In 2021, Insight set aside €350k of dedicated internal funding for stimulating new collaborations with the Institutes of Technology and the new Technological Universities.

The programme was enacted via an open call for proposals (CfP) issued to all PIs/FIs in Insight.  Proposals were independently and rigorously evaluated by a gender balanced team of senior experts drawn from across different HEIs and disciplines, ensuring no conflicts of interest. No members of the Insight Executive were involved in the evaluation. 

Here is a full list of the awarded projects:

AL4AI – Active Labelling for Artificial Intelligence
Proposers: Dr. Brian Mac Namee (UCD), Prof. Sarah Jane Delany (TU Dublin)
Description: The availability of a large corpus of labelled training data is a key component in developing effective machine learning models. This project will develop an online, open-source, extensible, active labelling platform that can be used for image and text data using state of the art active labeling techniques..

Consolidating multiple disease models at different scales. Learning from insights across institutions from the pandemic.
Proposers: Prof Cathal Walsh (UL), Prof Jim Duggan (NUIG), Dr Elizabeth Hunter (TU Dublin)
Description: This project will continue and consolidate the work of Insight investigators and TU Dublin collaborators who were involved in the Irish Epidemiological Advisory Group (IEMAG) and its response to the recent pandemic

Dementia Prediction – “DemenPred”
Proposers: Salvatore Tedesco (Tyndall), Dr. Julie Doyle (DkIT)
Description: Dementia results from a variety of diseases and injuries that primarily or secondarily affect the brain. This study will use the UK Biobank dataset to investigate small whether a small set of features including socio-demographics, self-reported health indications, and physical activity (from wearable sensors) can be used to predict dementia before it is currently diagnosed

GAA DIGTL: Data and Insights in a Gaelic Games Technological Landscape
Proposers: Dr. Denise McGrath (UCD), Prof Mark Roantree (DCU), Dr. Kieran Collins (TU Dublin), Denise Martin (TU Dublin), Padraig McGourty (IT Sligo).
Collaborators: UU, GAA
Description: The need for data and evidence to support the decision-making process at every level of sport has never been higher. This project will investigate digital transformation within the GAA ensuring that the rich data sets collected within the organisation can be effectively capitalised upon.

L2L: Enhancing Synchronous Interactions in Telecollaboration for Second Language Learning with Continued Self-reflection by Visualising Interactions
Proposers: Dr. M Liu (DCU), Dr. M Scriney (DCU), Dr. H Lee (DCU), Dr. A Dey-Plissonneau (DCU), Prof. A. Smeaton (DCU), Dr. P Molina (TU Dublin), O. Gabaudan (TU Dublin), Dr. S. Nocchi (TU Dublin), Dr. S. O’Shaughnessy (TU Dublin), N. Cazaux (TU Dublin)
Collaborators: University of Léon, Spain, (University of Valencia, Spain), University of Milan, Italy, University of Hildesheim, Germany, ICHEC Brussels Management School, Belgium), Inalco Plidam, Paris, France
Description: This project will further develop the L2L system, a web-based conversation visualisation system for second language learners, and pilot its deployment in multiple EU universities.

Models and algorithms for energy-efficient scheduling
Proposers: Dr. Michele Garraffa (UCC), Dr. Cemalettin Ozturk (MTU)
Description: This project will develop capabilities in the area of energy-efficient scheduling with a view to reducing energy consumption by optimizing the processes within industrial settings.

Safe and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in Medical Devices – a Regulatory-Friendly Framework
Proposers: Prof. Tomás Ward (DCU), Prof. Fergal McCaffrey (DkIT)
Collaborators: ASU Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, USA
Description: This project will enable safety-critical systems, specifically medical devices, to be able to utilize the benefits of using adaptive AI algorithms in a safe and regulated