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iCircular3 – Digitalising the circular economy

iCircular3 – Digitalising the circ...

by Brigid Burke

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

The €2.56M iCircular3 project, led by University College Dublin, aims to digitalise the circular economy in robotics, Electric Vehicles, and power tools. Funded by Horizon Europe’s MSCA programme, it trains nine researchers to develop tools and frameworks for sustainable industry practices. Solutions like sensor upgrades and battery reuse to support EU climate and circularity goals are focus areas of the project.

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Irish Success in ERC Starting Grants

Irish Success in ERC Starting Grants

by Eva Cummins

European Research Council

In September, the European Research Council announced its latest Starting Grant recipients, including seven researchers from Irish universities. With a combined value exceeding €10.8 million across four institutions, the funded projects span diverse disciplines, from medieval genomics and social history to pain research and the evolution of memory, reflecting Ireland’s strong research excellence and interdisciplinary ambition.

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European Research Council: Highlights, Transformative Changes and Future Directions

European Research Council: Highlights, T...

by Eva Cummins

European Research Council

With the 2026 European Research Council work programme due for adoption and publication in July, spring and early summer have brought multiple updates on current and future ERC calls. Following late-stage amendments to the 2025 programme, notable new features are expected in 2026, with further significant changes already signalled for implementation in 2027 across funding schemes and strategic priorities overall.

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Ireland’s MSCA Success: €110m Secured and New Opportunities Ahead in Horizon Europe

Ireland’s MSCA Success: €110m Secured an...

by Eva Cummins

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Ireland has had an impressive track record in MSCA success. In Horizon 2020, Ireland’s MSCA drawdown was €196.5 million and, to date, over €110m in MSCA funding has been secured by Ireland-based institutions under Horizon Europe. Excellent resources have been created to support applicants and increased national participation means that examples of case studies with Ireland-based researchers are plentiful.

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Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Why we need them and what they can do for you!

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Why we n...

by Eva Cummins

Excellent Science

Through the MSCA programme, the European Union has supported more than 150,000 researchers with many more benefiting from these highly prestigious grants. Behind this investment is the motivation from the EU to build a strong and creative research-based human capital, with the right combination of skills to be able to detect and tackle current challenges of our time, and indeed those future challenges that we don’t even know about yet.

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