Donegal Professor receives 2026 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award

A Letterkenny native has been named the recipient of the 2026 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award.

Professor Regina Uí Chollatáin is the College Principal and Dean of the UCD College of Arts and Humanities, the UCD Chair of Modern Irish and Literature and Director of the UCD Ad Astra Academy.

Professor Uí Chollatáin’s main areas of research include Irish language revival, media and print culture, and women scholars in Irish language and culture. She has published widely in these areas in national and international academic and cultural journals.

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With the support of ConsultUCD, Professor Uí Chollatáin and her team won a tender from Coimisiún na Meán for a comprehensive 12-month study to review and assess the current Irish language media landscape and to make recommendations regarding the development of the sector.

The study was driven by the need to enhance Irish language media content for all audiences North and South and to examine the cultural diversity of existing Irish language media output.

Professor Uí Chollatáin was presented with her Award by Professor Orla Feely, President, UCD, during the annual presentation of the NovaUCD Innovation Awards, which took place at the UCD University Club.

The focus of the review was to examine how Irish language media represents various aspects of Irish life, such as culture, language, education, and general public discourse in the public sphere of the media. It includes thematic areas for priority action and systemic strategies to improve the quality and diversity of Irish language media.

Outputs from the review will include strategies for youth engagement including education, youth programming and utilisation of digital mediums such as podcasting and social media and strategies for Irish language media content in Irish medium education, including language learners and content users who are trying to improve their proficiency in the language.

The UCD review has been completed and submitted to Coimisiún na Meán and a final Report is expected to be published later this year.

On receiving the Award Professor Regina Uí Chollatáin, said, “It is a great honour for me and for the research team to receive this Award. It is a multidisciplinary project which endorses the recognition of the Irish language as an official language in the media sector.

“The research puts a spotlight on the many possibilities associated with the use of Irish as a communication tool and a working language, embedding the role of the Irish language as central to Irish society and official structures in Ireland, within shared island and European understandings.

“It was a privilege to work with this interdisciplinary team in their various roles in UCD, demonstrating the need for open, communicative, collaborative and modern approaches regarding the use and value of media.”

The annual NovaUCD Innovation Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in knowledge transfer, consultancy, entrepreneurship and the promotion of an innovation culture within UCD’s research and start-up communities.

Dr Eoin O'Cearbhaill, Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, who over the last number of years has built an internationally recognised research group addressing critical clinical needs by developing innovative medical devices that have real-world applications, has been named the recipient of the 2026 NovaUCD Innovation Award, the main Award presented at the event.

The NovaUCD Innovation Awards, a key annual event in the University’s calendar, celebrate and recognise the remarkable work of our research and entrepreneurial communities in creating and applying their knowledge to deliver impact. I offer my warmest congratulations to this year’s Awardees and look forward to their continued success as they advance Irish research and innovation on a global stage.”