Highlight events/visits

On 14 January 2021, the Bernal Institute hosted its first virtual Research Day, ‘AStruM 2021: Advanced Structured Materials’, addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals in health, energy and the environment. The event featured many high-profile international speakers and was live-streamed to audiences in Europe, China and the United States. Live-streaming due to Covid-19 led to significant pick-up, with over 15,000 individuals attending. On 26 April 2022, the Institute hosted its second Research Day, ‘AStruM 2022: Advanced Structured Materials – Towards a Circular Economy’, with keynote speaker, Ossian Smyth TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy. This event comprised both in-person and online events and featured many high-profile international speakers, an industry/academia fireside discussion and an early career insight session. Further details are available at Astrum 2022 (astrum.ie). In conjunction with Sustainable Flight Solutions, the Bernal Institute hosted a two-day workshop on 23–̵24 September 2021 to design a framework to decarbonise Irish aviation, with the aim of issuing a report to policymakers. Aviation is at a crossroads; its future must be environmentally sustainable to ensure continued operation and growth. Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) will play an important part in the future development of the industry. Currently, there is no SAF industry in Ireland; neither is there a roadmap to start one. The commercial and economic threat of doing nothing is real. Delegates from major airlines operating in Ireland, the main airports, aviation and national authorities, political parties, aviation fuel traders and manufacturers, as well as three universities with leading aviation-linked research and education programmes (Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin and UL) attended the workshop. Discussions with aviation stakeholders, industry experts and Bernal researchers centred around creating the sustainable aviation fuel roadmap are ongoing. The Modelling, Simulation and Innovative Characterisation (MOSAIC) group within the Biomaterials Cluster of the Bernal Institute organised the ECASIA 22 conference (European Association on Applications of Surface and Interface Analysis), which was hosted at UL from 29 May to 3 June 2022. The theme of ECASIA 22 was ‘Surface Analyses for Advanced Manufacturing’. ECASIA 22 upholds the ‘Spirit of ECASIA’, to bring together scientists from universities and industry (e.g. instrument suppliers) to bridge the gap between fundamental and applied research in surface science and to follow new trends in instrumentation. The conference attracted over 270 national and international delegates from more than 40 countries to the UL campus. More information on the conference is available at www.ecasia2022.com.

The Composite Materials Cluster organised a summer school in Design and Advance Manufacturing of Composites from 30 May to 3 June 2022. Composite materials and structures are finding extensive applications in automobile, aerospace and wind energy industries, due to their outstanding performance and weight-saving capabilities. Along with their increased interest and use, there are new challenges for engineers to address, spanning the areas of design, analysis, manufacturing and viability. The summer school provided the 22 attendees, comprising mainly engineers and researchers from the University of Bristol, with a rapid knowledge of state of the art in this field (design, manufacturing and testing) via hands-on experience. Simon Harris TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, visited UL on 23 May 2022. His visit included a tour of some of Bernal’s experimental facilities, where the Minister had an opportunity to meet several researchers who

are developing cutting-edge battery technology. Afterwards, the Minister tweeted: ‘Enjoyed my visit to @BernalNews in @UL last night. Super research work underway including around the area of battery life – something we are all reliant on in many aspects of life. Thanks to Tadhg & Marina for showing me some of their work & to the researchers for talking with me.’ In March 2022, Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications and Leader of the Green Party, visited the Bernal Institute. The Minister was interested in Bernal research in the sustainability space, particularly waste management, renewable energy and battery technologies. He met with Professor Norelee Kennedy (Vice President Research UL,) Professor Luuk van der Wielen, Professor JJ Leahy, Professor Kevin M Ryan, Dr Tadhg Kennedy, Dr Ronan Courtney, Ray O’Brien and Jon O’Halloran of Bernal, and also visited several lab areas within the Institute. Discussions ensued on how the political, academic and industrial sectors could collaborate further to address global grand challenge/sustainable development goals as well as the untapped potential European test bed of Ireland’s Mid-West/Shannon Estuary and UL’s role in supporting it. Minister Ryan and his team are understood to have left with an excellent sense of the UL and Bernal experience and the capabilities for further engagement in the future.