Take a look back at the final quarter of 2025.
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Issue 8: January 2026
2025 has come to a close, and what a year it has been. We would love to share our latest news and have a look back at our highlights from the last quarter.
If you would like to keep up with us in real time, follow us on LinkedIn, BlueSky, Facebook and Vimeo. We have lots of events coming up and we would love to see you there, so stay tuned to our social media.
Events
L-R - Patricia O’Donovan, Claire Keegan, Maurice Manning, Emer Cooke, Robert Savage, Aibhlín McCrann
National University of Ireland 2025 Honorary Degrees
On Thursday November 6, the National University of Ireland proudly conferred honorary degrees on six outstanding individuals who have made exceptional contributions across science, literature, education, the arts, public life, and history.
The conferring took place in the Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road with members of the NUI Senate as well as friends and family of the six graduates attended.
At the ceremony, NUI Chancellor, Professor Michael Murphy, awarded degrees to:
Emer Cooke, Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency, will receive a Degree of Doctor of Science (DSc). Citation given by Ms Linda O’Shea Farren.
Claire Keegan, critically acclaimed fiction novelist, will receive a Degree of Doctor of Literature (DLitt). Citation given by Professor Anne Fogarty.
Maurice Manning, academic, former Chancellor of NUI and Teachta Dála, will receive a Degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD). Citation given by Professor Davd Farrell.
Aibhlín McCrann, Director of Communiqué International and harper, will receive a Degree of Doctor of Music (DMus). Citation given by Professor Harry White.
Patricia O’Donovan, former Executive Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), will receive a Degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD). Citation given by Dr. Ruth Barrington.
Robert Savage, Irish, British and Atlantic World history Professor at Boston College, will receive a Degree of Doctor of Literature (DLitt). Citation given by Professor Peter Gray.
Professor Michael Murphy said on the occasion,
Today, we honour six people and confer honorary doctorates on to those who have gone the extra mile, who have been brilliantly creative, who have made sacrifices for the good of others, who made us laugh, people who have become role models for the next generation. We welcome our six awardees into honorary life membership of the National University of Ireland and look forward to their engagement with us in the years ahead.
L-R: Professor Michael Keane (UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences), Professor Kevin Malone DMed, Professor Orla Hardiman DSc, Professor Harry Kennedy DMed, Professor Colin Scott (UCD Registrar)
Higher Doctorate Degrees on Published Work
NUI had the privilege of conferring three Higher Doctorate degrees on Published Work at a ceremony in University College Dublin on 4 December 2025. These degrees are a recognition of these recipients’ great contribution to their fields.
Orla Hardiman, Professor of Neurology at Trinity College Dublin and consultant neurologist at Beaumont Hospital, received a Doctor of Science (DSc). Throughout her career, Professor Hardiman has worked to further the understanding and awareness of the heterogenous pathological mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative condition Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), to develop novel processes and technologies that can characterise disease heterogeneity and to contribute to the development of effective precision-based treatments.
Harry Kennedy, Adjunct Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin (formerly Clinical Professor), Honorary Skou Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, Aarhus University, Denmark; Visiting Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Italy, received a Doctor of Medicine (DMed). Professor Kennedy’s work focuses on models of care in forensic psychiatry, through goals, pathways & processes, treatments and evaluation, and how this can impact how these models of care impact through courts, prisons and hospitals.
Professor Kevin D. Malone, Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin, received a Doctor of Medicine (DMed) for his contribution to the field of psychiatry which he summarised in his commentary as “Death by Suicide: from Object to Subject - Thirty Years of Neurobiological, Psychosocial and Humanities Research Related to Suicide”. This research draws on thirty years of interdisciplinary and collaborative international neurobiological, clinical and humanities research into death by suicide conducted by Professor Malone.
National University of Ireland is committed to highlighting the excellence of the research conducted at its member institutions and by their graduates through every stage of their careers. The Higher Doctorate on Published Work is the highest qualification awarded by NUI, and it is a wonderful opportunity to honour the immense work of the recipient to their chosen area throughout their academic career.
NUI Awards Ceremony 2025
NUI was delighted to honour and recognise over 175 scholars on Tuesday 2 December from across the NUI federation, awarding more than €850,000 in grants, scholarships and prizes recognising excellence at every stage of academic life.
From undergraduate achievers to leading researchers, the ceremony highlighted the breadth of talent across NUI universities.
Some Award Highlights:
• Dr Edel Bhreathnach received the prestigious NUI Irish Historical Research Prize for Monasticism in Ireland AD 900–1250.
• The NUI Publication Prize in Irish History was awarded to Professor Christopher Morash (Young Ireland: A Global Afterlife) and Dr Seán Ó Hoireabhárd (The Medieval Irish Kings and the English Invasion).
• Dr Michela Dianetti was awarded an NUI Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities & Social Sciences, where she will explore literature, philosophy and the power of attention.
• Five outstanding PhD scholars received Travelling Doctoral Studentships, enabling research in countries from Greenland to Brazil, Germany, Belgium and beyond.
We were also proud to award 14 students with the NUI Denis Donoghue Award, funded by novelist Emma Donoghue in honour of her father.
Congratulations to all of our incredible awardees! We hope you and your families enjoyed yesterdays celebrations. Here’s to the discoveries, ideas and impact that lie ahead.
Take a look back at some of the ceremony highlights below.
Institute of Public Administration Graduation 2025
NUI was delighted to celebrate the Institute of Public Administration graduates on 5 December in Croke Park.
This year’s graduates completed a range of National University of Ireland–accredited programmes, balancing study and work in the public service which is an immense commitment.
Warmest congratulations to all graduates who were conferred. We wish them all the best of luck in their careers.
SeanadVoter.ie - Now Open for Applications
You can apply now to be entered on the Register of Electors 2026 for the Seanad Éireann Higher Education constituency.
The deadline for applications is 26 February 2026. This Register of Electors will be published on 1 June 2026.
To register:
- Visit our website: www.SeanadVoter.ie
- Complete the online form with:
- Your full name
- Your address
- Details of your degree(s)
- Your PPS Number or a completed Witness Form
- Proof of citizenship (either a photo of your passport or Certificate of Naturalisation)
Paper application forms are also available for download here on SeanadVoter.ie.
NUI Office News
NUI's 11th Annual Big Breakfast took place on Thursday 11 December, welcoming old colleagues and new, neighbours, and friends of NUI to 49 Merrion Square. We are very proud that this year's big breakfast has raised €570 for the DSPCA. Thank you so much to everyone who attended, who donated, and to Eddie, for all of his hard work in organising one of NUI's favourite events of the year.
Notice that we’re looking a bit different than we did in our last newsletter? National University of Ireland has got a brand new look. We are thrilled to reveal our updated branding, which was developed with the ethos of our current strategic plan in mind: Deep roots, new horizons. We honour our heritage as a unique and historical focal point in Irish higher education while looking forward to continue adding value to our member institutions and the sector at large.
News from our Member Institutions
European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants
Huge congratulations to the three NUI mid-career researchers who will receive funding from the €728m European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant.
They are Eugene Costello of University College Cork, Caroline Curtin from Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, and Laura Taylor from University College Dublin.
- Eugene Costello of University College Cork received funding for his project titled DeepCattle The Deep History of Commercial Cattle Farming in Europe, c.1240-1840 AD.
- Caroline Curtin from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland received funding for her project titled PANACEA Primary bone cancer scaffolds as controlled release non-viral gene delivery platforms.
- Laura Taylor from University College Dublin received funding for her project titled GenEU GENERATION EU: The development of European identity and implications for social cohesion and peace.
Incredible innovative work by all. NUI commends these researchers and their departments for their ground-breaking contributions, and expresses gratitude to the ERC for its support of these projects.
University College Cork joins global coalition for Ukrainian Studies
University College Cork (UCC) has joined the Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies. UCC are one of the first Irish Institutions to do so. The Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies involves committing to embedding Ukrainian history, politics, society, language and culture into UCC research agendas and teaching programmes.
UCC’s commitment to this coalition comes as they continue to support Ukrainian academics while also pursuing research and teaching on Ukraine. The Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies was officially signed at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation with the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska and Minister James Lawless.
University’s Institute for Clinical Trials wins 2025 Collaboration in Medtech Award
University of Galway’s Institute for Clinical Trials has seen great success at the Irish Medtech Awards, picking up the the 2025 Collaboration in Medtech Award for the second year in a row. This years award was collected for the Institute’s Hypercare initiative, a national pilot designed to assist with complex clinical trial approval processes.
This award strongly recognises the Institute for Clinical Trials leadership and their commitment to innovation through various impressive initiatives.
MU to lead first all-island mental health research network
Maynooth University's Centre for Mental Health and Community Research, is leading the way in establishing the first all-island mental health collaborative research network. Professor Sinead McGilloway, Director of MU's Centre for Mental Health and Community Research, with support from MU's Social Sciences Institute, will lead the project. The network is being developed in an effort to concentrate efforts being made across the island and to streamline research sharing to help inform services and shape government policy.
UCD-led AI healthcare project secures €9.1m in funding
UCD Clinical Research Centre (CRC) has developed an AI healthcare project, AINM, which provides hospital-ready AI-based decision support solutions to health services. AINM has been awarded €9.1 million under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).
Led by Professor Peter Doran, the project has many collaborators, including Dell Technologies and Microsoft, as well as Oblivious Software Limited and xWave Technologies of NovaUCD.
RCSI selected as Sustainable Development Goal Champion for 2025-2027
Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment recently named several champions of Ireland’s Sustainable Development Goals. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has been selected as one of these champions, thanks to their ongoing commitment to raising awareness of the goals, while promoting engagement with sustainable development.
As a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Champion, RCSI will continue to act as an advocate and promoter of the SDGs, showing how any organisation can integrate the goals into their daily work and practices in an effort to work towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The IPA welcomes new Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson
The Institute of Public Administration has announced two new appointments to their Board. Welcome to the two new members: Mary Hurley, IPA Chairperson and Fiona Quinn, IPA Deputy Chairperson. The IPA Board will continue to guide the IPA to achieve their strategic goals.
NUI Events
If you'd like to keep up with all of our events, follow us on Eventbrite! It's where we post our ticketed events, like lectures, Culture Night, or our monthly Ciorcail Comhrá aka Pop-Up Gaeltachts.
Ciorcal Comhrá OÉ
Tá fáilte roimh chách chuig ár gciorcal comhrá míosúil inár oifigí i gCearnóg Mhuirfean. Má tá suim agat, tá liosta teagmhálacha againn thíos chun eolas á fháil gach mí faoin gcéad cheann eile.
