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Two IT Carlow research projects have been shortlisted for the SFI-Defence Organisation Innovation Challenge.
Under the challenge, ten selected research teams will collaborate with the Defence Forces and compete for funding to develop solutions to a number of challenges identified by the Defence Organisation that are of broad relevance to society.
IT Carlow is the only institute of technology shortlisted for the initiative that carries €2.4million in funding.
Announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD, and Minister for Defence and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney TD, the funding will be available to develop solutions to challenges facing the Irish Defence Forces.
The two selected IT Carlow projects are: Alternative Fuel for Defence Forces (AltFuel4DF), led by Dr Ashish Vashishtha from engCORE in collaboration Dr Adriana Cunha Neves from enviroCORE, Dr Brian Casey from designCORE at IT Carlow, and Capt. Aoife Shanley, Corps of Engineers. Dr Rory Monaghan (at NUI Galway) is co-lead on the project, along with support of industry partners Barna Recycling, Galway, and Caribou BioFuels Inc.
Novel Mitigation of Water Ingress in Patrol Ships (CitArtIsAC) is led by Dr David Culliton from the engCORE research hub at IT Carlow, with Dr James Garland as the co-lead, while Dr Edmond Tobin, also IT Carlow, and Lt. Cmd. Clodagh McConnell, Irish Naval Services, are collaborating with the CitArtIsAC team.
The first project proposes a novel, scalable and portable Inclined Rotary Gasification system that converts various wastes from defence force sites to generate synthetic gaseous and liquid fuel. The technology will not only support the decarbonising efforts of defence force land, air, and naval vessels by offsetting the fossil fuel usages, but also provide strategic fuel reserve in case of national emergency. Furthermore, by tapping into waste from commercial entities, the technology can be scaled to provide society a pathway to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors such as long-distance freight, commercial aviation and maritime transport and heating.
The second project is an exciting opportunity for IT Carlow to combine artificial intelligence with smart technologies. The Irish Naval Service (INS), based on Haulbowline Island, Co Cork, employs a range of ships for coastal and offshore patrols. Notwithstanding an integral design, fluid ingress is a concern during some vessel operations. IT Carlow researchers will develop a unique, sophisticated solution, which will not only address this problem but will be based on a scalable design, facilitating adaptation for other applications. The solution will introduce long-term water ingress detection protocols (sensor data capture and analysis), novel prevention/reduction protocols, combined with effective fluid capture/transference and smart surface protection technologies for the affected vessels.
Dr Vashishtha commented, “I am really happy to lead such a broad team and collaborate with different experts at IT Carlow, NUI Galway and Defence Organisation as well as national and international industrial partners to support the decarbonising efforts of the Irish Defence Forces. With support from SFI-DefOrg Challenge funding, we would like to demonstrate that high impact, accelerated technology development can be possible with the efforts of a diverse team”.
Dr Culliton stated: “We are delighted to be offered the opportunity to work with SFI, the Irish Naval Service and the Dept. of Defence on this project. This is a significant but surmountable challenge. The solution will derive from the diverse expertise available in IT Carlow and will combine state-of-the-art intelligence systems with smart, responsive, environment-control technologies in a unique and novel format.”
The two IT Carlow projects will undergo a rigorous progress review after three months and up to five shortlisted teams will be provided with further funding of €200k to validate and prototype their proposed solutions. Finalists will then compete for the overall prize award of €1m.
Minister Harris commented, “This is a really exciting announcement that shows the value of a partnership between our research community and the Defence Forces. The innovation on display can help address existing and future challenges within our Defence Forces. The ten projects will be awarded funding to initiate their projects and one will secure €1 million in funding.”
Congratulating the shortlisted teams, Minister Coveney said, “From the time we launched this Challenge last July, I believed that it would confront emerging issues within the Defence Forces head-on, through the collaboration of leading researchers with the talented people behind our Defence Forces.
“At EU level, the role of innovation and disruptive technologies in delivering next generation military capability is already well recognised. I am looking forward to seeing the results that this synergy of innovators and practitioners under this challenge will undoubtedly generate for the Defence Forces going forward.”
Prof Philip Nolan, Director General, Science Foundation Ireland, said: “Challenge-based research funding empowers talented teams to address significant national and global challenges. This kind of collaboration between Government Departments, agencies such as the Defence Forces, companies, researchers, and entrepreneurs is just one of the ways science delivers real and tangible benefits for our society and economy.
“I want to commend each team on their hard work and dedication and wish them every success in the rest of the competition. Having this level of talent compete in this Challenge not only bodes well for this particular initiative but the future of scientific research more generally. I look forward to seeing the different solutions that develop as the competition continues.”
For more visit https://www.sfi.ie/challenges/defence/
Caption: Pictured at the Centre for Aerospace Studies at IT Carlow, from left: Dr Adriana Cunha Neves; Dr Ashish Vashishtha; Dr James Garland; Dr David Culliton.