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Excellent Research

SFI supports and drives Ireland’s contribution to the latest scientific breakthroughs which lead to innovation for academia, enterprise, the public sector, government, society and beyond

Publications and Citations

In 2022, SFI-funded Researchers continued to publish world-leading scientific research, with 5,248 publications reported. SFI-funded publications are 2.4 times more likely to be star publications than the global average, based on publications in the top 1% of most cited publications, globally. The Irish national average is 1.9.

image of an open book with a text: 5,248 publications reported in 2022
Chairman of the SFI Board, Prof J. Peter Clinch, with SFI Researcher of the Year and Head of the Academic Unit of Neurology (TCD), Prof Orla Hardiman, Professor of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry (TCD), Wolfgang Schmitt, and Director General of SFI, Prof Philip Nolan.

SFI Researcher of the Year 2022

Professor of Neurology and Head of the Academic Unit of Neurology at TCD, Orla Hardiman, was recognised as the 2022 SFI Researcher of the Year. A world-leading researcher in Motor Neuron Disease (MND), particularly Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), her work has improved how clinicians diagnose and treat this disease.
Prof Hardiman is also lead investigator for a €10 million ‘precision medicine’ collaborative research programme, called Precision ALS, which  combines applied clinical research with cutting-edge data science, to realise the power of artificial intelligence (AI) towards new drug development in Motor Neuron Disease. She is a Principal Investigator at the FutureNeuro SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases and the ADAPT SFI Research Centre for AI-driven Digital Content Technology. She is also the founder and director of the National ALS/MND Clinical and Research Programme, and the HSE National Clinical Lead for Neurology.

Pictured left: Chairman of the SFI Board, Prof J. Peter Clinch, with SFI Researcher of the Year and Head of the Academic Unit of Neurology (TCD), Prof Orla Hardiman, Professor of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry (TCD), Wolfgang Schmitt, and Director General of SFI, Prof Philip Nolan.

Headshot of Prof John D. Kelleher from the ADAPT SFI Research Centre

New Research for Stroke Prediction in Younger People

Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks the blood flow in an artery in the brain. It is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. New research by Dr Elizabeth Hunter and Professor John D. Kelleher from the ADAPT SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology at Maynooth University has led to novel prediction models that are more accurate at identifying people under 60 with a high risk of stroke. The research forms part of the Horizon 2020 research project, Precise4Q, which as a novel platform, has the potential to impact millions of people at high risk of ischemic stroke and will pave the way for the prediction and treatment of ischemic stroke in unprecedented ways for younger populations.

Pictured right: Prof John D. Kelleher from the ADAPT SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology at Maynooth University.

Picture of Dr Sarah Guerin, Funded Investigator in the SSPC SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, hosted by UL.

Taking the Lead on Responsive Crystals

Dr Sarah Guerin is a computational biophysicist with a deep understanding of molecular structures, and with the support of SFI and ERC funding, she is discovering new and responsive crystalline biomolecules that can replace lead in existing technologies and open up new applications for organic sensors. At the core of her work are piezoelectric crystals, tiny structures that generate electricity under physical pressure. Such crystals currently lie inside many everyday and medical technologies, from barbecue lighters and musical birthday cards, to cardiac pacemakers and nebulisers that deliver aerosolised medicines - but they contain lead zirconium titanate (PZT), which poses health and environmental issues.
Dr Guerin holds an SFI-IRC Pathway Programme award to develop a greener approach to sensors.  “The SFI-IRC and ERC grants have enabled me to set up the Actuate Lab at the Bernal Institute in Limerick,” she says.“And today we are using our modelling techniques to guide the development of these biomolecular crystals as reliable, solid-state sensors that don’t cost the earth.”

Pictured left: Dr Sarah Guerin, Funded Investigator in the SSPC SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, hosted by UL.

Explore The Report - Our Key Chapters

Talent and Skills

From training highly sought-after PhD students, to supporting early career frontiers researchers and senior research leaders, SFI is working to attract and retain the best talent.

Find out more about Talent and Skills

Global Footprint

Throughout 2022, SFI deepened our reach through our international collaborative research partnerships across the globe.

Find out more about Global Footprint

Empowering Societal and Economic Benefits

SFI invests in excellent ideas and impactful research to help us successfully address the global, societal and economic challenges we face, by supporting collaboration between academia, government and industry across the island of Ireland and internationally.

Find out more about Empowering Societal and Economic Benefits

Annual Report 2022

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