Research & Innovation

Marie-Louise Coolahan from the National University of Ireland, Galway and Martin Albrecht from University College Dublin are amongst the top researchers in Europe to be selected for the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant award. These grants worth €2 million each will enable the researchers to consolidate their own teams and to further develop their best ideas.

Dr Coolahan won her grant for a Social Sciences and Humanities project entitled ‘The Reception and Circulation of Early Modern Women’s Writing, 1550-1700’.

Dr Coolahan explains: “The research will help us to better understand the impact made by women’s writing – that is to say, what was read, by whom, and how it was received. I am absolutely delighted to have been selected for this EU funding – it will amount to almost €2 million over the next 5 years and will enable me to recruit 5 postdoctoral researchers to form a research team working on this important topic at NUI Galway.”

Professor Albrecht won his grant for a project in the field of Physical Sciences and Engineering entitled ‘Exploiting Synergistic Properties of Mesoionic Carbene Complexes: Teaching Rusty Metals Challenging Catalysis’.

Prof Albrecht says: “This funding, of €2 million, will enable me to continue my research and to explore sustainable pathways for the efficient production of pharmaceutical drugs and for energy storage. I have been based in UCD for the last 5 years and this is where the foundation for this project was built, getting this grant means that I am able to continue my research here in UCD for another 5 years with the help of 12 researchers/post docs that I will hire in the very near future to assist me.”

European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn says: “These researchers are doing ground-breaking work that will advance our knowledge and make a difference to society. The ERC is supporting them at a key moment where funding is often hard to come by: when they need to move forward in their career and develop their own research and teams.”