UL’s research and knowledge transfer activities span all of its faculties and disciplines. The University values and supports the excellence of output and achievement by its research community across all of its research areas. In addition, the University has identified a number of areas of research strength, characterised by having critical mass, addressing common research questions, having a significant body of research inputs and outputs, attracting international scholars, and having a national and international reputation. These areas of strength are:
- Materials
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Software
- Health
- Applied Mathematical Sciences
World-Leading Centres of Research Excellence
UL's research successes are enhanced by the ongoing development of interdisciplinary research institutes, centres & units, and collaboration with international academic and industrial partners. UL currently has three multidisciplinary institutes, , and the Health Research Institute (HRI) together with a number of national externally-funded research centres
Enterprise Engagement
The 51±¾É« has long had a track-record of excellent industry collaboration. UL is partnering with over 85 multinational and SME companies in leading sectors for our economy from pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, agri-food, software, materials. These partnerships are formed through our position as hosts of Science Foundation Ireland funded Centres of Excellence – the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) and Lero – Irish Software Engineering Research Centre together with the Enterprise-Ireland/IDA supported Irish Centre for Composites Research (IComp), Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC), Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC). These partnership anchor R&D activity firmly within the Irish enterprise landscape which leads to job retention and creation, skills enhancement, increased competitiveness and ultimately ensuring Ireland’s future as a knowledge-based economy.
UL Research Ethics Governance & Faculty Research Ethics Committee. ULREG (51±¾É« Research Ethics Governance committee) is primarily concerned with research-related policies, procedures and governance, whilst all research ethics applications are considered at Faculty level by Research Ethics Committees (RECs). All appeals of Faculty REC decisions are referred to ULREG.