Research
At Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, research is one of our key priorities. Research backs up our case for more investment in brain injury and neuro-rehabilitation services. It gives us evidence to prove to decision-makers that rehabilitation works, and to increase awareness of acquired brain injury as a serious healthcare issue. Research also ensures that we keep our own services effective and that they remain world-class. We promote a strong culture of research across our organisation with staff, survivors and families engaging in a wide variety of projects.
Our Research Priorities
We want to play an active role in determining the research we support and setting the research agenda. With input from people with lived experience of brain injury and their families, we have set out four research priority areasfrom 2020 – 2024:
- Priority 1: Effective rehabilitation
- Priority 2: Access to brain injury services and the rehabilitation pathway
- Priority 3: The impact of brain injury
- Priority 4: Facts and figures
Each priority is as important as the next, and they are all interlinked. Together, they will inform our research work during this strategic phase of our organisation.
Research Partnerships
Partnerships are crucial to grow our world-class neuro-rehabilitation services. We are committed to promoting brain injury research in Ireland and building connections with the brain injury community. We work with brain injury experts to drive greater research investment in this area and to put brain injury on the agenda for politicians and decision-makers. We also support early career researchers to build the evidence base for brain injury rehabilitation and to grow as experts in the field.
Some of the organisations we have partnered with in recent years include Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and University College Dublin.
If you are interested in working with us on a research project, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be involved in research work at postgraduate level (Masters, Doctoral or Postdoctoral), or be employed in a research post
- Be registered as a student or work in an Irish university (with some exceptions for those registered or working in universities outside Ireland)
- Clearly illustrate how your research fits our strategic Research Priorities
- Have a fully developed Public and Patient Involvement Plan in your research proposal
- Apply and have approval from our Research Ethics Committee (as well as Research Ethics Committee approval from your institution)
Research Ethics Committee
As we support and facilitate new research, we have a responsibility to ensure that the rights and interests of people with brain injury and their families are protected and upheld. Therefore, we have structures in place to support research processes, including a Research Committee and an Ethics Committee. The former makes decisions in relation to the type of research projects our organisation will support, and the latter provides ethical approval to the researcher for the specific research project.
Researchers who wish to collaborate or initiate a research project with us must submit an application the Research Ethics Committee.
Research Resources and Publications
We are pleased to share a selection of the published research our colleagues and peers have supported and contributed to, in addition to presentations from recent research conferences and events.
