Agenda

Delegate Networking and Virtual Poster Showcase

Opening address by Simon Harris TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Welcome and opening address by Prof Mark Ferguson, Director General, Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland

Q&A moderated by Dr Claire O’Connell, Irish Times

Global Response – Covid-19 Research

A discussion on the latest Scientific Research into Covid-19 across the world – vaccines, treatment, infection rates and more.

Chair: Dr Ruth Freeman – Director of Science for Society, SFI

• Dr Michael Ryan – Executive Director, World Health Organization
• Prof Aideen Long – Clinical Medicine, Trinity College Dublin
• Dr Fidelma Fitzpatrick – Consultant Microbiologist, Beaumont Hospital and Director, Undergraduated Medicine Programme, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.
• Prof Philip Nolan, President of Maynooth University and Chair of the COVID-19 Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group (IEMAG)

Panel Discussion: The collaborative research response to Covid-19

Coming together in a crisis – a discussion on the collaborative research response and lessons we can take forward into a new research and education ecosystem

Chair: Dr Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy Director General of SFI

Co-Chair: Dr. Peter Clifford, Head of Strategy, SFI

• Mr Jim Breslin, Secretary General, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
• Prof Kerstin Mey, President, University Limerick
• Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, Chief Executive Officer, Health Research Board
• Prof Colm Bergin, Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases, St James’s Hospital, Clinical Professor of Medicine, TCD, Associate Director, Wellcome-Health Research Board (HRB) Clinical Research Facility, St. James’s Hospital Dublin.

Workshop 1 – Effects of COVID-19 on our research community from an equality and diversity perspective

Led by the SFI Research Policy and SFI Research Centres Teams

This workshop will focus on the effects of COVID-19 on our research community. Participants will be invited to share their experiences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on challenges facing protected minority groups (as outlined in Irish legislation, e.g. sexual orientation, family status, gender, travelling community etc.). This workshop will help us to illuminate the challenges and try to brainstorm potential solutions.

Dr. Marie-Victoire Guillot-Sestier, Assistant Professor in Physiology, School of Medicine in Trinity College Dublin
Lorraine Gallagher, Information & Training Officer, AHEAD
Marie Lyons, Vice President for Equality and Citizenship, Union of Students in Ireland
Dr. Shaun O’Boyle, Science Communicator, shaunoboyle.org
Dr. Amanullah De Sondy, Head of the Study of Religions Department and Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Islam at University College, Ireland
Prof. Kalpana Shankar, Professor of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin
Dr. Janine Bosak, Professor in Work and Organisational Psychology and Director of Research of the Leadership and Talent Institute at DCU.
Dr. Fatima Gunning, Head of Graduate Studies & EPE, Tyndall National Institute
Prof. Jesus Frias Celayeta, Academic Leader of the Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute, TU Dublin

Workshop 2 – Economy – Recovery

Led by the SFI Economy Directorate Team

This workshop will focus on providing insights into engaging industry and growing and managing industry partnerships.

Industry representatives will share their experiences on partnering with academia on a research programme. This will be followed by a panel discussion on role of academic-industry partnerships in the context of economic recovery, with focus on insights on engaging industry, growing collaborations, and supports to enable partnerships of scale.  Featuring:
• Medb Corcoran – Managing Director, Accenture Labs
• Mike Morrissey – Technology Manager, Analog Devices
• Jenny Roper – Head of Intellectual Property, Precision Biotics
• Eamon O’Neill, Senior Principal Engineer, DePuy Synthes/ J&J
• Aisling McEvoy – Head of Enterprise Partnerships, SFI

Chaired by Aoife Ryan – Enterprise Partnerships, SFI

Dr Marion Boland, Head of SFI Research Policy

Dr Gemma Irvine, Vice-President of Equality & Diversity, Maynooth University

Prof Merrilyn Goos, Director of EPI*STEM, the National Centre for STEM Education, University of Limerick

Dr Shaun O’Boyle, Science Communicator, Founder of House of STEM and the International Day of LGBTQ+ People in STEM

Delegate Networking and Virtual Poster Showcase

An All-Island Approach to Research

This panel discussion will explore how an all-island approach could be used to address issues such the climate crisis, disease, and the impact of Brexit.

Chair: Dr Siobhan Roche, Director of Science for the Economy, SFI

• Prof Emma Flynn, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Queens University Belfast

• Prof Brian MacCraith, former President, Dublin City University

• Claire McGee, Head of Education and Innovation Policy, IBEC

Delegate Networking and Virtual Poster Showcase

Technology for Good

The Technology for Good session will bring together national and international experts to discuss how STEM and the latest advances in research are creating societal good and positive differences in people’s lives.

Chair: Dr Lisa Higgins, Head of Challenge Research, SFI

• Keynote address: Prof Neville Hogan, Sun Jae Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and winner of the SFI St Patricks Day Science Medal 2020
• Keynote address: Dr Ann Kelleher, Senior vice-president and general manager OF Manufacturing and Operations at Intel, Oregon, and winner of the SFI St Patricks Day Science Medal 2020
• Dr Mary Higgins, Associate Professor, School of Medicine, UCD and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist; Maternal Fetal Medicine Sub-specialist, National Maternity Hospital
• Prof Mike Zaworotko, SFI Research Professor and Bernal Chair of Crystal Engineering, University Limerick, Co-Director SSPC SFI Research
• Dr Anthony Ventresque, Assistant Professor, School of Computer Science, University College Dublin, Funded Investigator with Lero, the SFI Research Centre for Irish Software

Announcement of the winners of the 2020 SFI Awards including SFI Research Image of the Year and the SFI Researcher of the Year 2020.

Delegate Networking and Virtual Poster Showcase

Workshop 3 – Peer Review Process and the Gold Standard Practices

Led by the SFI Individual-led Research Team

Featuring speakers, Dr Claartje Vinkenburg, an independent consultant and researcher in gender and ethnic diversity in research careers, Prof. Stephen Curry, structural biology and Assistant Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Imperial college London as well as Chair of the DORA steering committee, and Ms Dipti Pandya, Senior Manager of Research Programmes at the University College Dublin, Vice Chair of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA) Policy and Representation Committee, and key stakeholder in the implementation and evaluation of Horizon Europe. This workshop will focus on the peer review process and the gold standard practices and potential Improvements for the Irish research community. Drawing on their breadth of experience the panel will discuss all things peer review including, gender, diversity and inclusion in academia, DORA principles as well as unconscious bias.

Workshop 4 – Writing and publishing your book – reaching a wider public

Chair: Dr Claire O’Connell (Irish Times) will talk to scientists and science communicators about their journey to publishing books for the general market, with audience Q&A.

Featuring Prof Luke O’Neill (Chair, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, TCD),  Dr Niamh Shaw (CEO of Dream Big, Space and Science Communications), Prof Fergus Shanahan (APC Founding Director, Chair of Dept. Medicine, UCC) and Seán O’Keeffe, Publisher, Liberties Press.

Workshop 5 – Epidemiological Modelling – New Dimensions and Opportunities in Ireland – led by the SFI Challenge Research Team

Epidemiological modelling has played a critical role in the management of Ireland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This workshop will bring together a number of international and national experts to discuss the challenges faced in epidemiological modelling, the opportunities that new types of datasets and methodologies present, and explore how Ireland’s research ecosystem can contribute to the development of this important field.

Workshop 6 – Open Access Research – led by the SFI Research Policy Team

This interactive workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss how Open Research / Science has the potential to transform the dissemination of research outputs by removing journal paywalls, as well as improving the culture surrounding research assessment by reducing the over-reliance on journal metrics. Speakers and participants will be invited to discuss a range of Open Science initiatives (Plan S, Transformative Agreements, Open Science Platforms, DORA) that will impact the publishing landscape, and what this means for the research community and public at large.