In line with AIRC’s mission, AIRC has increasing emphasis on engaging stakeholders and users, to develop cutting-edge AI theories, algorithms and tools, and to create state of the art AI solutions for practical problems through alignment with University, local, national and European initiatives.
All these are powered by three key research themes considering different aspects, such as in different data modalities (relational, video, image, text, spectral), in different contexts (biology, health, social, finance, security, geohazards), for different tasks (modelling, prediction, detection, verification, decision and planning), with strategic plans to address UKRI and EU challenges of diverse application areas.
Current Projects
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Advanced Engineering Research Centre (ARC)
Dates: 23/12/21 to 22/12/26
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Jun Liu and Prof J Wallace
Funded by: Department for the Economy and PWC
Brief description: JointCollaborative Research Centre of Excellence with PWC along with Queens University Belfast.
Grant to Ulster: £3.3M for 2021
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BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC)
Dates: October 2017 – September 2022
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Adrian Moore
Funded by: Invest NI
Brief description: The BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC) is a five-year project funded by £9M from Invert Northern Ireland and representing a major partnership between BT and Ulster University. BTIIC is at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Telecommunications, incorporating 12 sub-projects within the two themes of Intelligent Systems and IoT.
Grant to Ulster: £9m
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Multimodal Video Search by Examples (MVSE)
Dates: 2020-2023
Researchers from AIRC: Prof H Wang (PI), Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: EPSRC
Brief description: The aim of this project is to develop a framework for multimodal video search by examples (MVSE) and validate it through the development of a prototype search tool. Such a search tool will be useful for organisations such as the BBC and British Library, who maintain large collections of video archives and want to provide a search tool for their own staff as well as for the public.
Grant to Ulster: £720,502
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Decarbonisation of Maritime Transportation: A Return to Commercial Sailing
Dates: 09/20 - 01/24
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Glenn Hawe
Funded by: UKRI - Strength in Places
Brief description: The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to contribute to the decarbonisation of the maritime industry through the development of zero emissions hydrofoil ferries. As a member of the Belfast Maritime Consortium, Ulster University is contributing through the design and development of new composite materials.
Grant to Ulster: £2.1M
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Future Minds NI: Engagement Award, Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind
Dates: 2020-2022
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: MRC
Grant to Ulster: £100,781
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Novel building Integration Designs for increased Efficiencies in Advanced climatically tunable renewable energy Systems
Dates: 05/2019 - 04/2023
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Yaxin Bi
Funded by: EU Horizon 2020
Brief description: The research aim is to create a novel low-cost building integrated renewable energy sources maximizing the output tuneable for different climatic conditions through novel luminescent dyes, quantum dots (QD), geometric concentrator and intelligence techniques leading to current solar system efficiencies being exceeded electrically.
Grant to Ulster: €577,500
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ChatPal: Conversational Interfaces Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing of People in Sparsely Populated Areas
Dates: 01/09/2019-31/08/2022
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna (PI)
Funded by: Interreg-NPA
Grant to Ulster: £270,166
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Our Generation: Building PEACE through Emotional Resilience for Today and the Future
Dates: 2020-2023
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: PEACE IV
Grant to Ulster: £712,798
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MENHIR: Mental Health Monitoring Through Interactive Conversation
Dates: 2/19 - 1/24
Researchers from AIRC: Prof Huiru Zheng, Prof Maurice Mulvenna
Funded by: CEC-H2020-MSCA-RISE
Grant to Ulster: £71,971.00
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Stop: Stop Obesity Platform
Dates: 3/19 - 3/23
Researchers from AIRC: Prof Huiru Zheng (PI), Dr Haiying Wang
Funded by: CEC-H2020-MSCA-RISE
Grant to Ulster: £67,253.00
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The Atlantic Innovation Corridor: Social Capital and Co-Ordinating Capacity in a Multi-City, Distributed Conurbation Border Region
Dates: 2022-2025
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: HEA North-South Research Programme
Grant to Ulster: £1,086,911
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AIM4HEALTH
Dates: 1/5/22 to 31/4/23
Researchers from AIRC: Prof J Wallace
Funded by: HEA North South Strand 1 Funding
Brief description: Artificial Intelligence approaches to addressing Mental Health inequalities in Ireland through improved diet and lifestyle: an interdisciplinary North-South investigation of the TUDA cohort integrating nutrition, environmental science and data analytics
Grant to Ulster: £86,364.38
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The YEW Project (Your Emotional Wellbeing)
Dates: 1/4/2022-31/3/2024
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: Community Foundation Mental Health Support
Grant to Ulster: £102,033
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MalarInfo
Dates: 1/10/20 to 31/12/21
Researchers from AIRC: Prof J Wallace, Dr Yaxin Bi
Funded by: Department for the Economy - GCRF
Brief description: A machine learning information toolset for predicting malaria risk, rates and trends in intervention planning - A pilot project in Zambia
Grant to Ulster: £37,125.00
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KTP Project with MJM Marine Ltd.
Dates: 7/02/22 to 6/02/25
Researchers from AIRC: Prof J Wallace
Funded by: KTP project funded by Innovate UK/Invest NI and MJM Marine Ltd.
Brief description: This innovative collaborative project is developing a Marine Digital Twinning Platform (MDTP) embedding the strengths and key lessons learned in relation to utilising the proven tools and processes from digital construction and building information modelling (BIM), but applying it for the first time to the Marine Interior Fitout Sector.
Grant to Ulster: £284,226
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AutoCost: AI-Based Automated Cost Estimation
Dates: 02/22 - 02/24
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Jun Liu (PI), Dr Glenn Hawe (PI)
Funded by: KTP project funded by Innovate UK/Invest NI and Taranto
Brief description: The aim of this 2 year project is to develop software to automatically estimate the piling costs for new building projects, using methods from machine learning and optimization.
Grant to Ulster: £184k
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Design Process Analytics and Renewable Design for Existing Housing and the Built Environment
Dates: 11/20 - 11/22
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Jun Liu (PI), Dr James Uhomoibhi (PI), Dr Glenn Hawe
Funded by: KTP project funded by Innovate UK/Invest NI and Semple and McKillop
Brief description: The aim of this 2 year KTP project is to develop automated retrofit buildings software system based the EBRB model in delivering energy efficient retrofit modelling and design solutions.
Grant to Ulster: £186k
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KTP on Digital Transformation of Management Processes
Dates: 2021-2023
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Grant to Ulster: £120,876
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KTP Chroma Lighting (Development of a luminaire affective computing platform to support people with dementia)
Project title: Dates: 2020-2022
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: Innovate UK/Invest NI
Grant to Ulster: £185,172
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Beitto-Ulster Collaboration on R&D activity in service robots to support independent living
Dates: 6/18 - 5/24
Researchers from AIRC: Prof Huiru Zheng (PI), Dr Haiying Wang
Funded by: Beitto Intelligent Technology Ltd
Grant to Ulster: £100,000.00
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Development of a novel database and evaluation tool for nutritive values of white clover herbage
Dates: 10/18 - 9/22
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Haiying Wang (PI), Prof Huiru Zheng
Funded by: AFBI
Grant to Ulster: £74,361.00
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Orcha - UX data analytics for the assessment, validation and regulation of digital health apps
Dates: 2021-2024
Researchers from AIRC: Prof M Mulvenna
Funded by: DFP CAST
Grant to Ulster: £52,770
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Development of an integrated metagenomics analysis system using the microbial community, their community, their genes and biological mechanisms to predict cattle phenotypes
Dates: 9/18 - 9/22
Researchers from AIRC: Prof Huiru Zheng (PI), Dr Haiying Wang
Funded by: SRUC
Grant to Ulster: £43,454.50
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FUSION project with GridBeyond
Dates: 02/21 - 08/22
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Glenn Hawe
Funded by: InterTradeIreland
Brief description: The aim of this 18 month project is to develop software to allow traders to take advantage of flexible energy assets, e.g. through probabilistic electricity price forecasting.
Grant to Ulster: £29k
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FUSION project with Gamma
Dates: 11/20 - 05/22
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Glenn Hawe
Funded by: InterTradeIreland
Brief description: The aim of this 18 month project is to estimate properties of buildings using machine learning (e.g. number of stories from Google StreetView images), to aid prefill of online insurance forms.
Grant to Ulster: £29k
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Network Machine Learning Approach to Financial Crime Detection
Dates: 10/20 - 9/24
Researchers from AIRC: Dr Haiying Wang (PI), Prof Huiru Zheng
Funded by: Datatics Ltd
Grant to Ulster: £27,540.00