A National College of Ireland (NCI) research project has received funding from the Irish Research Council (IRC) under the 'New Foundations' programme.

The IRC has announced funding for 56 projects under the New Foundations scheme that are designed to reach communities across the country and beyond, focusing on diverse societal challenges. New Foundations awards help bring researchers, civic society organisations and policy makers together to enhance the evidence base for policies and practices that will have a tangible impact, locally, nationally, and internationally. The scheme enables awardees to pursue research, networking or dissemination activities within and across the diversity of disciplines.

The NCI research project to receive funding is: 

• Dr Nicole Gross, Assistant Professor in Business & Society, NCI School of Business, The promises and perils of ChatGPT AI for healthcare: A Data Justice Perspective for Ireland.

This project, in collaboration with the Dublin Inner City Community Co-operative Society, explores the promises and perils of AI for Irish healthcare, in particular the power and politics issues that come with data generation, use and ownership in relation to social values and community healthcare.

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Brown, Director of the Irish Research Council stated: “The Irish Research Council is very proud of the connections that have been enabled between researchers and wider stakeholders through the many awards made under the New Foundations programme over a number of years.

"This year will build further on the many successful partnerships, many of which endure and continue beyond the lifetime of the specific award. The research system and the experts that work within it, in myriad disciplines, are a strategic national resource and the New Foundations scheme helps to create a vibrant cross-stakeholder community to enhance evidence and knowledge for better policy and practice. I look forward to seeing fruitful and mutually beneficial collaborations develop between the awardees and their partners in civil society organisations and government departments & agencies.

Visit the Irish Research Council website to learn more about this announcement.