The Centre for Mental Health & Community Research (formerly known as the Mental Health and Social Research Unit) was established in Maynooth University in 2008 by Founder/Director, Professor Sinead McGilloway.We conduct high quality, interdisciplinary, community-engaged research on innovative and often large-scale health services and social care research programmes and projects across a number of practice- and policy-relevant subject areas of national and international importance. The centre also offers a stimulating learning environment for, and leadership in, the training/mentoring of doctoral/other postgraduate students and early career researchers.
We are the only centre in Ireland undertaking applied interdisciplinary mental health and well-being research across the lifespan and in a community context. We also investigate, in all of our research, the role of individual, familial, social, economic and environmental factors in shaping health outcomes. All of our work is unified by a focus on applied, methodologically rigorous, innovative, scientific research aimed at adding new knowledge, impacting policy and practice and ultimately making a difference to, and empowering the lives of, vulnerable/potentially vulnerable adults and children.
Currently, we have 15 research staff, postgraduate students and affiliate members and we collaborate extensively with fellow academics and community-based services/organisations both in Ireland and internationally.
What We Do
- Develop, implement and scientifically evaluate new services and interventions
- Measure and appraise outcomes across the lifespan
- Employ and champion gold standard multiple methods & ‘technologies’
- Create, disseminate and translate new knowledge to, for example, change attitudes/awareness and inform policy & practice
- Analyse cost-effectiveness/value for money
- Develop international collaborations
- Deliver training & education
We have worked with over 50 scientist & practitioner collaborators/affiliates in an expanding international network including Australia, the USA, Canada, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, GB and NI.
We have produced over 200 mainly peer-reviewed publications including high impact journal articles, ‘gold standard’ systematic review articles, book chapters, books/volumes, commissioned reports and other scholarly articles, plus over 100 conference and other presentations.
See https://cmhcr.eu/ for more information
Since it was set up in 2007, the Centre for Research in Adult Learning and Education (CRALE) has been the Department of Adult and Community Education’s research arm. CRALE undertakes research on adult, community, further and higher education. Underpinning the work of CRALE is a commitment to transformative research that fosters equality, democracy and innovation.
The primary aims of CRALE are to:
- Support the advancement of high quality research on the learning and education of adults nationally and internationally.
- Utilise participative research methodologies that resonate with the evolving emphasis on real world research and engaged research highlighting the importance of linking personal and professional experience, teaching and research, community engagement and innovative research partnerships with organisations active in the creation of new knowledge.
- Work collaboratively with communities and researchers to bring about significant change in the conditions of disadvantaged communities who now turn increasingly to research as a form of social action.
- Support the research activities of all the students and staff of the Department.
- Support the research interests of policy-makers and practitioners in adult, community, higher and further education; including organising national and international conferences for adult educators and responding to emergent policy issues.
- Disseminate research findings to the field through a variety of media including the Department’s publishing house, MACE Press.
Since 2012, CRALE has raised just over €1,000,000 in funded research projects in Europe, Palestine and Africa, often with other departments in the University or with universities outside Ireland. CRALE is engaged in ongoing research with European, American and Asian partners, including several Erasmus + European projects and other funding sources. Through this work, CRALE has built excellent research partnerships and consortia which it hopes to continue to develop in future research activities. CRALE has hosted multiple events including a research seminar series, masterclasses, workshops, book launches as well as national and international conference in adult and community education.
See maynoothuniversity.ie/adult-and-community-education/our-research for more information
