Trinity Researchers Awarded Over €5 Million in National Research Infrastructure Funding

Two Trinity College Dublin-led research projects have been awarded over €5 million in funding through the latest round of Research Ireland’s Research Infrastructure Programme, as part of a €17.7 million national investment announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD. The awards aim to support high-quality, high-impact research across the STEM and Health Sciences faculties, and to ensure Ireland’s research community has access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

The two Trinity projects, spearheaded by Professors Mathias Senge and James Meaney, represent significant developments in the fields of molecular chemistry and advanced medical imaging.

Professor Senge, Chair of Organic Chemistry at Trinity, will lead the establishment of a new NMR Centre of Expertise with €2.65 million in funding. The centre will be equipped with two high-spec nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers: a 600MHz multi-channel instrument and a 400MHz model tailored for high-throughput analyses. These devices are essential for probing the structure of molecules, materials, and pharmaceutical compounds. The project, supported by Prof. Donal O’Shea at RCSI, also includes equipment for RCSI and will serve as a national hub for both research and training.

Pictured: Prof. Mathias Senge, Chair of Organic Chemistry at Trinity College Dublin.

Source: Trinity College Dublin

Prof. Senge said:

“We are absolutely thrilled about the news! One of the biggest current threats to research in Ireland is our aging infrastructure with many systems critical for research and teaching being past their lifetime. Imagine a hospital without magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis. The centre will be state-of-the-art with complementary instrumentation to tackle any molecular structure problem in chemistry, pharmacy, materials and biomedicinal sciences and will also serve as a training hub for early career researchers.”

Meanwhile, Prof. James Meaney of the Thomas Mitchell Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging has secured €2.72 million to fund a new photon-counting CT scanner, which will dramatically expand the Centre’s imaging capabilities. Located on the grounds of St. James’s Hospital, CAMI plays a key role in oncology and cardiovascular research. The new scanner promises enhanced resolution and speed without increasing radiation exposure—making it a safer and more effective tool for clinical research and patient care.

Pictured: Prof. James Meaney, Cardiovascular and Oncology Research in Trinity College Dublin.

Source: Trinity College Dublin

Prof. Meaney said:

“The Research Ireland Infrastructure grants to The Thomas Mitchell Centre ensure that the St James' Hospital/Trinity College Dublin research centre will operate with cutting-edge facilities for the next 10 years.

This grant is part of a €10M development also supported by philanthropy, which in turn is the anchor tenant of a €100M development centred around research cyclotron/PETCT which will allow the development of an exciting new chapter in cancer therapy, that of theranostics, over the next 10 years.”

Commenting on the awards, Trinity’s Dean of Research, Prof. Sinéad Ryan, described them as “significant and much-needed investments,” and commended the collaborative effort that led to the successful proposals. Interim CEO of Research Ireland, Celine Fitzgerald, also welcomed the announcement, noting that the programme is vital in fostering partnerships and ensuring Ireland’s research environment remains competitive and collaborative.

Minister Lawless praised the initiative, stating,

“This targeted investment in research infrastructure will help to future-proof the conducting of high-quality research endeavours across our higher education institutions and in a wide range of disciplines. It is important for researchers to be equipped with the innovative tools and the conducive environments that can help deliver research excellence and impact.”

With these awards, Trinity not only strengthens its position as a leader in scientific research but also contributes to the national goal of developing innovative, collaborative, and impactful research across Ireland.