Trinity College's School of Engineering is celebrating after six of its teams were shortlisted for the 'National Climate Challenge Fund'. The fund – recently announced by higher education minister Simon Harris and European commissioner Mairead McGuinness – aims to address the challenges of climate change by supporting innovative projects that will help to reduce emissions and increase sustainability.

Funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, the teams are seeking to address Ireland’s drive towards climate neutrality by 2050, and the best use of disruptive digital technologies.

A total of 26 teams from across the country were shortlisted in the climate challenge, with six coming from Trinity College Dublin's School of Engineering. Four of the teams are from the Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering at Trinity College, with a further two teams from the Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering.

The six teams from Trinity College Dublin’s School of Engineering have put forward a range of exciting proposals, including new technologies for reducing carbon emissions in transport, innovative materials for construction, improved biofiltration of wastewater and smart energy management systems for homes and businesses. The teams will now receive funding to develop their projects further, with the aim of creating real-world solutions to the challenges of climate change.

The 2050 Challenge seeks transformative, forward-looking solutions to Ireland becoming climate neutral and resilient by 2050.

Trinity’s School of Engineering teams (alphabetically by lead researcher):

  • Dr Muhammad Ali, Trinity College Dublin (Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering), co-lead Prof Laurence Gill, Methane Biofilter – biofiltration of methane generated from on-site wastewater treatment systems.
  • Dr Subhash Chandra, Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity and co-lead, Dr Liwen Xiao, Trinity: Lumiscarb – decarbonising energy systems and the atmosphere by capturing CO2 and converting it into sustainable biofuels using solar energy.
  • Dr Julie Clarke, Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity and co-lead Dr Paul Nolan, University of Galway: developing a climate risk index for buildings over time to allow for adaptation measures.
  • Prof Aonghus McNabola, Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Trinity and co-lead Prof Mary Kelly Quinn, University College Dublin: low-cost fish-friendly micro hydropower energy storage.
  • Dr Séamus O’Shaughnessy, Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering,Trinity, and co-lead Dr Daniel Trimble, Trinity: DRIVE – improving thermal management of batteries in electric vehicles.
  • Dr Charles Stuart, Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, co-lead Dr Sinead Roden,Trinity: mapping the way for decarbonising aviation in Ireland.

Professor Alan O’Connor, head of the School of Engineering at Trinity College, said: "We are extremely grateful and honoured to have six teams from Trinity’s School of Engineering shortlisted for SFI’s National Challenge Fund.

"This fund represents a significant investment in research and innovation, which will allow us to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society today. This funding will enable our researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge and make a real impact on the world."

The National Challenge Fund was established under the government’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. The fund is coordinated and administered by Science Foundation Ireland.

A seventh Trinity team from the School of Computer Science was also shortlisted in the 'Future Digital Challenge' for transformational societal and economic impact from disruptive digital technologies, the details are: Dr Alessio Benavoli, Trinity College, co-lead Prof Rocco Lupoi, HLOOP: artificial intelligence for process optimisation in manufacturing.