UCD Research and Innovation _ Creating Value from Knowledge | Page 18

U N I VE R SI T Y COLLEG E DU BL I N

CR E AT I NG VA LU E FROM K NOW L EDGE

Societal Impact
Making a difference: UCD’s School of Psychology
Youth Mental Health in Ireland:
One in six Irish people aged 11–13 and one in five
aged 19–24 experience mental health problems.
Ireland ranks fourth highest in the EU in terms
of deaths by suicide amongst young people.

In 2013, the country’s most substantial research project ever
on Youth Mental Health was conducted by Headstrong, Ireland’s
National Centre for Youth Mental Health, directed by Dr Barbara
Dooley. The My World Survey had phenomenal reach, with over
14,000 12-25 year olds surveyed.
Dr Barbara Dooley is currently pioneering the first evidencebased Youth Mental Health app, Copesmart, which will be piloted
in secondary schools in 2014.

A ground-breaking discovery: The speed gene
Ireland’s Thoroughbred Industry:
In Ireland, the thoroughbred industry directly
employs 14,000 individuals. It made a direct
economic contribution of €1 .1 billion to the Irish
economy in 2012. Ireland is the third largest breeder
of thoroughbreds in the world.

Infertility in cattle:
The dairy sector is responsible for 25% of Ireland’s
food exports. The leading problem facing the industry
is the progressing decline in cow fertility. Infertility
has common aspects in several species e.g. only
25% of humans and 35% of dairy cows produce live
offspring after insemination.

In 2009, Dr Emmeline Hill discovered the ‘speed gene’, a
gene that can identify the best racing distance for individual
thoroughbred horses. Hill’s spin-out, Equinome, commercialises
three genetic tests which allow the potential and commercial
value of horses to be maximised.
Equinome has a licensing agreement with the official laboratory
to the Japanese racing industry. It has developed the world’s
first online marketplace for the sharing of genomic profiles
in advance of horse purchases.

Improving fertility, enhancing the dairy sector
Over 60 scientists investigate aspects of female infertility in
cattle at UCD’s Reproductive Biology Research Cluster directed
by Professor Alex Evans.
The objective is to develop approaches and technologies to
improve fertility in dairy cows. A boost in herd production
could hugely enhance the dairy sector. Their research also has
implications for the treatment of infertility in other species,
particularly humans.

At the forefront of technological developments
Mobile phones; a billion dollar industry:
The total global mobile handset market is expected
to reach US$341.4 billion by 2015. Advancements
in smartphone applications now save people on
average 88 minutes a day or 22 days a year.

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In 1999 leading advancements in the mobile phone industry
was ChangingWorlds, a UCD spin-out company co-founded by
Professor Barry Smyth. ChangingWorlds pioneered a patented
technology that built subscriber profiles based on user behaviour
and usage patterns. The Mobile Portal platform was rolled out
to over 50 mobile network operators worldwide. Over 160 jobs
were created. In 2008 ChangingWorlds was acquired for over
$60m by US-based CRM software service company Amdocs.