Ulysses Scheme showcased at Irish Embassy research event in Paris
Posted: 25 September, 2023
Pictured with Ambassador Niall Burgess and Minister Niall Collins are John Ging, EirGrid; Véronique Tetu, Ademe; Kerrie Sheehan, SEAI; Delphine Tessier, French Embassy in Ireland; Dr Grainne Walshe, IRC and Damien Henehan, IRC. The Michael Farrell painting in the background depicts a famous evening in 1922 when James Joyce, author of Ulysses, had dinner in Paris with Marcel Proust, Igor Stravinsky, Vaslav Nijinsky, Pablo Picasso, among others.
Ulysses awardees were featured at the Irish Embassy in Paris during an action-packed day focusing on research partnerships between Ireland and France.
In order to share research experiences and deepen collaboration, the Irish Embassy in Paris organised a one-day Franco-Irish Offshore Wind Energy Research event on 6 September 2023, in collaboration with the Irish Research Council, the Embassy of France in Ireland, and other stakeholders. The event brought together government departments, key researchers and research institutions focused on the development of offshore wind in both Ireland and France, including policy updates from both governments and contributions from French and Irish Transmission System Operators. Included in the event were Ulysses strategic funding partners Eirgird, SEAI, Ademe and RTE France who shared their perspectives on how research could best inform policy development.
The event also highlighted the rich research partnerships which already exists between Ireland and France, including the Ulysses Scheme in particular. During a Ulysses showcase moderated by IRC Assistant Director Dr. Gráinne Walshe, Ulysses awardees Dr. Angélique Palle of INSP and Dr. Louise FitzGerald of Maynooth University spoke on the implications of the energy transition for governance. Dr. Guthemberg Silvestre of ENAC and Dr. Fatemeh Gopayegani of UCD spoke about their research on using drones for intelligent monitoring of Wind Power Plants. Ulysses alumnus Dr. Fréderic Dias, Member of the Borelli Centre, Paris Saclay and Professor at University College Dublin, also spoke about his varied research experience and the importance of the Ulysses Scheme as seed funding for Franco-Irish collaborations.
Following the Ulysses showcase, panel discussions were held on co-existence and public acceptance as well as geographical and meteorological conditions in the Atlantic and the digitisation of data, with contributions from key stakeholders and research organisations.
Neale Richmond TD, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment gave closing remarks at the event.
The event was followed by a reception celebrating research links between Ireland and France, including in particular the Ulysses programme. Current France-based Ulysses awardees, as well many Irish-based Ulysses awardees attended the event.
Niall Collins TD, Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science spoke of the importance of Franco-Irish research at the reception.
The Irish Research Council, the French Embassy in Ireland and strategic funding partners were delighted to be hosted by Ambassador Niall Burgess and the Irish Embassy in France during this important occasion.
