Research excellence highlighted at MTU Innovation Awards
Innovations in battery optimisation, methane detection and portable air quality analysis were among the research areas that were celebrated at a Cork university recently.
Munster Technological University (MTU) celebrated a year of innovation at its fourth annual Innovation Awards, held at the Nimbus Research Centre. The event recognised the outstanding achievements of staff who have contributed to innovation, invention, and impactful partnerships with industry throughout 2024.
The Innovation Awards are a central part of MTU’s commitment to fostering a culture of creativity and commercialisation. They highlight the university’s role in driving regional and national economic progress through research excellence and impact.
“These awards are more than just recognition, they’re a celebration of the ingenuity and dedication of our research community,” said Josette O’Mullane, Innovation and Enterprise Manager at MTU. “Our partnerships with industry are growing, and the projects we’re supporting today are shaping the technologies and solutions of tomorrow.”
This year’s awards featured four categories, judged by a panel of experts from the University of Limerick, Atlantic Technological University, and MTU.
Best Overall Invention Disclosure Form (IDF):
Awarded to researchers led by Dr Conor Lynch from the Nimbus Research Centre where they developed has developed a system for automatic battery schedule optimisation. This system produces schedules for charge/discharge cycles of a given set of batteries. These schedules are automatically optimised to minimise overall operations cost and CO2 based on forecasts of fluctuating electricity prices.
Best Technical IDF:
Presented to the researcher Dr William Whelan Curtin at the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Process Analysis for his work on a gas analyser for fugitive methane detection which will be exceptionally lightweight, compact and robust. This system has significantly lower costs than the current state of the art LAS based analysers.
Industry Research Collaboration Award:
Awarded to the research team led by Juan Franciso Martinez at the Nimbus Research Centre and their industry partner, AA Medtech, for their project on a portable device that can capture and analyse the air quality in the vicinity of the user. It provides information on exposure to trace gases in a clinical environment.
Innovator Achievement Award:
Presented to Dr James Gaffey, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research and innovation, particularly his leading role in many EU and nationally funded circular bioeconomy research projects. Much of his research focus is on demonstrating, scaling and understanding the impacts of green biorefinery technologies in the sustainable production of proteins, bio-based materials, and bioenergy from grasses, legumes, and green plant residues.
Dr Gaffey commented: “Sustainability is no longer a choice it’s a necessity. Through research and innovation, we have the opportunity to create solutions that not only drive economic growth but also protect our planet for future generations. I’m honoured to receive this award, and I’m proud to be part of a community that’s committed to making a real difference.”
MTU secured €1.2m funding for knowledge transfer from Enterprise Ireland’s KT Boost programme, marking a key milestone for the University in driving socio-economic growth through research commercialisation and collaboration with enterprise.
The KT Boost Programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.