About AICRIstart

The AICRIstart programme is a Foundation Stone for the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI) and will build critical mass in Precision Cancer Medicine on the island of Ireland. In March 2022, the programme was awarded €4 million in funding under the HEA North South Research Programme.

Ten academic institutions (UCD, TCD, RCSI, TU Dublin, DCU, QUB, UU, NUIG, UL and UCC) are involved in the project and UCD is the administrative lead.

AICRIstart is an all-island doctoral and post-doctoral research training programme, which will create a unique network of excellence in cancer research, as well as an exceptional training environment for emerging researchers.

Ten PhD students (one based at each academic institution) are working on innovative projects in precision cancer medicine over a four-year period. The majority of the PhD students began their projects in autumn 2022 and are now well progressed in their research.

As part of the programme, many PhD students have undertaken 12 months outside their host institution, supported through a mobility grant. These research visits can be organised as one continuous placement or split into several shorter stays. Host institutions for these placements include other AICRI-affiliated academic institutions, as well as relevant industry partners, clinical sites, or other external organisations, depending on the needs of the research project.

In addition to the PhD cohort, ten postdoctoral researchers are currently working across the AICRIstart programme, further strengthening the collaborative, cross-institutional effort to advance precision oncology across the island of Ireland.

AICRIstart students with patient advocate Aidan McCormick at the 3rd AICRIstart Symposium, University College Dublin 2025

Programme Achievements

Since its launch, AICRIstart has:

  • Established a cross-institutional doctoral and postdoctoral training network in precision cancer medicine across the island of Ireland.

  • Recruited and supported PhD and postdoctoral researchers embedded within leading cancer research centres across the ten partner institutions.

  • Created a structured training environment, including symposia, workshops, and collaborative learning opportunities for early career researchers.

  • Facilitated cross-border collaboration between research groups, helping to strengthen connections between institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

  • Supported mobility and knowledge exchange, enabling researchers to undertake placements and develop collaborations beyond their host institutions.

  • Delivered networking platforms, including the annual AICRIstart symposia, which bring together researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, and stakeholders.

  • Promoted innovation and collaboration through initiatives such as the AICRIstart Innovation Award, encouraging interdisciplinary thinking and translational research ideas.

  • Integrated patient and public involvement (PPI) into programme activities, strengthening links between researchers and patient communities.

  • Contributed to broader AICRI initiatives, including engagement activities during Science Week and collaboration with patient advocates and international partners.

1st AICRIstart Symposium Galway University, 2023

Top Ten PhD Projects in the 10 Academic Institutions

Institution: Queen’s University Belfast
Title of Project: Use of tumour associated antigen nanoformulations to drive potent anti-tumour CD4 and CD8 T cell responses
Principal Investigator: Prof Chris Scott
Email address: c.scott@qub.ac.uk

Institution: Ulster University
Title of Project: Developing epigenetic synergistic drug combinations with albendazole in paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia
Principal Investigator: Dr Kyle Matchett
Email address: k.matchett@ulster.ac.uk

Institution: University of Galway
Title of Project: NEO-TIL – Developing durable novel TIL therapies for solid tumours with high tumour mutational burden (TMB-H)
Principal Investigators: Dr Laura Barkley and Prof Michael Kerin
Email address: laura.barkley@nuigalway.ie

Institution: University of Limerick
Title of Project: Identifying metabolic vulnerabilities to designing new treatment options for aggressive KRAS driven non-small cell lung cancer
Principal Investigator: Dr Catríona Dowling
Email address: Catriona.Dowling@ul.ie

Institution: University College Cork
Title of Project: Microproteins and long, non-coding RNAs as novel biomarkers in ovarian cancer
Principal Investigator: Dr Kellie Dean
Email address: k.dean@ucc.ie

Institution: Trinity College Dublin
Title of Project: A Functional Investigation of Non-Coding Driver Mutations in Breast Cancer and Associated Pathophysiological Impact
Principal Investigator: Prof Adrian Bracken
Email address: Adrian.Bracken@tcd.ie

Institution: Dublin City University
Title of Project: Exploration of therapeutic response prediction to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in homologous recombination deficient (HRD) pancreatic cancer
Principal Investigator: Dr Naomi Walsh
Email address: naomi.walsh@dcu.ie

Institution: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Title of Project: Molecular dissection of gene co-expression module associated with brain metastasis
Principal Investigator: Dr Damir Vareslija
Email address: damirvareslija@rcsi.ie

Institution: University College Dublin
Title of Project: Exploring Microenvironmental Changes in Early-Stage Breast Cancer Influencing Immune Infiltration and Reaction
Principal Investigator: Prof William Gallagher
Email address: william.gallagher@ucd.ie

Institution: Technological University Dublin
Title of Project: Chemical imaging and transcriptomic data fusion for rapid precision subtyping and recurrence prediction in colorectal cancer (CHEM-SENTIENCE)
Principal Investigator: Dr Aidan Meade
Email address: aidan.meade@tudublin.ie