More than €500,000 in funding allocated to Kildare research projects

Two research projects based in County Kildare have been awarded combined funding of more than €500,000 under the Research Ireland Collaborative Alliances for Societal Challenges (COALESCE) programme.

The programme, which supports research to address societal challenges across a broad range of disciplines, has allocated a total of €4.7million so far this year to 19 projects.

The two Kildare-based projects are both attached to Maynooth University (MU) — for the first one, Professor Özgür Bayram of the Department of Biology was awarded close to €317,000 for his project, an Irish-Vietnamese partnership with Van-Tuan Tran of Vietnam National University in Hanoi.

The project, titled 'Transforming Coffee Industry Waste into Sustainable Mycoprotein for Circular Economic Growth and a Better Environment', relates to the disposal of coffee side streams.

These streams pose an environmental threat, particularly in Vietnam, which according to MU, is the world's second-largest exporter of coffee.

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Specifically, MU explained: "Prof Bayram’s project aims to optimise fungal growth on diverse coffee side streams, converting them into fungal biomass for subsequent mycoprotein production.

"By investing in equipment infrastructure at Vietnam National University, this initiative not only addresses immediate environmental concerns but also lays the groundwork for sustainable food production in Vietnam."

Prof Özgür Bayram. Photograph credit: Maynooth University

In relation to the second project, Dr Barry Cannon of the Department of Sociology and Dr Josephy Timoney of Maynooth International Engineering College and the ALL Institute were awarded funding of nearly €220,000 for their project, 'Liberalism’s Shadow: Content, Impact and Response to Far Right discourse affecting racialised minorities, asylum seekers and refugees, LGBTQI+, women’s rights and working class communities during the 2024/25 electoral cycle in Ireland'.

According to MU, Dr Cannon and Dr Timoney’s project aims to "assess the extent to which far right positioning on these inequalities is shared, omitted or rejected across the political spectrum during the electoral period and to seek ways to ensure that Ireland continues to strive towards a more equal society for all regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity or class position". 

Dr Barry Cannon and Dr Joseph Timoney. Photograph credit: Maynooth University

Welcoming the awards, MU’s vice president for research and innovation, Prof Rachel Msetfi said that she was "delighted" to congratulate the researchers.

She continued: "These projects showcase the depth and breadth of groundbreaking research happening at Maynooth University."

"These awards also reflect our university’s commitment to addressing both local and global issues."

Prof Msetfi added: "I am particularly excited about our strong international collaborations, such as the environmental sustainability partnership with Vietnam, which not only enhance the depth of the research but also broaden its potential impact on a global scale."

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