. Dermot Diamond (both NCSR), Prof. Gareth Redmond (University College Dublin), Dr. Stephen Bell (Queens University Belfast), Prof. Jim McLaughlin (University of Ulster), and Prof. Jim Rusling (University of Connecticut), completed the day’s sessions. The meeting ended with the launch of WANDA, a robotic fish developed in a collaboration between CLARITY and the Intelligent Polymer Research Centre (University of Wollongong Australia). After the launch, joint winners of the best poster prize were announced.

Congratulations to Dr. Susan Boland (NUI Galway) and Dr. Izabela Jurewicz (University of Surrey) who each won €100.

Overall the conference was a huge success for its organisers Dr. Emer Lahiff, Ms. Angela Lally and Prof. Dermot Diamond. Congratulations to all involved.  Details of the conference along with a photo gallery can be found by clicking here.

The Centre for BioAnalytical Sciences (CBAS) has successfully completed the four years of its applied research programme. A basic research programme will continue in DCU through collaborative research between Prof. Harry Holthofer and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS) and thus maintaining the existing relationships. CBAS was set up as a biopharmaceutical research collaboration between pharmaceutical multinational Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Dublin City University (DCU) and the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). The Centre was funded jointly by BMS and IDA Ireland. CBAS was established to provide a national resource for researchers working in fundamental cell biology and the biopharmaceutical industry sector, developing the new sciences and techniques needed to understand the dynamics of bioreactions involving, for example, the selective generation of specific therapeutic agents in the complex, but relatively controlled environment that exists in large-scale bioprocess reactors. 

The CBAS programme involved a total of 40 staff, including 16 postdoctoral fellows, 17 postgraduate students, 2 Research Chairs (1 in DCU and 1 in NUIG), 2 senior scientists specifically recruited by BMS and support staff. A key feature of the programme was the placement of 7 Bristol Myers-Squibb employees in the Universities as part of the research team. The Centre developed new technologies and methods for biopharmaceutical products and processes that lead to efficiencies in biopharma production at BMS and other companies in the biologics field.  This programme was an important milestone for industry-university collaboration as it was the first such funded IDA Ireland initiative targeting Multinational Corporations undertaking collaborative research in Ireland. 

Scientists from BMS worked on each campus and within BMS in a way that brought the partners together to provide positive and practical results for the Irish economy. The particular focus for CBAS research has been on analytical methods for rapid screening of a wide variety of biomaterials associated with biofermentation processes, ranging through amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates and cellular matter, but with particular emphasis on large molecules, such as glycoproteins.

Fast separation techniques coupled with information rich detection schemes (e.g. tandem MS-MS, Q-TOF, and optical spectroscopic methods) were applied to the analysis of macro-biomolecules of pharmaceutical interest.

Currently discussions are ongoing for a BMS funded research programme that will exploit the intellectual property developed within CBAS and we hope to be able to make an announcement on this in the near future. In addition, 2 SFI Strategic Research Clusters have been funded on the basis of the track record of CBAS and the    excellence of the PIs. These are in the areas of Separation Science (DCU) and Glycoscience (NUIG) and have significant industrial participation. Over €2.5 million has been committed from a combined industry participation of over 20 companies.

The legacy of CBAS will continue in DCU through the Irish Separation Science Cluster (ISSC), led by Prof. Brett Paull, the basic research programme being undertaken by Prof. Harry Holthofer and the exploitation and development of the CBAS intellectual property that will ultimately lead to spin out companies and significant benefits to Ireland. Furthermore, the CBAS model of targeting the best academic expertise to solve concrete questions important for research-intensive industry remains a valuable intangible asset, which will be actively pursued.

The journey continues...

The United National Centre for Sensor Research (UNCSR) hosted a Summer Barbecue for members of the NCSR on Friday 28th August in an extension of their traditional Friday evening drinks. The barbecue, held in the Matt Weldon pub, proved to be a huge success with over 170 members of the NCSR attending. A vast range of good food was served up outside, while a DJ and a singer entertained indoors into the small hours of the morning. Everyone who attended was entered into a draw for an iPod Nano and congratulations to Zarah Walsh, from Dr, Mirek Macka’s research group who won the prize. We would like to thank the UNCSR committee for organising such a great event. 

This years Hamilton/Beaufort Symposium was held on 19th August to mark the conclusion of this round off of the Hamilton and Beaufort scholarships. During the symposium each of the students delivered excellent presentations describing the research projects they had carried out over the ten-week duration of the programmes. The event concluded with each of the students being presented with their Hamilton/Beaufort certificates The scholars’ posters were on display and there was an opportunity for the scholars to answer questions regarding their research. The NCSR would like to congratulate each of the students on the successful research they carried during the summer. We would also like to thank the students supervisors and particularly the BDI Education and Outreach team, for all their assistance.

News Item - 18th August 2009

Congratulations to Dr. Fiona Regan who appeared in a feature about the DEPLOY project on RTE’s Six O’Clock and Nine O’Clock news bulletins on the 18th August. The DEPLOY project co-funded by the EPA and the Marine Institute, builds on outputs of the SmartCoast project through the integration of environmental monitoring technologies at 5 monitoring stations located on the River Lee in Cork. The key objectives of the DEPLOY project include the demonstration of state-of-the-art technology for environmental monitoring in a river system over one year, the demonstration of a reliable and versatile monitoring system and the demonstration of an economically prudent approach to monitoring that achieves a reasonable cost of ownership.  Congratulations to Dr. Regan and all involved in this research. For more information on the Deploy project please go to www.ids-deploy.com, to view the news clip please go to click here.

PDMS Course - 21st - 23rd July 2009

The NCSR, together with the ISSC, held a “PDMS for beginners” course and workshop from the 21st-23rd July. During day one, theory such as “Introduction to lab-on-a-chip”, “Microfabrication Methods”, “PDMS Chip Fabrication” and “Analytical methods and applications” was addressed. On the second day of the course, the students visited the clean room and labs where they were they were given the opportunity to put the theory they had learned into practice. The final day drew the course to an end and allowed the course organisers, Fernando Benito-Lopez, Zarah Walsh, Fei Chen, Maricar (Kristy) Gutierrez, Marisol Salgado and Mirek Macka, to evaluate the programme. Overall the course was a huge success with over 20 members of the NCSR who attended, giving the course a 90% satisfaction rating. Congratulations to all involved. 

Outstanding Graduate Researcher Awards - 30th June 2009

Congratulations to Noeleen Loughran, Jianghui Meng and Carla Meledandri, this years recipients of the Faculty of Science and Health’s Outstanding Graduate Researcher Awards. The awards ceremony was held on the 30th June in the atrium of the Nursing building. Noeleen is a member of the NCSR and is jointly supervised by Dr. Brendan O’Connor, Dr. Ciaran Fagan and Dr. Mary O’Connell. Her research is centred around the molecular evolution of heme peroxidases incorporating both in silico and in vitro analyses. She has recently returned from working in the Carver College of Medicine at the Universty of Iowa, USA, where she conducted research in collaboration with Prof. William Nauseef, a recognised expert in the field. Noeleen is the sixth member of the NCSR to win this award in its short four year history. 

George Malliaras, visited the NCSR on 10th June and presented a seminar entitled, Organic Bioelectronics. Dr. Malliaras is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University and the Director of the Cornell NanoScale Facility. He received a BS from the Aristotle University (Greece) and a PhD, cum laude, from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands). His research on organic semiconductors and devices has been recognized with awards from the New York Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and DuPont. He is a co-author of 100+ publications in peer-reviewed journals that have received over 3,500 citations. He serves as the chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Materials Chemistry.

The NCSR would like to welcome Dr. Barbara Fogarty, the National Co-ordinator for Advanced Marine Technology. Barbara has a degree in Environmental Science and Technology from Sligo Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in   Environmental Analytical Chemistry from Limerick Institute of Technology.  In 2002 she moved to the U.S. to carry out Post Doctoral Research in the Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas. She returned to Ireland in 2005 to join the Life Sciences Interface Group in Tyndall National Institute. Barbara, based in the NCSR, will network nationally with researchers, teams, centres, companies and agencies working in advanced marine technologies. Her responsibilities include; the creation of a national multi-disciplinary and industry-orientated research grouping in the area of sensors and communication technologies and the delivery of innovative technology-based solutions/applications to targeted marine-related sectors.

BDI joins forces with Cornell University & UUJ to host International Workshop - 4th & 5th June 2009

On June 4-5, BDI, in association with Cornell University Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC) and the Nanotechnology & Integrated BioEngineering Centre at University of Ulster (NIBEC), hosted an international workshop on “Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors & Diagnostics”. The workshop sought to bring together leading international researchers in the nanobio field to identify areas of potential collaboration. The primary objective of the workshop was the development of proposals for US-Ireland R&D Partnership & FP7 funding. 

The two-day event, held on campus in DCU, was attended by approximately 100 scientists, mainly from the organising partners but also from TCD, UCD and DIT. Session chairs included NBTC Director Prof Harold Craighead, NIBEC Director Prof. James McLaughlin & BDI Director Prof Brian MacCraith. Officials from Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland were also in attendance. The event was successful in stimulating a number of collaborative proposal and attractive press coverage in both the Irish Times Business Supplement on Friday June 12th and the Irish Times Health Plus Supplement on Tuesday June 16th.

Teaching & Learning Awards - 14th May 2009

Congratulations to Dr. Blánaid White, Dr. Aoife Morrin and Dr. Sonia Ramirez, who won the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in the ‘New Lecturers’ category. The President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching are presented to staff members who have made outstanding contributions to the teaching and learning mission of the University.  Nominations are made by students and staff, which are then adjudicated by a panel appointed by the University Teaching and Learning Committee. There were over 50 nominations for this year's awards, the highest number in the history of the award. Congratulations also to Prof. Greg Hughes who was nominated in the Academic Category for teaching excellence.

International Trade Delegation - 14th May 2009

A Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) led trade delegation, comprising the Indian Ambassador to Ireland, the Advisor and Nodal Officer for Ireland in DST, the Associate Director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, a Scientist from the Department of Biotechnology, the Deputy Director General of Indian Meteorogical Department, the Directors of the National Institute of Technology in Karnataka and Tiruchirappalli and the Director of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in Nagpur, visited DCU on 14th May. During their visit, the delegation met representatives from the BDI and CLARITY.  Trade delegations such as this are part of a process to develop stronger research links between Ireland and India.

The QUESTOR Centre was founded in 1989 and is the only centre outside of the United States to be a part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Programme for Industry/University Co-operative Research Centres (I/UCRCs). The meeting marked the QUESTOR Centres 20th anniversary since it was founded.

On the 12th and 13th May 2009, representatives from Dublin City University took part in the QUESTOR Centres biannual Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting in Queen’s University Belfast. The QUESTOR Centre, based in Queen’s, represents an international centre with partnerships between industry, government agencies and academia for industry driven multi-discipline environmental research with a clear emphasis on technology transfer and exploitation.

Dublin City University joined QUESTOR as an Academic Partner in 2005 with expertise in sensor technology and analytical science and along with other academic partners in the United States, Canada, Germany, UK and Northern Ireland, undertake research projects that are led by the interests of the QUESTOR Centres member companies, ranging from large multinational companies to SMEs.

The first day of the IAB meeting provides networking sessions for member companies and researchers to discuss research ideas ahead of a summer 2009 call for project proposals from within the QUESTOR Centres academic and industrial partners. The first day also provides the opportunity for updates on the progress of QUESTOR to be discussed including the QUESTOR Centres successful application for a Marie Curie Initial Training Network, funded under the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) Specific Programme 'People'.

A reception and dinner in the Great Hall at Queen’s University concluded the first day of the meeting. At the dinner an array of speakers helped to celebrate the 20th anniversary of QUESTOR including Ms. Arlene Foster MLA, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Northern Ireland; Dr. Alex Schwarzkopf, former Director of the National Science Foundation I/UCRC (Industry/University Co-operative Research Centres) Programme; Prof. Jim Swindall, founding Director of the QUESTOR Centre in 1989, Prof. Peter Gregson, Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University and Dr. Wilson McGarel, Director of the QUESTOR Centre.

The second day of the IAB meeting provided the opportunity for a number of QUESTOR PhD students, including two students from DCU, to present an update on their projects progress since the last meeting in November 2008. Within DCU there are currently five ongoing PhD research projects in the areas of sensors for metal determination, fouling and corrosion and novel methods for combating it, waste water testing for pharmaceuticals & treatment, sensors for leaks in oil pipelines and sensing of volatiles.

Dr. Fiona Regan, National Centre for Sensor Research in DCU is the Co-ordinator for the QUESTOR Centre in DCU and attended the two day meeting along with other representatives from DCU including Prof. Dermot Diamond, Director of the National Centre for Sensor Research, Dr. Declan Raftery, Director of Research Support Services, Office of the Vice President for Research, Dr. Anne Morrissey, Dr. Brian Kelleher and Dr. Enrico Marsili, lecturers in DCU.

DCU has been a partner in the QUESTOR Centre since 2005 and currently has 5 PhD students engaging in industry led research in the area of environmental science and technology. This is an important model for future research activities were academic and industry partnerships will help build innovation and new enterprise.

Dionex Workshop - 8th May 2009

The Irish Separations Science Cluster (ISSC), hosted a half-day Dionex workshop entitled, Beyond UHPLC Workshop, on the 8th May in the NCSR conference rooms. The workshop focused on the fundamentals of UHPLC and Method Speed Up and took a detailed look at the newest advancements in instrumentation, column and software technologies to support ultra-fast, high resolution separations. The workshop also included a live Speed Up demonstration with an RSLC system. There were also presentations on the recently launched UHPLC modules from Dionex including Dionex VIPER fittings and U-3000 Quaternary UHPLC. For more information about Dionex please go to www.dionex.com.  

The UNCSR hosted a table quiz, on 30th April, in aid of the Chernobyl Children’s Project International, in The Church Café Bar and Restaurant, Mary Street. The event was a great success with over 170 people competing for the fantastic prizes on the night. The winners were Pentagonal, who each won a bottle of vodka along with a hamper of books to share. Superawesome Team and Queens of Corona, finished in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. During the course of the evening there were numerous spot prizes and raffle prizes to be won, with a huge selection of items donated for the event. Due to the enthusiastic and generous contributions of people on the night, the UNCSR have raised €1,500 for the charity. This money will go towards supporting some of Chernobyl Children’s Project International’s key programme areas, such as medicine, sustainable/building and cardiac programmes. We would like to say a huge thanks to all who participated in the event and contributed so generously. Thanks also to each of our sponsors.

The NCSR would like to welcome Mr. Kieran O’Dwyer as NCSR Interim Manager, until the position of Centre Manager is filled in the coming months. Kieran, a DCU Applied Physics graduate, has been heavily involved with the NCSR since it’s establishment in 1999. Kieran managed the Optical Sensors  Laboratory (OSL) for over five years. In 2005, Kieran became Centre Manager of the Centre for BioAnalytical Sciences (CBAS). His role included the day to day running of CBAS in addition to the strategic development of the Centre. As well as submitting various research proposals to funding bodies including, FP7, IDA, HEA and SFI on behalf of CBAS, Kieran has managed CBAS to ensure highly effective teams of Principal Investigators, Postdoctoral and Postgraduate researchers. We look forward to working with Kieran during the coming months.

Dr. Leanne Harris, Dr. Aaron Hernandez-Santana and Dr. Mohamed Oubaha, receiving their prizes from Dr. Enrico Marisil

Dr. Matthias Hilder, visited the NCSR on Friday 27th March and as part of his visit, gave a presentation entitled, Printed Electroactive Materials: Self-Powered Sensors and pH Sensing using Radio-Frequency Detection. Dr. Hilder works for the electroactive materials group, which is part of the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE). Altogether CSIRO employs 6,500 staff members within 16 divisions Australia wide. The research is funded by both the Australian government and by industry. Dr. Hilder’s research group focuses on various aspects of electroactive materials. The key research areas are conducting polymers, sensors, radio frequency detection, electrolytes, metal composite films, security devices, energy harvesting and application of electroactive materials by printing techniques.

During his presentation, Dr. Hilder outlined his current work is on thin film batteries, comprising metal films, conducting polymers and ionic liquids. He also discussed sensors that incorporate conducting polymers as the sensing component, with a radio frequency device for monitoring conductance remotely. Due to the timing of his visit, Dr. Hilder also gained an enormous insight into the vast array of research being carried out in the NCSR when he attended the UNCSR Poster Competition.

The NCSR held a coffee morning on the 27th March in aid of the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day. Daffodil Day is an annual event held  as a means of raising much needed funds to support nursing services in homes and hospitals across the country. This year €840 was raised. We would like to say a huge thank you to Trispace Catering who provide the tea, coffee, etc., all who participated, contributed and baked for this event. We would also like to thank Angela Lally for organising the event. For further information, or to make a contribution to this years Daffodil Day please go to www.plantadaff.ie.

The Workshop included presentations from 11 international participants (France, Germany, UK, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Germany) and three Irish participants and was divided into three sessions:  Cutting Edge Sensor Research; Member State Sensor Research Funding Programmes (Ireland, Spain, UK); Industry Needs and Technology Transfer (4 SMEs).

New developments and challenges to sensor research were identified. Barriers and enablers to cooperation between European researchers in different Members States and mechanisms to facilitate the up-take of research by industry to provide improved products and services were addressed.  Critical gaps in the current research effort and how Funding Agencies can better support marine sensor research were identified.

The key findings from the Workshop will be summarised in MarinERA Report No. 10 and will be used to inform the MarinERA partners, who fund national Marine Research Programmes, and the European Commission on future marine sensor research priorities. Workshop presentations will be up-loaded shortly to the MarinERA website (www.marinera.net).

Please click on the links below for more information on MarinERA and the Marine Institute.

The MarinERA Project (2004-2009) (www.marinera.net) is an EU FP6 pilot ERA-NET (European Research Area Network) partnership bringing together 12 of the leading Marine Research Funding Organisations in Europe.

The inaugural CLARITY seminar was held on the 13th March in the NCSR. Postdoctoral researchers Colum Foley, Ciaran O’Conaire and Martina O’Toole presented their own research. These presentations were followed by a question and answer session. Colum talked about Synchronous Collaborative Information retrieval, techniques and evaluation, and described systems such as Diamond Touch and iBingo. Ciaran described the TennisSense system and how this technology can be used to help produce world class tennis athletes. And Martina, who is a member of Prof. Dermot Diamond’s group, described a new integrated Paired Emitter-Detector Diode (PEDD) flow analysis device that has many advantages over conventional LED-photodiode systems including the low cost and broad spectral range. The event was a great success with over 40 people attending.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, STEPS to Engineering hosted student seminars in the   Institute of Engineers of Ireland (IEI) Ballsbridge headquarters on the 9th March. Four seminars were presented altogether, of which two were given by CLARITY researchers. Eighty female students from schools all around Dublin were in attendance to hear about the fantastic work being carried out by female engineers throughout the world and about the opportunities available for women in engineering. Dr Breda Kiernan and Dr Shirley Coyle, from the Adaptive Sensors Group, gave a brief overview of their backgrounds and described the work they are doing in their exciting research projects; Breda in the area of environmental monitoring, and Shirley in the area of wearable technology.

Dr. Shirley Coyle at the STEPS to  Engineering seminar in the IEI

SFI Strategic Cluster Award - 25th February 2009

On February 25 2009, the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Ms Mary Coughlan T.D. and Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Dr. Jimmy Devins T.D. officially launched the Irish Separation Science Research Cluster in the Royal College of Physicians Kildare Street.

At the announcement, the Tanaiste said, “Science, while engaging and exciting, is also a fiercely competitive arena, and it is increasingly clear that a country’s economic fortunes are significantly dependent on its ability to conduct research that translates into economically-beneficial outcomes. The Government’s ‘Building Ireland’s Smart Economy’ framework prioritises continued investment in science and engineering infrastructure to assist with the creation of a thriving enterprise sector, high-quality employment and first-class infrastructure. The 170 highly skilled personnel involved in these SRCs, together with the 22 partner companies are central to achieving this”.

The Irish Separation Science Research Cluster, lead by Prof. Brett Paull, is an academia-industry collaboration involving Dublin City University, University College Cork, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Agilent Technologies, Dionex Corporation, Merck KGaA, Waters Technology Ireland Ltd and Pfizer Ireland. Dr. Mirek Macka and Dr. Brendan O’Connor are co-PI’s while Dr. Dermot Brabazon is a funded researcher for the cluster from DCU. Professor Jeremy Glennon heads the UCC team along  Dr Miroslav Pravda and Dr. Dara Fitzpatrick as funded researchers. The granting of approximately €6.3m will create 7 new postdoctoral researcher positions, along with 16 PhD positions, 4 PIs including lead PI, 3 investigators and a number of administrative positions.

As part of the launch Prof. Frank Gannon from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) stressed the importance of this cluster to Ireland in that separations sciences provide the ability for production innovation, a key industrial requirement as capital investment tightens and the cost of operations is increasing.

This will have a direct impact on patients who need ever more advanced and personalised medications.From an Academic perspective Separation science is a supporting and enabling scientific discipline, facilitating and underpinning the diverse spectrum of technological advances, within all fields of science and engineering, which continuously and increasingly affect and shape all our lives, and the lives of those of generations to come.

Smartbay meeting NCSR - 11th February 2009

The Centre for BioAnalytical Sciences (CBAS) located in the NCSR hosted the first International Conference on Trends in Bioanalytical Sciences and Biosensors, ICTBSB. This was held in the Crowne Plaza hotel on the 26th and 27th January. The opening address was given by Prof. Harry Holthofer, Director of CBAS and Co-Chair of the Conference, with plenary sessions given by Prof. Anthony Turner from Cranfield University and Prof. GS. Wilson from University of Kansas. Day one concluded with an excellent meal in Clontarf Castle. Prof. Lokesh Joshi from National University of Ireland, Galway and Co-Chair of the Conference, opened the second day’s proceedings. Prof. Joshi’s address was followed by  the first plenary session of the day given by Prof. Dermot Diamond from the NCSR and Dr. Stephen Gacheru from Bristol-Myer Squibb gave the last of the conference’s plenary sessions following lunch in the Crowne Plaza.

Director of BDI, Prof Brian MacCraith, participated in the recent SFI/IDA Trade Mission to Japan (12-17 Jan). The focus of the trade mission was to raise Japanese awareness of Ireland as a source of innovative, world-class research and to encourage collaboration in research and development between the two countries. As part of the trade mission, Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD delivered a keynote speech at an IDA Ireland - SFI co-hosted “Research, Development & Innovation” seminar. The seminar provided an overview of Ireland's R&D environment, supporting ecosystem, examples of recent Japan-Ireland joint R&D projects, and included presentations of current research projects in major Irish research institutes to a targeted Japanese audience. BDI was one of four SFI CSETs that presented at the seminar. The  event was attended by more than 150 key decision makers from Japanese high tech companies, including most of the major Japanese players in the ICT and Life Sciences sectors, such as Sharp, Panasonic, TDK, Canon, Mitsubishi from the ICT sector and Takeda, Astellas, Olympus and Mitsubishi Tanabe from the Life Sciences sector. The event provided important opportunities for BDI to establish links with potential Japanese partners.

The BT Young Scientist Exhibition took place in the RDS Dublin from the 6th—10th January. One of the largest exhibitions of its kind in Europe, this years event saw 500 projects entered into the competition, as well as four exhibition halls filled with science and technology based exhibits and entertainment. One such exhibition hall was the Industries Hall where the Irish Universities Promoting Science Stand was located. Here, each of the Irish Universities showcased various exhibits, under one banner. DCU’s Faculty of Science and Health presented a number of exhibitions to the public during the two days the event is open to the public. As part of DCU’s contribution to this stand, Dr. Silvija Abele, Mr. Ugis Danilevics, Ms. Zarah Walsh and Ms. Oksana Shvydkiv, from Dr. Mirek Macka’s Microfluidic Analysis Group in the School of Chemical Sciences, taught visitors about monolithic materials, light emitting diodes and optic fibres. The NCSR would like to extend a huge thanks to the Microfluidic Analysis Group for taking part in the exhibition, and to all in the Faculty of Science and Health for their assistance, in particular to Dr. Pat O’Malley from the School of Chemical Sciences. Congratulations to all involved in the event.