CONNECT Centre Awards €5 Million in Research Funding to Advance Postdoctoral and Research Fellow Studies

18^th July 2024 –CONNECT, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications, is delighted to announce the allocation of €5 million in funding to a select group of CONNECT affiliated researchers. This funding round is part of the CONNECT Platform Funding initiative, designed to support Postdoctoral and Research Fellow positions across its member institutions.

Following an open call for proposals, the funding was awarded to over thirty research projects across the twelve member institutions of CONNECT. This initiative aims to foster innovative research and development in the field of network and communication technologies.

Professor Dan Kilper, Director of CONNECT, commented,

“We are thrilled to support the next generation of researchers who will drive innovation in network and communication technologies. This funding will enable them to pursue cutting-edge research, develop new technologies, and contribute to Ireland’s position as a leader in this important area.”

Dr Harun Šiljak, Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, is one of the award recipients. Dr Šiljak will use the award to investigate the language used around quantum technologies and the policies that regulate them.

 “Quantum technology is rapidly entering the policy and strategy space around the world: a few months ago, we saw the publication of Quantum 2030 – A national quantum technologies strategy for Ireland. Other developed countries have published their national strategies as well, and while creating a vision for a novel technology theoretically allows for not repeating the same policy mistakes, does a paradigm change actually happen? We will investigate whose voices shape the quantum technology policy, and what visions of the future are captured by it,” he explained.

Director of the Nimbus Centre at MTU, Dr Susan Rea, also received an award for her project titled ‘Interwoven Networks: Artistic Explorations of Complex Communication Infrastructures.’ Her work aims to create and strengthen science, technology, and art-based communities, promoting interactions between the arts, technology, and citizens.

“By leveraging edge cloud networks for artistic collaboration, we want to demonstrate the transformative power of arts-technology codesign, pushing the boundaries of innovation and creating unique, interdisciplinary expressions. By using drawing-centric methodologies, we aim to enhance communication, foster understanding of complex networks, and create a visual narrative of technological progress,” she commented.

Dr Veda Sandeep Nagaraja, Senior Scientist at Tyndall National Institute, will use the award for her research project, ‘SAFEGAS – Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) MEMS Sensor for Sustainable IoT’, aimed at developing a sensor for the detection of methane and nitrous oxide gases.

“In Ireland, the agriculture sector was directly responsible for 38.4% of national Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emissions in 2022, mainly methane (CH4) from livestock, and nitrous oxide(N2O) due to the use of nitrogen fertiliser and manure management. N2O has a greenhouse gas potential of 273 times to that of CO2 for a 100-year timescale. N2O emitted today remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years, on average. Similarly, CH4 has a 28 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale. It is therefore critical to detect the emission of these gases into the environment in order to implement remediation practices,” she explained.

The awarded projects span a range of research themes, reflecting CONNECT’s strategic focus areas:

• Dependable Networks: Addressing the challenges of network dependability and performance.
• Sustainable Internet of Things (IoT): Developing scalable, energy-efficient IoT solutions.
• Link Performance: Enhancing communication link performance to meet application-specific requirements.
• AI-driven Network Customisation: Innovating network management using AI.
• Network Ecologies: Exploring the interaction and economic models of network markets.
• Smart Cities (Enable Spoke): Applying advanced technologies to address urban challenges.
• Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (BAV Spoke): Advancing technologies for autonomous and connected vehicles.
• Cybersecurity: Developing adaptive security mechanisms for future networks.
• Quantum & Satellite Communications: Pioneering quantum and satellite

The CONNECT Centre is committed to advancing research that addresses both current and future challenges in network and communication technologies. This funding round underscores CONNECT’s dedication to supporting a vibrant research community and fostering collaboration among academia, industry, and government.

Funded projects

1. Techniques to Leverage Edge Computing for Real-Time Multimedia Enhancements
2. Data-driven xApps conflict management in Open-RAN
3. Fleet-based HD Maps at the Edge for autonomous vehicles navigation and positioning
4. Interwoven Networks: Artistic Explorations of Complex Communication Infrastructures
5. Intuit – Developing a Social and Environmental Value Framework for IoT
6. Implementation of Ultra-Reliable Link with SC-FDMA in Time-Varying Environments (IMPULSE)
7. Academy of the Near Future: establishing the evidence base for exemplary smart city education programmes
8. Vibrational energy harvesting for sustainably powered IoT sensors Team
9. AI-aided Wavelet Transform for Denoising Signals (ANODE)
10. Examining Cultures of Change: How Smart City Adaption Flourishes or Fails in Different Organisational and Cultural Contexts
11. Integrating Satellite and Terrestrial Optical Networks for future Resilient, High-Capacity and Ubiquitous Networks
12. Trust In Disaggregated ENvironments (TIDEN)
13. AIRNET-U: AI-optimized Research Network and Experimental Testbed with UAVs
14. Chipless RFID Sensors on Cardboard for Machine-Learning enabled Sustainable Sensing (CARAMELS)
15. TWICS: Testbed for mm-Wave Integrated Communication and Sensing of pollinators – the pathfinder
16. Interpretable machine learning supported resilient power restoration of coupled electricity and communication systems (ECS) with mobile devices
17. REASSURE: REsource efficient and secure cooperAtive Spectrum Sensing Using FedeRated LEarning
18. COORDINATE: COOpeRative Driving protocols for INtelligent nAvigation in mixed Transport Environments
19. Fortifying Trust in Digital Networks: Advanced fraud defence for older adults
20. NeNo EnTICe AI: Deep learning techniques for energy optimisation using EnTICe Platform
21. OMARS: Optimised Resource Management for Multi-user Augmented Reality Systems
22. SAFEGAS – Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) MEMS Sensor for Sustainable IoT
23. ENTICESIM – ENTICE for IoT Communication Protocol Optimisation
24. SD5GTSN – Software-Defined Network Control Enabling Time-Sensitive 5G Networks
25. Integrated Thermal Design for 6G Technologies
26. PERCeiVE (deriving PERceptual Confidence in cooperative Vehicular Environments)
27. Not A Space Race: Towards a New Quantum Policy
28. Security with Built in Authentication for Quantum Safe Intelligent Digital IP Design (SQuID)
29. Resilient and Scalable Cell-Free Massive MIMO Approaches for Beyond 5G Networks
30. Self-Adaptive IoT Systems for Energy Optimization (SAPIENT)
31. Sensing and Communication Assisted by Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for 6G Networks (ISAC-RIS)
32. ARIES (DynAmic AI ContRol of ReconfIgurable RF Smart SurfacES)
33. Towards a Physics-Based Intrinsic Reliability Test Capability for MEMS

About CONNECT Centre

The CONNECT Centre is Ireland’s research centre for future networks and communications. Funded by Science Foundation Ireland and industry partners, CONNECT is headquartered at Trinity College Dublin and collaborates with twelve other academic institutions. The Centre brings together world-class expertise from academia and industry to deliver research excellence and innovation in future networks and communications.

CONNECT is the world leading Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications. CONNECT is funded under the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres Programme and is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund. We engage with over 35 companies including large multinationals, SMEs and start-ups. CONNECT brings together world-class expertise from ten Irish academic institutes to create a one-stop-shop for telecommunications research, development and innovation.