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Researchers at University of Galway have secured prestigious funding support through the European Research Council (ERC) to progress projects on an AI-assisted clinical support tool and improve next-generation regenerative medicines. The awards are among 182 projects across Europe which have been awarded ERC Proof of Concept grants to explore the commercial or societal potential of their research. One project, iChatRD, will develop a user-centred clinical decision support system for the diagnosis of rare and inherited metabolic diseases. The second project, GeIEV, will develop a new hydrogel technology that could significantly improve the delivery of next-generation regenerative medicine for tissue injury. The European Research Council Proof of Concept scheme is funded under Horizon Europe, the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation. iChatRD has been awarded a grant of €150,000 and will run for 18 months. The AI-assisted, fully transparent clinical decision support tool suggests expert-level rare disease diagnoses from unstructured patient descriptions within seconds. The overall goal of the project is to translate the research prototype into a practical, clinically relevant tool, which is also aligned with regulatory requirements and market needs. The team will develop ChatRD2.0 through best practices in engaged research, working side by side with metabolic disease specialists, paediatricians, and frontline clinicians to ensure the tool is shaped by the people who will actually use it. The project is led by Professor Ines Thiele and Research Fellow, Dr Cyrille Thinnes from the School of Medicine, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences and the Digital Metabolic Twin Centre at the University of Galway. Dr Cyrille Thinnes, University of Galway, said: “For patients with rare diseases, reaching a diagnosis can take years and involve consultations with a dozen or more physicians. This funding gives us the opportunity to turn ChatRD, currently a research tool, into something clinicians can, and want to, use in their daily practice. Our goal is to put a reliable decision support system in the hands of the doctor who sees a patient on day one, not year five. Crucially, every suggestion ChatRD produces is fully explainable, so the clinician can see exactly why a disease was flagged, which we believe is essential for fostering trust in AI-assisted medicine.” Professor Ines Thiele, University of Galway, said: “When exploring avenues for translating our fundamental research on digital metabolic twins into patient-focused applications, we kept encountering a major challenge: the richest clinical information exists as free text: the language of a human, not of a computer. ChatRD bridges this gap, by enabling metabolic modelling and natural language work together to suggest candidate diagnoses for inherited metabolic diseases. The ERC Proof of Concept grant now helps us take ChatRD into the real world, by working directly with clinicians to help shorten the diagnostic odyssey that may burden rare disease patients for years.” The second project, GelEV has been awarded a grant of €150,000 and will run for 18 months. It will focus on the development of a new technology that could significantly improve the delivery of next-generation regenerative medicines for tissue injury. The project aims to validate a novel hydrogel designed to deliver extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny particles secreted by cells, allowing them to work more effectively. The project is led by principal investigator Dr Meadhbh Brennan and technical lead Dr Hannah Aris from the School of Engineering at University of Galway. Dr Meadhbh Brennan, School of Engineering, University of Galway, said: “By creating a delivery platform compatible with a wide range of EV therapies, the GelEV ERC proof-of-concept project has the potential to accelerate the development of new treatments for tissue injury indications, while supporting the growing extracellular vesicles therapeutics industry.” Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said: “Many of today's innovations begin with a researcher asking a fundamental question. These 182 projects show that curiosity-driven science and real-world impact go hand in hand. With Proof of Concept funding, ERC researchers can test how their discoveries could become new treatments, technologies, services or solutions that benefit people across Europe.” Ends

The Dr Karen Guinee Library at University of Galway is to receive special funding from EBSCO Information Services to support the advancement of renewable energy and sustainability initiatives. The 2026 EBSCO Solar Grant programme is an annual initiative which supports libraries and educational institutions pursuing solar energy projects that reduce environmental impact, lower operating costs and create new opportunities for sustainability education and community engagement. University of Galway is among five libraries and academic institutions across three continents to receive funding as part of the 2026 EBSCO Solar Grant programme to advance renewable energy and sustainability initiatives. The funding will offset the cost of solar panel installation. The installation of solar panels in the Dr Karen Guinee Library builds on University-wide progress that has already seen energy efficiency improve by more than 50% across campus. It also supports the ambitions of the University's Sustainability Strategy 2026–2030, which sets out a vision for a carbon-neutral, nature-positive and healthy university. University of Galway has been recognised nationally and internationally for its sustainability leadership, including ranked #1 in Ireland in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings for the fifth year, as well as top 3 in the EU and top 100 in the world. The University has also renewed its AASHE STARS Gold rating for sustainability. Monica Crump, University Librarian, said: “University of Galway has been recognised as an SDG Ambassador by the Irish government due to our commitment to sustainability and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. That commitment has been strongly reflected in the design of our new library - the Dr Karen Guinee Library.    “We are delighted to have the support of EBSCO Information Services through the EBSCO Solar grant to ensure solar energy is a key component of the sustainability of our new building. We look forward to inspiring our students with the sustainability story of the Dr Karen Guinee Library when we open in 2027.” The addition of solar energy at the Dr Karen Guinee Library will support the University’s ambitious environmental goals and help power a next-generation learning and research space that will serve students, faculty and the wider community for decades to come. EBSCO is a leading provider of research databases, e-journal and e-package subscription management, book collection development and acquisition management, and a major provider of library technology, e-books and clinical decision solutions. Other recipients to share in the total funding package of $300,000 are Black River Falls Public Library in Black River Falls, Wisconsin; Cornwall Public Library in Cornwall, New York; Newburgh Chandler Public Library in Newburgh, Indiana; and Lupane State University in Lupane, Zimbabwe.  Ends    

University of Galway has today announced Professor Becky Whay has been appointed Deputy President and Registrar. Professor Whay takes on the role on a permanent basis having served in an interim position since September 2024. The appointment was confirmed by the University’s Governing Authority - Údarás na hOllscoile. President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn, said: “Professor Whay brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role of Deputy President and Registrar, along with a deep commitment to University of Galway’s mission and values, having acted in an Interim capacity since September 2024. “Professor Whay has a distinguished academic record as a researcher and educator and having served previously as Vice President International, her understanding of the higher education landscape at home and abroad will be of great benefit.” Deputy President and Registrar, Professor Whay, said: “It is a genuine privilege to be appointed as Deputy President and Registrar here at University of Galway. I look forward to the opportunities as well as the challenges ahead as we work to deliver on our strategy ‘Of Galway – for the World’. I’m absolutely committed to supporting our academics and ensuring the highest standards for our students, as well as being instrumental in the continuing development of our university for the public good.”    Bio of Professor Whay As Deputy President and Registrar, Professor Whay is a member of the University Management Team and Academic Council; deputises for the President in his absence; and has overarching responsibility for academic strategy and quality, academic promotions, complex organisational transformation projects and is the University’s sustainability champion.  Professor Becky Whay joined University of Galway in 2019 when appointed Vice-President International. In May 2024, she was reappointed to that role for a second term, with much of the focus on leading out on our International Strategy, which is central to the University of Galway Strategy 2030 and on the second phase of the European University Alliance- ENLIGHT.  In September 2024, Professor Whay was appointed to the role of Deputy President and Registrar on an interim basis.  In this interim role Professor Whay has provided continuity through a period of significant change, has provided leadership for a number of complex projects and has set the direction for the ongoing delivery of flagship successes including maintaining the university’s leading position in sustainability, the building of the new Dr Karen Guinee Library and establishing an Organisational Transformation Office. Professor Becky Whay previously worked at the University of Bristol, which is part of the prestigious Russell Group of universities and is ranked 57th in the world under the QS World Rankings and 5th in the UK for Research. She also held the post of Director of Internationalisation for the Faculty of Health Sciences at University of Bristol, a large, research-intensive faculty supporting the University’s medical, dental and veterinary schools. At the same time, she shared the Head of School responsibilities for Bristol Veterinary School and led the School through a period of substantial change culminating in a successful bid for American Veterinary Medical Association accreditation. Professor Whay has an international reputation for her research into dairy cattle and working equine welfare and works in areas of the world where human animal interdependency is critical to family livelihoods. She was the inaugural President of the International Society for the Study of Lameness in Ruminants and has Chaired the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association. In 2015, she was recipient of the CEVA Farm Animal Welfare of the Year award. Ends