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FRAME

Decades of research have demonstrated that autobiographical memory is highly malleable: simple conversation can reshape memories or even plant entirely false memories of events that never happened. This malleability is a seemingly universal feature of the human condition. Despite this, false memories are generally regarded as – at best – a side effect of a flexible memory system. The FRAME project (Functional, Reliable & Adaptive Memory Errors) explores a different possibility: that the construction of false memories is functional and adaptive in and of itself. FRAME is founded on the idea that memory did not evolve to act as a recording device. In many situations, there may be a functional and adaptive tendency to sacrifice accuracy in favour of another outcome, such as improved wellbeing or social cohesion.

Led by Dr Gillian Murphy, this 5-year project is funded through the European Research Council Starting Grant.  

Find out more at Major EU project led by UCC to investigate false memories | ��ҹ���޸����þ� College Cork

DSIS

Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, the DSIS project seeks to develop a new methodology for conceptualising deep whole-of-society transformation for a trajectory towards authentic sustainability and human flourishing.

Find out more about DSIS

SPRING

Based on a participatory and strengths-based approach, the primary aim of this project is to improve knowledge at secondary school age level of issues in relation to fertility difficulties and pregnancy loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth. These are issues that will affect many of these students directly/indirectly during their lives.

Find out more at: /en/pregnancyloss/researchprojects/spring/# 

GreenInCities

GreenInCities, funded by Horizon Europe, aims to build a new co-creative approach for implementing nature-based solutions in deprived urban regeneration areas for collaborative climate change mitigation and adaptation. The process of GreenInCities involves twinning whereby five leader cities are paired with six follower cities from across Europe. An innovative toolkit is being developed for the co-creation process (involving co-analysis, co-design and co-implementation, and co-monitoring) and a catalogue of green solutions to help inform this process with residents. Partners across Europe include municipalities, universities, institutes, and research centres in Barcelona (Spain), Prato (Italy), Nova Gorica (Slovenia), Athens (Greece), Helsinki (Finland), Pecs (Hungary), Reykjavik (Iceland), Cork (Ireland), Matosinhos (Portugal), Hersonisos (Greece), and Birstonas (Lithuania). 

Find out more at:

CLEAR

This study is being conducted by a research team in UCC, funded by the The Ombudsman for Children's Office and is in partnership with Belong To LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland. It explores the experiences of LGBTQ+ children and young people (CYP) in Ireland through in-depth participatory research, investigating how well their rights are met under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). CLEAR is informed and supported by a LGBTQ+ research advisory group throughout. 

PI: Dr Aoife Neary Co PIs: Prof Deirdre Horgan & Dr Shirley Martin 

Find out more about CLEAR

The DICES project seeks to unlock the potential of the social economy to foster social inclusion and provide access to high quality care and care work. A key objective will be to assess and make policy recommendations to strengthen working conditions in the social economy and best practice care organisations will be identified and strategies to scale these will be developed. The project will have practical outcomes, such as the piloting of innovative care organisations and initiatives co-designed with key stakeholders. 

Funded through Horizon Europe, the DICES project will focus on optimising the potential of Europe’s social economy organisations to enhance social inclusion at both the local level, particularly in 'left behind places,' and within organisations, with a specific emphasis on care provision.

EUROBORDERWALKS

Working collaboratively in interdisciplinary ways across sociology, biographical sociology and arts practice (ethno-mimesis), the aim of this project is to open up horizons and opportunities for scholarship and produce knowledge and understanding of the problems and challenges associated with the three borders (Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland/Ukraine, NI/RoI) at the edges of the European Union, and the very meaning, experience and practices of borders. An important contribution of this research is to open up horizons for research, knowledge, understanding and teaching and learning, from an ‘ethno-mimetic’ approach (a combination of ethnographic, biographical and arts based research) that involves documenting and writing the biography of three borders ‘from below’ as well as to impact on policy, through a policy report, policy briefing, exhibition and a curriculum contribution to second level sociological education.

Find out more about EUROBORDERWALKS 

Image: Tomasz Ferenc. (Traditional Ukrainian dolls - Motanka)

HIA-IM

This project aims to strengthen intersectoral policy and practice in tackling health inequalities through the development of an enhanced health impact assessment (HIA) implementation model. Specifically, the implementation model will be developed by taking an action research methodological approach to the conduct of two HIAs in Ireland – one at a local policy level, addressing the Cork City Development Plan, and a second at a national policy level, addressing the Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan. A key component of the HIA implementation model will be a Community Engagement Toolkit to facilitate meaningful community engagement in the conduct of HIAs.

Find out more about HIA-IM

SHiFT

SHiFT aims to address the challenge of generating innovative and actionable pathways by engaging with the ‘critical practice’ dimensions of transformation. A ‘critical practice’ approach explores transformation processes in practice across different dimensions which include research, policy, business, community and individual practices.

Mission

• Raising awareness to Climate Change societal transition and transformation;
• Minimising the impact of Climate Change in our lives and communities;
• Redirecting a wide variety of actors towards sustainability through the Arts and Social Sciences and Humanities;
• Expanding the universe of artists and researchers to focus on Climate Change;
• Generating innovative and actionable pathways by engaging with the ‘critical practice’ dimensions of transformation.

DStream

The overall objective of DStream is to investigate the role of practices in enabling the emergence of pro-environmental and regenerative and experimental mindsets amongst Irish dairy farmers. The vision of DStream is to provide a strong evidence base for action towards an enabling context for a more sustainable production system in Irish dairy.

PI: Dr. Noreen Byrne, Co-PIs: Dr Olive McCarthy and Professor Ciara Heavin

Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Project dates: March 2024 until March 2028.

Find out more about DStream

INSPIRE

INSPIRE is concerned with fostering a more inclusive and participatory society, which starts from the experience and knowledge of marginalised groups to inform more equitable policies. 

INSPIRE sets out to create participatory spaces that are: inclusive, starting from the needs and assets of marginalised groups; resilient to changes in government and developing upon existing grassroots work to support community resilience; and adaptively embedded within the wider public sphere and in productive relationships with policymaking institutions.

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CLIMATUDE

CLIMATUDE will deploy a programme of engaged research to develop an in-depth understanding of Irish people’s attitudes, beliefs and values related to climate change. In realising this, the project will consider perceptions and attitudes to specific climate mitigation and adaptation measures, attitudes to wider governance structures and to decision-making processes.

Funding programme: Environmental Protection Agency. Jan 2025 – Jul 2028 

Principal Investigator: Dr Niall Dunphy | Co-PI:  Dr Breffní Lennon

Find out more about CLIMATUDE

INHERENT

The INHERENT project aims to develop an Inclusion Health network in Cork alongside a number of similar networks in partner European cities, together creating the INHERENT consortium. The project is funded by UNIC Engaged Research Seed Funding, and led by Dr Angela Flynn (School of Nursing and Midwifery) alongside Dr Sonja Vucen (School of Pharmacy), Dr Helen Kelly (School of Clinical Therapies) and Dr Margaret Murphy (School of Nursing and Midwifery). The hosting of a collaborative conference in UCC in Feb. 2026 was an important step in the development of the project, bringing together community groups, practitioners, activists and academics committed to enhancing Inclusion Health. Find out more here

CODA

The CODA project explores how hearing children of deaf adults (Codas) experience the courtesy stigma (or stigma-by-association) of their parents and the cultural resources they use to become agents of their own empowerment. The project seeks to find out what it means to be a Coda in a deaf-parented family, and to understand how stigma-by-association is experienced in society and how social disadvantage can be overcome through a sense of community belonging based on shared experiences.

Find out more about CODA

ERICA

Cross-university collaboration. Funder: Wellcome (2023-25).  Find out more at: