Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has announced funding of €20million for 22 high-risk, high-reward research projects through the Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme.
The Tyndall awards are:
CALIBRATE-TMD: Comprehensive Accurate and Fast, Experimentally Calibrated Modelling Platform for Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides in Nanoelectronics (value of award: 1.2m);
Lead researcher Dr Farzan Gity and Co-PI Dr Lida Ansari are developing the first industry-ready simulation tool for TMD-based devices, enabling low-power electronics design. Using experimental data and machine learning, it will deliver accurate models. Intel provides materials and fabrication support, while Synopsys enables tool integration, accelerating the adoption of 2D materials and energy-efficient technologies.
GREEN-MONITORING: Innovative RF energy harvesting to develop battery-less supply chain monitoring system (value of award: 800k);
Dr Brendan O’Flynn and his team are developing a battery-free IoT sensing system for supply chain monitoring by harvesting energy from ambient 4G/5G signals. Using efficient energy-conversion circuits, sustainable materials, and low-cost manufacturing methods like 3D and inkjet printing, it promotes eco-friendly design while reducing reliance on disposable batteries and supporting sustainability goals.
Minister Lawless said:
“The 22 projects announced today under Research Ireland’s Frontiers for the Future Programme are ambitious in both scope and scale, spanning areas from pioneering cancer therapies to advancing a more sustainable and circular economy, and much more besides. The breadth of research being funded reflects the exceptional depth and diversity of talent across our research and innovation ecosystem. I congratulate all the awardees and wish them every success as they push the boundaries of knowledge and deliver meaningful innovation.”
Frontiers for the Future is a legacy programme inherited from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), and has played an important role in supporting ambitious, curiosity-driven scientific research with the potential to deliver transformative societal and economic impact. As a new agency, Research Ireland is reimagining and redeveloping the legacy programmes inherited from both SFI and the Irish Research Council (IRC) to reflect its broadened remit and the full diversity of disciplines now supported, as set out in our recently published Programme Plan.
Research initiatives funded under the Frontiers for the Future programme enable independent investigators to pursue bold ideas and innovative research over a four- to five-year period.
