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The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, and Minister for Defence and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, today (Thursday) announced €2.4 million in funding to develop disruptive solutions to challenges facing the Irish Defence Forces.
10 research teams have been shortlisted for the SFI-Defence Organisation Innovation Challenge. These teams will collaborate with the Defence Forces and compete for funding to develop disruptive solutions to a number of challenges identified by the Defence Organisation that are of broad relevance to society.
Ideas include a portable device that detects biological agents, AI technology to assist the Irish Air Corps fight wildfires, reducing the carbon footprint of its vehicle fleet to a novel prototype marine electric motor and a co-operative system that will allow a human controller and robot to work together to manoeuvre aircraft.
Speaking today, Minister Harris said:
“This is a really exciting announcement. Today’s announcement shows the value of a partnership between our research community and the Defence Forces. The innovation on display can help address existing and future challenges within our Defence Forces.
“There is a myriad of innovative ideas and expertise from machine learning and virtual reality to data analytics, engineering, and robotics. Today, the ten projects will be awarded funding to initiate their projects and one will secure €1 million in funding.”
Congratulating the shortlisted teams, Minister Coveney said:
“From the time we launched this challenge last July, I believed that it would confront emerging issues within the Defence Forces head-on, through the collaboration of leading researchers with the talented people behind our Defence Forces.
“At EU level, the role of innovation and disruptive technologies in delivering next generation military capability is already well recognised. I am looking forward to seeing the results that this synergy of innovators and practitioners under this challenge will undoubtedly generate for the Defence Forces going forward.”
Prof Philip Nolan, Director General, Science Foundation Ireland, said:
“Challenge-based research funding empowers talented teams to address significant national and global challenges. This kind of collaboration between Government Departments, agencies such as the Defence Forces, companies, researchers, and entrepreneurs is just one of the ways science delivers real and tangible benefits for our society and economy.
“I want to commend each team on their hard work and dedication and wish them every success in the rest of the competition. Having this level of talent compete in this Challenge not only bodes well for this particular initiative but the future of scientific research more generally. I look forward to seeing the different solutions that develop as the competition continues.”
Science Foundation Ireland Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is the national foundation for investment in research in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which assists in the development and competitiveness of industry, enterprise and employment in Ireland. It also promotes and supports STEM education and engagement to improve awareness and understanding of the value of STEM to society and to support the STEM careers pipeline.
We believe that scientific knowledge and understanding benefit the whole of society and the economy – join the conversation online at #BelieveInScience on Twitter at @scienceirel . See the Science Foundation Ireland website for more information.
The Department of Defence and Defence Forces make up the Defence Organisation.
About the SFI-Defence Organisation Innovation Challenge
Challenge-based funding is a solution-focused approach to research funding that uses prizes, strict timelines, teamwork and competition to direct research activities at ambitious societal problems.
The Challenge consists of three phases: Concept, Seed and Prize Award. 10 successful teams were today awarded funding to initiate their projects. They will then undergo a rigorous progress review after 3 months and up to 5 shortlisted teams will be provided with further funding of €200k to validate and prototype their proposed solutions. Finalists will then compete for the overall prize award of €1m.
The teams are drawn from various disciplines, including computer science, mechanical engineering, and natural sciences. They bring forward a myriad of innovative ideas and expertise from machine learning and virtual reality to data analytics, engineering, and robotics.
For more visit the SFI Challenge website.
| Team Name | MENTOR |
| Lead | Dr Brian Mac Namee (University College Dublin) |
| Co-Lead | Dr Anna Donnla O Hagan (Dublin City University) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Lt Niall Dungan (Irish Air Corps) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Machine Learning & Virtual Reality for Sustainable & Effective Pilot Training |
| Solution | The power of machine learning and virtual reality will be harnessed to deliver more effective and more environmentally sustainable pilot training |
| Team Name | Fire Fly |
| Lead | Dr Gavin McArdle (University College Dublin) |
| Co-Lead | Dr Michela Bertolotto (University College Dublin) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Comdt David Mackey (Irish Air Corps) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the fire extinguishing capability of rotary-wing aircraft |
| Solution | An innovative online Decision Support System (DSS) will be developed consisting of tools for data ingestion, aggregation, analysis, and visualisation, to enhance aerial firefighting |
| Team Name | CoPilot-AI |
| Lead | Prof Tim McCarthy (Maynooth University) |
| Co-Lead | Prof John MacDonald (Maynooth University) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Comdt Jay O'Reilly (Irish Air Corps) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the fire extinguishing capability of rotary-wing aircraft |
| Solution | Using Earth Observation and Artificial Intelligence technologies, a new system capable of providing real-time information to responders in the air and on the ground will be developed to assist in managing wild fires |
| Team Name | AltFuel4DF |
| Lead | Dr Ashish Vashishtha (Institute of Technology, Carlow) |
| Co-Lead | Dr Rory Monaghan (National University of Ireland, Galway) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Capt Aoife Shanley (Corps of Engineers) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | AltFuel4DF: Portable and Scalable Waste to Synthetic Biofuel Technology Demonstrator to Decarbonise Defence Force Transport |
| Solution | A novel, scalable and portable Inclined Rotary Gasifier system will be developed to convert waste to gaseous and liquid fuel |
| Team Name | MISTRAL |
| Lead | Prof Holger Claussen (Tyndall National Institute) |
| Co-Lead | Dr Boris Galkin (Trinity College Dublin) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Capt Ken Lyons (CIS Corps) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Aerial Communication System |
| Solution | MISTRAL will develop a network of flying, automated drones to provide reliable communications for humanitarian and peacekeeping missions |
| Team Name | itCArtIsAC |
| Lead | Dr David Culliton (IT Carlow) |
| Co-Lead | Dr James Garland (IT Carlow) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Lt Cmdr Clodagh McConnell (Irish Naval Service) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Prevention and detection of water ingress to offshore patrol vessels |
| Solution | Machine learning techniques coupled with sensor data will be used to detect, monitor and predict the effects of water ingress on vessels |
| Team Name | SafeGuard-Bio |
| Lead | Prof Lokesh Joshi (National University of Ireland) |
| Co-Lead | Dr Stephen Cunningham (National University of Ireland) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Detection of multiple biological agents |
| Solution | A novel, rapid, inexpensive and portable device will be developed that allows for the detection and discrimination of multiple biological agents relevant to security and public health |
| Team Name | Electro-Marine |
| Lead | Prof Denis Dowling (University College Dublin) |
| Co-Lead | Dr Owen Humphreys (University College Dublin) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Lt Cmdr David Memery (Irish Naval Service) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Light-weight, high efficiency, electric propulsion solution for enabling zero emissions marine transport |
| Solution | Marine vessels have a large environmental impact through CO2 emissions and other forms of pollution. Electro-Marine will develop a novel prototype marine electric motor and demonstrate its use on rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) |
| Team Name | ECHEM SENSE | |
| Lead | Dr Robert Johnson (University College Dublin) | |
| Co-Lead | Prof Seamus Fanning (University College Dublin) | |
| DefOrg Liaison | Lt Col Anthony Corcoran (Medical Corps) | |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Robust and Reusable Biosensors | |
| Solution | Food poisoning and gastro-intestinal viruses are health risks that can significantly affect the operational capabilities of organisations like the Defence Forces. ECHEM SENSE will develop a new type of reusable biosensor, capable of detecting multiple food pathogens, in low resource environments. |
| Team Name | SMART HANGAR |
| Lead | Prof Rozenn Dahyot (Maynooth University) |
| Co-Lead | Dr Marco Cognetti (Maynooth University) |
| DefOrg Liaison | Capt Tom Mullarkey (Irish Air Corps) |
| Challenge/Disruptive Ideas | Cyber-physical system to assist in, or potentially automate, manoeuvring of aircraft between a hangar and apron |
| Solution | Smart Hangar will develop a co-operative system that will allow a human controller and robot to work together to manoeuvre aircraft |