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Globally there are estimated to be 60 million cars produced each year. These all require catalysts that need testing to meet stringent emissions legislation. Catagen Ltd, a spin-out from Queen's University has developed a product for testing motor vehicle catalysts that is 85% cheaper to operate than traditional methods and represents a 98% reduction in CO2 emission from testing and an 80% reduction in energy input.
Major global customers including GM motors and Fiat have adopted this revolutionary patent protected technology and international sales growth has been recognised, winning an all- Ireland business award for BEST High Growth Company 2012
In Northern Ireland the display of symbols in public spaces has remained a highly contested and consistent cause of public disorder. The research outlined in this case study is a leading Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister Indicator for effective policies on community relations. Impact is evidenced through the research in five ways. It has (i) altered government policies; (ii) enhanced broader democratic participation in local government debates; (iii) increased conflict resolution opportunities as part of local peace-building schemes; (iv) informed United Nations' work on divided societies; and (v) facilitated mediation networks dedicated to changing the nature of public space. It has been carried out according to a government brief for the whole Northern Ireland population, thereby encompassing the maximum scope possible for impact within the legal jurisdiction of the state. The research has been transformative in understanding and tackling the extremely contested issue of how and when flags are used in public spaces in Northern Ireland and it has influenced United Nations' consultations on post-conflict policies.
This project is dedicated to the study of Ulster poetry, and focuses on enhancing knowledge of vernacular literature. It researches and utilises literary archives across the region to look at identity and cultural diversity within Northern Ireland. The core impact lies in:
The microscopy facilities in the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute of the University of Ulster have been vastly improved through our collaboration with FEI, the largest European EM manufacturer, which has led them to manufacture a cryostage dual-beam instrument of our design with unique capabilities, and to set up their European reference laboratory here. This has generated two further sets of impacts: collaboration and consultancy with various firms wishing to use our advanced imaging facilities, and advice to national, EU and global bodies on the novel cytotoxic hazards of nanoparticles, a major but optically invisible by-product of modern industry, and consequent public health risks.
Professor Adrian Taylor and colleagues in Exeter Sport and Health Sciences (SHS) have conducted: (1) laboratory studies to identify the dose of exercise that is sufficient to acutely impact on affect, mood and smoking-related outcomes; (2) rigorous randomised controlled trials to evaluate chronic interventions to increase physical activity among depressed patients, and smokers wishing to reduce or quit; and (3) rigorous systematic reviews and meta-analyses to inform guidance for health care practitioners and policy makers. This work has significantly contributed to the evidence-base underpinning global health care policy guidelines (including those produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)), as well as raising global media interest, informing public debate and clinically supporting patients and practitioners on best practice. Commissioned reviews have also identified gaps in the evidence-base for the effects of physical activity on mental health and nicotine addiction which has led to the prioritisation of funding for further research to resolve uncertainty in clinical guidelines.
Based on its internationally recognised reframing of transitional justice (TJ) theory and practice, TJI demonstrates singular influence on the tone, language, framing and outcomes of key debates, policies and advocacy in Northern Ireland (NI) since 2003. TJI research has informed political debate and influenced official recommendations on institutions to address the legacy of the conflict; shaped the policy positions and enhanced the capacity of local non- governmental organisations (NGOs); shared in the production of cultural knowledge in a unique law-led artistic collaboration; raised public awareness of the intergenerational aspects of the conflict's legacy; and empowered marginalised individuals. TJI's critiques of local TJ approaches and our development of the TJ Toolkit have demonstrable global applicability. The impact has been primarily regional, with national and international dimensions.
Multiple, reinforcing impacts where Kelly and Ó Ciardha's research has been repeatedly utilised to develop the cultural presentation of Derry legacies in museums and events. Public policy impact exist in the authors' roles as historical advisors to Donegal County Council's €1m commemoration of the Flight of the Earls (1607-2007) and Derry City Council's winning of UK City of Culture (2013), which utilised the Ulster Plantation as an historical base. Their research changed professional practice among museum officials and teachers, and enhanced popular historical knowledge through outreach and media. It impacted creative practice via programme content and the economy via tourism.
This case study articulates impacts arising from Lyons' research into how creative application of developing accessible technologies can facilitate and enhance inclusive participation in music making (composition and performance) for artists with disabilities. These impacts have been felt in developments in disabled musicians' creative practice, in the resulting increased levels of personal artistic expression and professional development, and, in turn, in the influence of both of these on understanding and appreciation of disabled musicians' creative output in the mainstream music world, the wider public consciousness, and public policy.
This case study demonstrates sustained impact on UK government and devolved government policy in the area of creative digital participation; on the regional implementation of that policy; on publicly funded community initiatives that benefited from that implementation; and on the NI school curriculum. It will also outline the beginnings of similar impact on an international scale: on government education policy and school and university curricula in, for example, Namibia and South Africa, where the underpinning research has been disseminated.
In 2010 Fennell led an AHRC-funded multidisciplinary team developing new ways to analyse the digitised 1641 Irish Depositions corpus (AHRC-749-BF). The team developed an innovative collaborative research environment exchanging knowledge with IBM LanguageWare, Dublin, and modifying IBM's software to analyse variable, `dirty' data. Investigating evidential quality, language development and the language of violence and atrocity in 8000 witness statements, the research advanced a prior AHRC-IRCHSS-funded digitization project, creating novel interactions with an early modern corpus and generating new insights into the Catholic-Protestant divide in Ireland and the UK which impact on current behaviour, policy and historical memory.