In the News..

University of Galway is to host Ireland’s new supercomputer, following a collaboration agreement by the Government and the European Commission. The national high-performance computing system – CASPIr – will be operated by the University’s Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), providing the research and innovation community across Ireland and Europe with significantly enhanced capacity to address challenges and opportunities in science and society such as climate, environment, health, AI and big data. CASPIr will be co-funded by the Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) as part of a five-year collaboration agreement. Professor David Burn, President of University of Galway, said: “The collaboration agreement for the new supercomputer CASPIr heralds a new era of research capability for Europe, and Ireland’s research community, and places University of Galway and our Irish Centre for High-End Computing at the helm of data driven study. I would like to thank Minister Lawless and his team in the Department for pursuing this investment and working with University of Galway to secure it. We can now look forward to the research community reaping the rewards of this next generation of supercomputing and data driven research as it drives University of Galway’s strategic focus on transformative data and AI to support interdisciplinary research addressing global challenges.” CASPIr follows on from the supercomputer Kay, which was commissioned in 2018. It is one of 31 supercomputers in Europe which are funded under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. It is planned to be in service in 2027. CASPIr takes its name from Computational Analysis and Simulation Platform for Ireland. ICHEC is hosted at University of Galway and funded by the Department of Further and Higher, Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It is Ireland's national centre for high-performance computing, providing e-infrastructure, services and expertise to the academic research community, industry and the public sector. Its high-performance computing services are made available to researchers based on a peer review process by an independent panel of scientists. Professor Lokesh Joshi, Vice-President Research and Innovation at University of Galway, said: “Leveraging supercomputing capabilities across the research and innovation domain is essential to realising solutions to pressing global issues and accelerating research impact. Today’s announcement will fuel and support the development of existing and new collaborative partnerships – regionally, nationally, and internationally.” Four key research themes have been identified as areas of focus for CASPir following go-live, including environment and climate; genomics; nano-materials; mobility. JC Desplat, Irish Centre for High-End Computing at University of Galway, said: “The signature of this Agreement with EuroHPC represents an important milestone for Ireland. It paves the way to the procurement of CASPIr, one of a new generation of supercomputers designed to execute sophisticated computer models known as ‘digital twins’, with broad domains of applications ranging from health and life sciences, to the search for new materials, mitigating the impact of climate change and improving mobility within our cities.” Dr Michael Nolan, Chair of the ICHEC Science Council which supports Ireland’s research community to access supercomputing, said: “CASPIr will enable the Irish research community to take leading roles in research consortia, international research programmes and attract industry investment that is built on the ability to integrate computational methods into R&D, alongside helping to deliver on government ambition.” Dr Sarah Guerin, Chair of the ICHEC Users Council and Associate Professor in Sustainable Energy Harvesting at University of Limerick, said: "This infrastructure will allow computational researchers to realise the full potential of our homegrown expertise and take on real global challenges. I am excited for people around Ireland to benefit from, among many others, the technological, economical and meteorological outputs that this will facilitate in universities and industry." For further information on the European Commission’s announcement on Ireland’s national supercomputer visit https://www.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/way-open-building-eurohpc-world-class-supercomputer-ireland-2025-10-13_en Ends

Invasive succulent that smothers native plants shows extended flowering in new territories, where it can dominate coastlines     That vibrant carpet of pink and yellow flowers blanketing Mediterranean cliffs might look beautiful in holiday photos on a social media feed. But scientists have discovered these same Instagram snapshots are revealing how one of the world's most destructive coastal plants is taking over new environments by extending its flowering season and threatening native biodiversity.   An international team of researchers analysed more than 1,700 photographs from social media and citizen science platforms to track Carpobrotus species - commonly known as ice plants or sour fig – across South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and the US.   These fleshy evergeen succulent plants are native to South Africa but now smother coastal ecosystems from California to the Mediterranean and transform ecosystems.   A single Carpobrotus plant can cover up to 50m², suffocating everything beneath it. They change soil chemistry and monopolise pollinators with their showy flowers, disrupting local ecosystems.   The findings have been published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence.   They are the result of a global study conducted by University of Galway, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Experimental Station of Arid Zones in Spain, Charles University in the Czech Republic, Macquarie University in Sydney, Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and Penn State University.               Dr Susan Canavan, lead author and Honorary Researcher with the College of Science and Engineering at University of Galway, said: "We realised thousands of people were unknowingly documenting these invasions in the background of their beach selfies and cliff-top sunset photos. This gave us observers across the globe, from California's Big Sur to New Zealand's coastlines to Portugal's tourist beaches.”   For the research team, California's tourist hotspots provided nearly three times more usable photos than other regions, while remote locations in South Africa and the Azores relied entirely on dedicated naturalist platforms like iNaturalist.   The team discovered that the Carpobrotus populations flower longer than native ones, potentially producing more seeds and increasing their spread. In their native South Africa, the plants show a short, concentrated flowering peak but in invaded regions, they bloom across extended periods. This reproductive advantage may help to explain their invasive success.   They also found that local environmental conditions override genetic differences in determining flowering timing. The plants adapt to bloom during the local spring season, such as October in New Zealand and May-June in California and Europe, rather than maintaining the flowering patterns from their native range.   For coastal managers battling these invaders, the findings offer practical guidance - by revealing peak flowering times in the invaded regions, the research will help them to time removal efforts to prevent seed production.               Dr Canavan added: "Tourist destinations were goldmines of data. Every scenic overlook with Carpobrotus had hundreds of Instagram posts. But this also showed us the bias in social media data. Remote invaded areas remain invisible without citizen scientists actively documenting them. “The study also demonstrates how the digital age is transforming ecological research. What began as vacation photos and nature observations has become a powerful tool for tracking biological invasions.”               Dr Ana Novoa, co-author and project lead from the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, said: "These plants are notoriously difficult to control because they spread both by seed and by fragments. Even a small piece can regrow into a new colony. Knowing exactly when they flower in each region means we can strike when they're most vulnerable, before they produce the thousands of seeds that ensure next subsequent invasions."   The full study, published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, is available at https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70122.   Ends

Two student-led projects at University of Galway have won top prizes for sustainability and diversity and inclusion as part of the ENLIGHT European University Alliance.     The awards were announced at this year’s ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning Conference in recognition of outstanding initiatives led by students that demonstrate impact, innovation, and alignment with ENLIGHT’s core pillars.    University of Galway is one of 10 research-intensive universities in the ENLIGHT European university alliance which was formed in 2020 with a shared aim to transform the way global challenges are addressed and to empower students, teachers and researchers to deal with complex sustainability issues.    Speaking about the recognition, Alex Metcalfe, Interim Vice President International at University of Galway, said: “We are immensely proud of our students for leading projects that not only embody the values of ENLIGHT but also drive real change on campus and beyond. Winning both awards in such highly competitive categories is testament to the creativity, commitment, and leadership of our students in shaping a more sustainable, inclusive future.”    In the Sustainability category, Adam Mullins of University of Galway Students’ Union was awarded first place for SPÉIR - SU Pantry - Students’ Union. The initiative is a system where food, which is surplus, in damaged packaging, end of line or near sell by or use dates, is collected through FoodCloud. It is then distributed to students at the University instead of being dumped.    The initiative was nominated by the University’s Sustainability Office. The judges commended its measurable impact in tackling food waste, connecting sustainability with wider societal issues and its strong potential to be replicated in other universities and cities.     In the Diversity and Inclusion category, Galway’s Active* Champions project was awarded first place. Judges highlighted the project’s peer-education approach and its impressive impact in addressing key challenges around inclusion and awareness, emphasising that “we can never have enough initiatives that highlight these issues.”     The award was accepted by postgraduate student María José Hun on behalf of a dedicated team of Active* Champions who are a network of student peer educators and leaders for initiatives on ending sexual violence and harassment, consent, sexual health and well-being, and active bystander skills. The Active* Champions initiative is led by the Office of the VP Equality Diversity and Inclusion.     The juries, comprised of sustainability and inclusion professionals from all ENLIGHT partners, praised all ten nominees across both categories, noting the closeness of the competition and the exceptional standard of entries.    ENLIGHT includes University of Galway; Comenius University, Bratislava (Slovakia); University of Groningen (Netherlands); University of Bern (Switzerland); University of Bordeaux (France); Ghent University (Belgium); University of Tartu (Estonia); University of Gottingen (Germany); University of the Basque Country (Spain); and Uppsala University (Sweden).    The project is supported by the Government and the European Commission. The aim is for the alliance to develop as a platform for the creation of a new type of European university campus where students and staff have increased opportunities for international study, training, teaching, research and sharing of services.    Ends