Our Research

Research Themes

The overarching research theme of PROCESS is advanced manufacturing of high value-added products and engineering solutions for related industries, with emphasis on particulate product processing for new products within the dairy and pharmaceutical sectors. 

Fellowships will be offered in a broad range of research areas incorporating but not limited to, process modelling and integrated process control, Process Analytical Technologies (PAT), bulk solids processing, heat, mass and momentum transfer, and hybrid processing, and subsequent smart data management, to promote processing agility and flexibility within an Industry 4.0 framework.  

Fellowships will include mandatory non-academic secondments (3 to 6 months), with placements selected from the Centres’ industry partners. Secondments must be relevant to the Fellow’s research project and to his/her own career development. The industry partners will also contribute to industry-relevant training. The participating Centres have already secured the commitment of leading companies to host Fellows on secondment – but Fellows will also be free to choose companies outside of the Centres. Projects proposing fundamental or applied research will be eligible, and inter-or multi-disciplinary proposals will be strongly encouraged.

A core focus of the Programme will be on sharing knowledge and findings between academia and industry. The research theme of continuous processing and advanced manufacturing is likely to attract researchers with relevant experience in process engineering, chemical engineering, data management, statistics, modelling, and IT.

Exploitation of results and UL IP policy

We aim to create a highly motivating and entrepreneurial research environment for the Fellows. Given the industrial focus of PROCESS, exploitation of the research findings will be prioritised, especially as the needs of the pharmaceutical and dairy industrial sectors will be important to the PROCESS research.

The Programme will adhere to H2020 manual for IP and the Intellectual Property Policy of UL, which specifies principles and practices for determining and safeguarding the interests of inventor(s)/originator(s) of intellectual property; the University; and external organisations. Existing IP arrangements in place within the three Centres will also be adhered to.

The UL Intellectual Property Policy (2015) focuses on developing a positive culture of discovery and enterprise aimed at generating tangible benefits for the University, its researchers and the community at large, and contributing to the national knowledge economy. UL and the Centres are committed to managing and commercialising Intellectual Property in a manner that ensures optimum benefit to society, the national economy and the University, and provides financial reward and recognition to Creators and the University.The highly experienced Technology Transfer Office at UL will be responsible for all negotiations, evaluation, marketing and licensing of IP. The PROCESS Fellows and Supervisors at the Centres will encouraged to generate, identify and commercialise IP; will be provided with guidance on the necessity and the means of protecting IP; and will be facilitated in the establishment of new companies to commercialise UL IP (e.g. a university campus company). The UL IP Café will also be a valuable resource for PROCESS Fellows.

Publications will be reviewed in advance to ensure that the Fellows can balance their publication targets against opportunities that arise to protect IP. A description of exploitation and IP measures must be included in the applicant researcher’s submission. IP will be monitored formally on a quarterly basis throughout the Fellows individual project by the supervisor, researcher, and the Technology Transfer Office.

In terms of the companies hosting secondments, UL will encourage mutually supportive relationships in the creation and exploitation of IP; stimulate interest in the University as a source of research expertise having economic potential; recognise the legitimate economic and commercial interests of external partners in the context of agreements entered into with the University; and facilitate a professional and pro-business interface between external organisations and the University. In commercialising IP, the University will be guided by international best practice, the National Codes of Practice for Managing and Commercialising IP from Public/ Private Collaborative Research, the Funding Agency Requirements and Guidelines for Managing Research Generated IP, and other relevant codes, guidelines and requirements. IP agreements must be in place and approved by the Vice President Research at UL prior to initiation of non-academic secondments.