The Hogan Suite and Foyer at Croke Park played host to FÍOR ’25: Fostering Industry Outreach & Research Collaboration, an event dedicated to strengthening engagement between PhD researchers and industry, civil society, and public sector organisations. The event, which took place on Wednesday, was a collaborative effort between four Research Ireland Centres: ADAPT, d-real, ADVANCE CRT, and CONNECT, each of which is committed to building stronger partnerships between academic research and real-world applications.
The day began with an opening address from Stephen O’Driscoll, the newly appointed Head of Centres at Research Ireland, who spoke about the role of Research Centres in Ireland’s innovation ecosystem and the importance of fostering relationships between researchers and industry. He was followed by the four Centre Directors, Prof. John D. Kelleher (ADAPT), Dan Kilper (CONNECT), Carol O’Sullivan (d-real), and Dirk Pesch (ADVANCE CRT), who provided an overview of their respective centres and their ambitions for research-industry collaboration.
Throughout the day, 23 organisations set up in the foyer, meeting with PhD researchers and discussing opportunities for collaboration, research partnerships, and career pathways. Researchers engaged in conversations about their work and explored how their expertise could be applied in industry and public sector settings. The event provided a unique platform for fostering connections between academia and organisations seeking to benefit from cutting-edge research.
A central part of FÍOR ’25 was the showcase of research talent, with each Centre highlighting the pioneering work of their PhD researchers. The ADAPT presentations demonstrated the breadth of research taking place within the Centre, covering a diverse range of topics including Louise McCormack of the University of Galway who spoke on Trustworthy AI: An Introduciton to Bias and the AI Act; Dr Delaram Golapyegani of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) who spoke on Semantic Tools for Compliance with the EU AI Act with a focus on risk management and documentation requirements; and Awais Akbar of TCD who spoke on Developing the Proactive Intelligent Personalised Agents Using Simulation.
The event’s keynote speaker, Cormac Driver, provided an inspiring insight into the transition from academic research to industry. A PhD graduate from Trinity College Dublin (Computer Science and Statistics, supervised by Siobhán Clarke), Cormac shared his journey from completing his PhD to working with startup Echodio, then moving to RealNetworks, and later Temboo. He spoke about the transferable skills he developed during his PhD and how they shaped his career trajectory. His talk was honest, engaging, and thought-provoking, sparking a lively discussion with the audience.
Reflecting on the success of the event, organisers emphasised the importance of building on these connections in the coming months. The collaborations initiated at FÍOR ’25 will help ensure that Ireland’s Research Centres continue to play a leading role in driving innovation and industry-academia partnerships.
A huge thank you goes to all involved and for their dedication in making the event a success.
