RESEARCH & INNOVATION NEWS ........................................................................................
DCU research to examine the impact of sextortion and corruption UL research reveals runners who socialise with others before a race perform better THE many health benefits of running are well known, but new University of Limerick research has revealed that runners who socialise with other runners before an event tend to perform better. A study by researchers at UL and Oxford highlighting the benefit of sociality for running experiences and performances looked at participants in parkrun, a free weekly community-based 5km run that takes place in over 2,000 locations worldwide. The research team found that the social element of the weekly 5km event has significant benefits. Feeling included in the parkrun community and being social before the event (eg, chatting with friends) were both associated with higher enjoyment and increased energy levels during the 5km run. Further, the study found that increases in energy levels linked to feelings of social support and inclusion led to faster 5km run times (between 3 and 12 seconds faster, on average), with no corresponding increase in perceived effort.
Queen’s research show plastics threaten marine biodiversity NEW research at Queen’s University highlights the impact that microplastics are having on hermit crabs, which play an important role in balancing the marine ecosystem. The research found that microplastics are affecting the behaviour of hermit crabs, namely their ability during shell fight contests, which are vital to their survival. The new study builds on previous research by Queen’s University that showed hermit crabs were less likely to touch or enter high-quality shells when exposed to microplastics. 40 Education
DCU’s Anti-Corruption Research centre has been awarded €319,258.27 through the Irish Research Council to examine how sextortion kills entrepreneurship, innovation, and the escape from poverty. Sextortion is a form of corruption in which public officials use their public power to sexually exploit those whom they have power over. Like most forms of corruption, the burden falls particularly hard on those who are already vulnerable. The funding, to be awarded over three years, will be used to fund the project Corruption, Gender and Sustainable Development project (COGS), and will investigate previously unexplored ways in which corruption undermines gender equality, increases humanitarian need by closing off economic opportunity, and blocks climate action. Burden of corruption DCU’s research partner is Burkino Faso’s Université Norbert Zongo. COGS will carry out interviews with female entrepreneurs and politicians in Burkina Faso to under-
stand how sextortion and other forms of corruption can impose specific and extremely damaging costs on women seeking a career in business or politics. COGS will also analyse data collected from across Africa and the rest of the world to model how the burden of corruption falls most heavily on women. Data from Transparency International tells us that 20% of people in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa have either experienced sextortion themselves or know someone who has when accessing government services. In Ireland, the corresponding number is 4% - representing a lower but unacceptable level of suffering.
MU researchers awarded over €400,000 in IRC COALESCE funding MAYNOOTH University humanities projects have been awarded a combined grant of €403,000 as part of the Irish Research Council COALESCE research fund to confront societal challenges. The funding has been awarded to Dr Richard Roche, Department of Psychology, and to Dr David Doyle, Department of Law. The projects will explore the benefits of tailored interventions to cognition, memory
and psychological health, and the ethics of patent law in the case of de-extinct animals. The COALESCE fund is run by the Irish Research Council under the Collaborative Alliances for Societal Challenges (COALESCE) programme. A total €5.3 million was allocated amongst 21 successful projects that will address key national and global societal issues.
Taoiseach opens new €6.7m NovaUCD expansion A N E W €6 . 7 m i l l i o n e x p a n s i o n o f NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin, has been opened by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD. The project saw the renovation and expansion of NovaUCD’s East Courtyard, increasing the hub’s capacity to house hightech start-ups by over 50% - meaning more than 450 founders and their teams can be supported by NovaUCD. The new facility also includes 20+ business units and laboratories and a new co-working space. Since opening in 2003 NovaUCD has developed a range of comprehensive business support programmes, including
Professor Orla Feely, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD and Tom Flanagan, UCD Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation
accelerator programmes, and a peer-support ecosystem of experienced mentors, founders, alumni, investors and sponsors, of entrepreneurs at NovaUCD and across the UCD campus.
