Wellcome Trust renews Biomedical Research Partnership in Ireland
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the Health Research Board (HRB) and the Wellcome Trust have announced the renewal of the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership.
The partnership, established in 2010, has provided funding of over €4 million for biomedical and clinical science research in Ireland.
Researchers in the National University of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin have been supported by the partnership to date. Research that has been supported includes investigation of the dietary factors influencing cardiovascular disease, cell division in cancer and memory function.
Commenting on the partnership renewal, Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation Damien English, T.D. said, "The SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership provides support to researchers in Ireland to expand and deepen their investigations into some of the most pressing biomedical and clinical research questions in health. The joint funding will continue to support the best scientists and clinical researchers in Ireland, will continue to boost Ireland’s biomedical research credentials, attracting investment and ultimately creating jobs."
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust said, "The Wellcome Trust is pleased to continue our longstanding and productive relationship with the Irish research community. We are committed to supporting creative, innovative and ambitious biomedical researchers, at all stages of their career, to deliver excellent science. This partnership with Science Foundation Ireland and the Health Research Board allows us to maximise our support to biomedical researchers in Ireland and builds on the success of those that have been funded previously. Supporting Irish biomedical researchers also complements our other activities in Ireland including public engagement, medical humanities and translational research."
Dr Graham Love, Chief Executive of the Health Research Board, said, "Health research with real meaning for patients requires meaningful collaboration. That is what we have here: an excellent, international partnership that will deliver for patients."
Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said, "Since its inception, the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership has supported important research projects in areas such as cancer research, heart disease and brain function. Its expansion will see Ireland’s expertise in biomedical and clinic research deepened and through additional funding streams, will open up new opportunities for Irish researchers, helping early career researchers move towards research independence. The involvement of the Wellcome Trust is hugely significant in that it highlights the international recognition given to Ireland’s biomedical sector, a sector which is of strategic importance to our economy and society."
About the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership
Established on 1 October 2010, the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership funds biomedical research in the Republic of Ireland. In line with their strategic research agendas, SFI and the HRB co-fund with the Wellcome Trust, successful biomedical and clinical science applications under the following Trust funding schemes: Investigator Awards; Fellowships, including Seed Awards, Collaborative Awards and Strategic Awards. The Wellcome Trust is responsible for the administration of grant applications and awards made under this Partnership.
Projects supported to date include:
- Dr Fiona McGillicuddy, University College Dublin was awarded a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship to conduct research in the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research at UCD. The primary focus of research in this fellowship is to establish the mechanisms by which over-nutrition enhances cardiovascular disease risk and to investigate the links between ‘good’ cholesterol, diet and coronary heart disease.
- Dr Elaine Dunleavy, National University of Ireland, Galway has been awarded a Wellcome Trust Career Research Development Fellowship to research cell division and genetics, by focusing on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.
- Dr Marion Tsanov, Trinity College Dublin has been awarded a Wellcome Trust Career Research Development Fellowship to investigate the encoding and processing of signals that influence memory formation.
- Dr Colm J. Ryan, University College Dublin has been awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Research Fellowship to research the progression of cancer treatments through the identification of genetic vulnerabilities in cancer cells.
- Professor Shane O’Mara, Trinity College Dublin has been awarded a joint Senior Investigator award with Cardiff University to understand how interactions between differing brain areas support normal memory. This work will also help understanding what happens when memory is compromised because of brain damage.
About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health. We support bright minds in science, the humanities and the social sciences, as well as education, public engagement and the application of research to medicine.
Our £18 billion investment portfolio gives us the independence to support such transformative work as the sequencing and understanding of the human genome, research that established front-line drugs for malaria, and Wellcome Collection, our free venue for the incurably curious that explores medicine, life and art.