Definition. Thematic Area

Transcription

1 Thematic Area Definition Software Defined Networking As part of the study of communications networks, software defined networking (SDN) focuses on the configuration, provisioning, monitoring and control of communication networks through software. Developments made under this theme will assist with enabling network resources to be accessed on demand as load varies. Advances in this theme will result in increased competitiveness for the management, operation and use of networks, data centres, and cloud infrastructures. Network as a Service technologies The separation of control and physical network devices Centralised management of network resources Programmable interfaces to access network capabilities at higher and more abstract levels. Progress in the theme will typically retain or improve existing network reliability, efficiency and security. This theme includes the development of novel services and applications which require the novel management environment provided by SDN. These services/applications could address security issues or data synchronization between data centres. Availability of SDN based technology could support faster service introduction. The theme should enable service adaptation to changing quality of service and quality of experience requirements. The theme should enable shortening of the networking development lifecycle. Cyber Security and Digital Forensics Cyber Security covers all the processes and mechanisms by which computer-based equipment, information and services are protected from unintended or unauthorized access, change or destruction. The field of Digital Forensics covers all processes and mechanisms related to the recovery, analysis and investigation of material found on digital devices or services. Information security Biometrics Cryptography Privacy, including privacy and ethics in meta-data Steganography Prevention of online fraud End-to-end security Digital forensics Connected Health and Independent Living (Priority Area D)* Connected health involves use of ICT to improve healthcare quality and outcomes. It represents a paradigm of healthcare delivery that leverages technological advances to enable seamless measurement and communication of patient data across multiple healthcare systems and between healthcare providers, facilitating insightful analysis to improve the quality of patient care, and reduce healthcare costs. This theme will enable highly decentralised and distributed health service delivery through the development of innovative technologies to measure, communicate, manage and analyse patient data. Development of novel sensor technologies and mobile medical devices capable of measuring disease biomarkers near or on the patient Innovative network architectures and protocols optimised for distributed healthcare delivery

2 Use of electronic health records to support more efficient and reliable management of patient data Application of big data technologies for storage and visualisation of large patient data sets Development of predictive analytics to extract insightful information and make predictions to improve diagnosis and support clinical management. This theme also includes sensors and information and communication technologies to support ambient assisted living. Production of Biological Therapeutics This theme is focused on developing competence and activity in the area of biological therapeutics production to support the international competitiveness of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing and process development industry in Ireland. Research actions within this theme will be relevant to the production of biological agents, development and optimisation of bioprocessing activities, stability and bioavailability. Applications that aim to support the biopharmaceutical industry in these areas will be considered, whereas applications that focus primarily on drug discovery are not within the remit of this theme. Production of biologics (including vaccines, cytokines, hormones, growth factors, humanized monoclonal antibodies, animal polyclonal antibodies, enzymes, blood and blood products, cellbased therapeutics, biosimilars) Production of antibody-drug conjugates Optimisation of bioactivity and bioavailability Optimisation of bioprocess monitoring and yield Optimisation at all stages of manufacturing process (bioprocessing, fill finish, analysis, data management etc) Diagnostics and Biomarkers in the area of Food for Health The area of Food for Health is focused on building capacity in the development and production of functional foods or ingredients for the benefit of health and wellbeing. Independently, significant research capacity has been established in the areas of Diagnostics and Biomarkers, having arisen from the outputs of underpinning areas including biomedical research, nanotechnology, materials and photonics. This theme aims to combine the capabilities developed in the area of Diagnostics/Biomarkers with those developed in the Food for Health sector. Applications of relevance to both the human nutrition and agri-food/veterinary sectors will be considered. The nutritional component must be the primary focus of the proposed research. Applications that focus primarily on diseaserelated research are not within the remit of this theme. Nutrition related diagnostics and prognostics Biomarkers for dietary exposure/dietary pattern Research underpinning the relationship between diet and disease Biomarkers indicative of the health promoting functions of food Sustainable Food Production and Processing (Priority Area I)* Growth in the global population and changing diets in emerging countries are projected to bring about a 70% increase in the global demand for food over the next 40 years. Maintaining the sustainable availability and access of safe and nutritious food is a key priority both now and in the future. Alongside the need to increase food production is the challenge of doing so in a manner that does not impact on greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, and the biodiversity of land or marine environments. This theme is focused on the competitive and efficient production, processing and distribution of sustainable food products. Research and innovation actions within this theme will cover the whole food chain,

3 including both supply and demand sides, and will support the societal challenge identified in Horizon 2020 Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research, and the bio-economy. Increasing agricultural productivity Land use optimization Efficiency and sustainability of wild fish harvesting and aquaculture Food traceability Food safety Manufacturing Competitiveness (Priority Area L)* The use of innovative manufacturing technologies is central to developing an advanced manufacturing industry which can continually respond to global competition. This theme therefore is focused on the development and application of innovative manufacturing technologies to reduce costs, eliminate waste, drive resource efficiency and improve product quality for increased competitiveness. As such, the theme encompasses research activities into process development, supply logistics, automated systems, associated software developments and green technologies; this latter area particularly in terms of subsidies and marketing. Research into quality control, product design, sustainable technologies and knowledge management systems are also included in this theme. Irrespective of size, sector or ownership, manufacturing companies must constantly adapt to economic conditions and technological advances to improve their competitiveness by focusing their management strategies across various modes of innovation, such as product and process R&D. As the central remit, projects would be expected to address issues of relevance to key national manufacturing sectors, such as, but not limited to ICT, Pharma, Medtech and Food. Processing technologies and Advanced Materials (Priority Area M)* The focus of this theme is on enabling the Irish manufacturing base, in collaboration with Irish researchers, to transition into one with enhanced capabilities in processing technologies and advanced materials in order to remain competitive and future focused. The development of advanced materials often requires the ability to deposit and manipulate material layers at the nanoscale. Technologies such as CVD (chemical vapour deposition), plasma engineering, electrodeposition, atomic layer deposition (ALD), nanolithography, and laser ablation are all used to deposit and pattern materials. Nanomaterials processing and the use of templating to build arrays of nanostructures are key for future devices. The ability to see nano structures requires high resolution imaging techniques such as electron, helium ion and atomic force microscopy. Advancements in polymers, substrates and adhesives are driving the development of lower cost materials deposition processes such as screen printing and nanoimprint technology. This will drive more efficient manufacturing of microfluidics, lighting, sensors and semiconductors. Composite polymer and nanoparticle materials are driving the development of energy efficient coatings for aerospace and wind turbine blades. The use of polymer scaffolds is proving key in the design and development of biotechnologies such as for the production of functional biomaterials and drug delivery systems. Processing technologies refers to the collection of technologies (including advanced materials) and techniques required to manufacture a product. Examples of research in processing materials) include Process Analytical Technology, dehydration technologies for the food industry and movement from batch to continuous processing in the pharma industry. Product life cycle management is also included under the Processing technologies theme. Research into technologies and systems which reduce waste,

4 improve product quality and safety and reduce prototyping costs all contribute to this theme. Innovation in Business Processes This theme is focused on enabling the manufacturing sector to respond and evolve with the new realities of doing business in a global market i.e. to be able to innovate in business processes. Examples of topics include management of complex supply chains, new business model development, risk governance and sustainability. Of particular importance are the management of complex supply chains, and the related fields of operations research, optimisation and constraint programming. Water and Waste By 2030, global demand for water will be 40% higher than it is today and over a third of the world population will be living in river basins that will have to cope with significant water stress. It is predicted that municipal waste will increase by approximately 825,000 tonnes to 3.7 million tonnes during the next 15 years. On a global scale, it has been estimated that the volume of municipal solid waste being created annually could double by Proposals submitted under the water and waste theme would be expected fall under one or more of the following categories: water reuse and recycling; water quality; water and wastewater treatment, flood risk management, waste treatment technologies, recycling, reuse & recovery of resources from waste and sustainable waste management. Bioremediation, the use of living organisms to recover substances of value from water or other waste, is also included. Novel Products from the Marine Environment The marine environment is a rich source of both biological and chemical diversity. A fraction of this diversity has been exploited by industry yielding unique products with applications in a diverse range of areas including the treatment of by-products of the maritime industry and offshore operations, to active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug leads in a variety of therapeutic areas. Production of raw materials: Including the application of biotechnologies and engineering approaches to improve the productivity and composition of marine biomass whose product has direct applications in areas including (but not limited to) nutriceuticals, functional foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, biofuels, antifoulants, anticorrosives or biocides. Downstream processing: Including the application of biotechnologies and chemical processes to realise the full potential of biorefineries or alternative methods for the production, extraction and purification of food and feed products, gelling agents, texturisers, fine chemicals, cosmetic ingredients, biofuels. Production of certified reference materials for marine and freshwater biotoxin monitoring and analysis; the development of improved diagnostics with enhanced sensitivities for the monitoring and detection of toxins in crude samples compared with current commercial entities (for the protection of the fish/shellfish industry). Parallel Computing Due to the complexity of developing concurrent or parallel software, software development practices have struggled to exploit recent hardware technology advances such as multicore processors and inexpensive multi-processor systems. This theme focuses on the software tools, systems and development practices which will facilitate improved utilisation of modern hardware platforms.

5 Software systems for multicore and multiprocessor computing Automatically parallelising compilers and runtimes Programming language design and implementation for parallel computing Software engineering practices for parallel computing This theme addresses the full spectrum of hardware platforms from mobile and embedded devices to supercomputers. This theme places particular emphasis on developments in parallel computing that has the potential to impact consumer and server-grade hardware devices. This theme will support the ICT sector by producing experts capable of exploiting rapid advances in hardware with equivalent advances in software. Synthetic Biology Synthetic biology is the design and construction of biologically based devices and systems as well as the re-design of existing, biological systems for useful purposes. It combines biology and engineering in the design and synthesis of artificial ( synthetic ) circuitry in living cells or organisms that is translated into processes or products. This theme encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a focus on engineering biology and biotechnology. Advances in synthetic biology rely on several key enabling technologies such as DNA sequencing, and DNA synthesis and assembly. The main goal of synthetic biology is to engineer organisms that produce useful chemicals from inexpensive, renewable starting materials. It is considered likely that the major expected commercial use for synthetic biology systems include bioenergy, agriculture and food production, environmental protection and remediation, consumer products, chemical production and human health. This growing field has the potential to deliver important new applications and improve existing industrial processes. Research applications that qualify as synthetic biology would typically involve an engineering application of biological science to perform new functions in a modular, reliable and predictable way, allowing modules to be reused in different contexts. These systems should then provide a process or product. Proposals should include a clear route to economic, commercial or societal impact. Energy and Environmental Sustainability Personalised Medicine Proposals submitted under this theme would be expected to fall under one or more of the following categories: Renewable energies, competitive low-carbon energy, energy in buildings, energy in transport, end-use efficiency, energy storage, energy conservation, smart grids & integration of renewable energy sources, air, soil & water pollution; environmental protection, climate change and ecosystem health. Personalised or precision medicine is an approach that integrates molecular, environmental and clinical data to better understand the biological basis of disease and thereby transform healthcare so that prevention, diagnosis and treatment are precisely tailored to patients resulting in enhanced quality of care and a reduced socioeconomic burden of disease. The field has emerged as a result of the significant advances in genomics technologies over the last decade. Furthermore, the observation that up to 50% of all prescribed drugs are ineffective or potentially dangerous for patients has been a major driving force. Approaches to patient stratification based on genetic profile Identification of companion diagnostic and pharmacological biomarkers Knowledge-based repurposing of existing drugs Data analytic approaches to investigating the connection between

6 genetic and clinical events and predicting therapy outcome and response on a personalised level * Priority Areas D, I, L, and M have been summarised in the descriptions above, but please refer to the NRPE report for the full definitions.