A three-year Postdoctoral Fellowship will be awarded to 25 researchers in the Multidisciplinary Program.

Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Minister Simon Harris TD announced yesterday (July 6) a new research program seeking solutions to public health crises.

Under the program, 25 researchers will be awarded three-year postdoctoral fellowships worth a total of .5 5.5 million.

The EU-backed program, led by a number of organizations, including the Irish Research Council (IRC), will provide funding to enable researchers to focus on the influence of Kovid-19 in a variety of perspectives and disciplines.

The IRC will work with the Health Research Board, the Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission at various locations and institutions.

IRC Program Director Dr. Chiara Loda said: “The Kovid-19 Pandemic reminded us of the importance of investing in research and the need for a multi – disciplinary approach to responding to public health crises. We hope to create a collaborative research initiative where scientists, policy makers and the general public can learn from each other by providing constructive and comprehensive solutions to public health crises. “

The program is named after Dorothy Stopford Prize, an Irish doctor who pioneered the eradication of tuberculosis in Ireland, and is credited with promoting the use of the BCG vaccine here.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Harris said: “It is fitting that the program bears the Dorothy Stopford Prize, which has been instrumental in preventing the spread of tuberculosis in Ireland.

“The Dorothy program will help the next generation of researchers in Ireland to communicate public health policies nationally and internationally,” he said.

Program Manager at the Health Research Board, Drs. Annalisa Montessori said the project would bring together some of the brightest minds in Ireland.

Health emergencies require rapid response based on best practices. The Dorothy program will stimulate interdisciplinary research to inform and strengthen Ireland’s readiness for emerging health disasters, ”she said.

Loda urged researchers in all areas of public health interest to apply for funding as soon as the first call is made later this year.