Prof John Cryan, Dr Pamela Byrne, Prof Paul Ross, Oonagh Cahalane and Brendan Curran launch the Inspire fellowship programme. Image: UCC
The APC Microbiome fellowship is aimed at experienced researchers and could potentially impact the pharma, medical and food sectors.
APC Microbiome has launched a new fellowship programme to tackle challenges facing global food systems and health.
The Inspire fellowship scheme at the Science Foundation Ireland research centre is co-funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions programme.
A total of €2.9m will be provided for 20 postdoctoral research fellowships with APC Microbiome in its base at University College Cork (UCC) or in any of its other partner institutions.
The fellows will undertake research projects across a variety of areas of microbiome science to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals around health and food.
“Never in our time has sustainability been so important,” said Dr Pamela Byrne, chair of the APC Microbiome Ireland governance committee and CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
“Inspire addresses the huge challenges that we face globally, building a talent pool to ensure that we have skilled scientific researchers equipped and agile to meet the needs we will face in the coming years.
“APC Microbiome Ireland has a proven record of groundbreaking research targeting the grand challenges of our time.”
Prof Paul Ross, director of APC Microbiome Ireland, added that the research of the fellowship’s awardees could have “potential impact in the pharmaceutical, medical and food sectors”.
Earlier this month, Ross was awarded €2.5m by the EU to investigate alternatives to antibiotics as a way of countering the problem of antimicrobial resistance.
The Inspire fellowship is aimed at experienced researchers. It will provide awardees with industry placement experience as well as a tailor-made research and career development training plan. This aims to give researchers transferable skills to meet the needs of the academic, NGO and industry sectors.
More information about the Inspire fellowship programme is available on UCC’s website.
10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.
