Three Trinity researchers awarded SFI Industry RD&I Fellowships

Posted on: 27 April 2023

Dr Abdulla Sukhananazerin, Dr Brian Jennings, and Dr Srikanth Kolagatla have each been awarded fellowships under the SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, awarded the fellowships today along with 15 other awards as part of a €1.63 million investment in academia-industry collaboration. The programme includes fellowships in microbiology, virtual reality technology, smart manufacturing, biotechnology, and photodynamic therapy. 

Dr Sukhananazerin, a research fellow at CRANN, will partner with Versatile Packaging to develop improved food packaging materials. A research fellow at CRANN and the School of Chemistry, Dr Kolagatla’s research will focus on advanced scanning microscopy with Analog Devices International while Dr Jennings, also from the School of Chemistry, will work with a private enterprise on 3D imaging of the human face. 

Each of the three researchers will develop innovative solutions to industry challenges and build deeper relationships with businesses and their industries.

Announcing the projects, Minister Simon Harris, TD, said: “I am delighted to announce the SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme recipients who will undertake new transformative research in companies. Our research community continues to pioneer cutting-edge, innovative research ideas. The research projects selected for this funding are a testament to the talent that exists in our Higher Education Institutions, and I look forward to seeing the outcomes generated through this programme which will shape the years ahead.” 

Professor Philip Nolan, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, said: “Encouraging and supporting ambitious and innovative research collaborations with industry is a core objective of Science Foundation Ireland. The SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme was developed with this in mind. The research projects awarded funding are at the cutting edge of innovation. The programme creates exciting opportunities for researchers and enhances the industry partners’ competitive advantage and future resilience. These fellowships often also lead to longer-term collaborations between industry and academia.” 

The SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship programme runs in collaboration with IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.