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Strategic Partnership Programme funds cutting-edge projects
SFI scheme supports healthcare, climate change and financial services projects
Thu, May 27, 2021, 05:06 Barry McCall
Prof Mark Ferguson, director general of Science Foundation Ireland. Photograph: Jason Clarke Photography.
Since 2013, 28 cutting-edge research projects have benefitted from €40 million in funding from Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Strategic Partnership Programme. The scheme aims to support research initiatives of scale with strong potential for delivering economic and societal impact to Ireland with projects addressing challenges in areas such as h
Nanotechnology could charge your phone using your clothes
Prof Suresh C Pillai. Image: Jince Vogue Photography
A €1.5m research project will investigate how to generate energy from clothing, which could be used to power electronic devices.
While the use of wearable devices is increasing, the need for frequent charging and physical rigidity of batteries are the main challenges for future development.
Now, a team of Irish and UK scientists are trying to address this problem by exploring ways generate kinetic energy from items of clothing using nanotechnology.
The €1.5m project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC UK).