What: Science on Screen Information Day
When: Wednesday 26th February
Time: 10:30am – 1.30pm
Where: Pálás Cinema, 15 Merchants Rd Lower, Galway City
Registration: Eventbrite
Science on Screen, run by CÚRAM, the SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices at NUI Galway and Galway Film Centre are once again offering funding of €35,000 to filmmakers interested in producing a short scientific documentary focused on cancer research.
The Science on Screen Information Day, which will provide filmmakers with information on the focus of the documentary as well as details on how to apply, will take place on Wednesday 26th February in Pálás Cinema in Galway City. Both researchers and patients will give an overview of their research and involvement, followed by a Q&A and opportunities to discuss ideas with the speakers.
Collaborating with the scheme this year are Precision Oncology Ireland (POI), a consortium aiming to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics for personalised cancer treatment, and the Patient Voice in Cancer Research, with financial support through the Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund at UCD and other philanthropic funds. Precision (or ‘personalised’) medicine uses data about a person’s genes (genomics), along with additional information on their cancer, to understand the unique pathways of a disease or treatment response in that person. With this new science, doctors can prescribe the right treatment in a timely fashion, saving the wasted resources and time our current ‘trial and error’ method incurs, while greatly improving response rates.
The ‘Science on Screen’ scheme, a funding strand for creative documentaries set in the world of science, is now in its fifth year. The scheme will fund one 26-minute film with a budget of €35,000 that promotes the public understanding of science. The scheme forms part of CÚRAM’s public engagement programme which supports the Science Foundation Ireland objective of having the most scientifically informed and engaged public.
Science on Screen is a Galway City of Film initiative between Galway Film Centre and CÚRAM. Since 2016, five Science on Screen films have been produced. All have been broadcast on RTÉ and or TG4, screened at numerous international film festivals and scooped six international awards. The documentaries are used throughout the country at schools, for community screenings as well as at academic conferences and have reached an audience of over a million people to date. Please note that teams who have been in receipt of Science on Screen funding previously are not eligible to apply in 2020.
The schedule for the day will include:
- 10.30 am: Welcome by CÚRAM
- 10.45 am: Professor Walter Kolch, Director, Precision Oncology Ireland
- 11:05 am: Dr Roisin Dwyer, NUI Galway & POI Investigator
- 11.25 am: Professor Maeve Lowery, Trinity College Dublin & POI Investigator
- 11.45 am: Professor Amanda McCann, Chair, The Patient Voice in Cancer Research
- 12.05 pm: Patient/Lived Experience Panel [Perspectives from several cancer patients/family members] – chaired by Professor William Gallagher and Professor Amanda McCann
- 12.45 pm: Professor William Gallagher, Deputy Director, Precision Oncology Ireland
- 13.05 pm: Galway Film Centre – Application Guidelines & Q&A
- 13:30 am: Close
For interested filmmakers, a limited number of places will also be made available to attend a separate event the evening before the Information Day, the ‘Patient Voice in Cancer Research’ Dragons Den workshop on Tuesday, 25th February from 4pm-7pm, which is being held in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill.
For more information on this separate event, please contact Claire Riordan at CÚRAM on Claire.riordan@nuigalway.ie to book a place.
Trailers for previously funded commissions are available below:
Science on Screen 2019
Science on Screen 2018
Science on Screen 2017
Science on Screen 2016
For more information on Science on Screen see: www.galwayfilmcentre.ie and www.curamdevices.ie
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About CÚRAM
CÚRAM, the SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices based at NUI Galway is part of the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre Network, and aims to radically improve the quality of life for patients with chronic Illness by developing the next generation of smart, implantable medical devices. Clinical targets include cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, musculoskeletal and respiratory illnesses as well as soft tissue and wound healing. Read more at www.curamdevices.ie or follow us on twitter @curamdevices.
About Galway Film Centre
Founded in 1989, Galway Film Centre is a non-profit, members based organisation dedicated to the development of film, animation, games and VFX as an artistic medium in the West of Ireland. To this end, we support creative talent, community and youth groups through education, mentoring and training, equipment provision and information.
In 2014 Galway was awarded the prestigious title of UNESCO City of Film as a result of a bid led by Galway Film Centre in partnership with both local authorities and over 50 local companies involved in the audiovisual sector. Since gaining the designation Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Screen Ireland/Fís Eireann, Údarás na Gaeltacht and TG4 have all been involved in setting up a governance structure whereby the UNESCO City of Film offices are now housed within Galway Film Centre. For more information please visit www.galwayfilmcentre.ie
About Precision Oncology Ireland
Precision Oncology Ireland (www.precisiononcology.ie) is a consortium of five Irish universities [University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University College Cork and National University of Ireland, Galway]; six Irish charities [National Breast Cancer Research Institute, Breast Cancer Ireland, Breakthrough Cancer Research, Irish Cancer Society, National Children’s Research Centre, and The Oesophageal Cancer Fund]; and ten industry partners [Helsinn Birex, Bayer Healthcare, AstraZeneca, OncoMark Ltd., miR Scientific, Phion Therapeutics, Celgene Institute for Translational Research Europe, Cell Stress Discoveries Ltd., Fosun Orinove, and Genomics Medicine Ireland]. The Consortium is part-funded by Science Foundation Ireland under their Strategic Partnership Programme; led by Professor Walter Kolch, Director and Professor William Gallagher, Deputy Director and based out of Systems Biology Ireland at University College Dublin.
About The Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR)
The PVCR began in April 2016 when more than 100 cancer survivors and their families joined health care professionals, researchers, patient advocates, funding agencies and charity groups at an open forum in University College Dublin (see http://www.ucd.ie/conway/engagement/ and @PVCR_Ireland via Twitter). This initiative grew out of a clear unmet need to involve the voices of cancer patients within the scientific research process. Its main aim is to enable dialogue between patients and researchers, scientists, funding bodies and patient advocate groups so that the lived experience of cancer patients can enrich, inform and shape the research process. PVCR workshops give participants the opportunity to voice the questions and concerns that matter most to cancer patients and are likely to improve the relevance of cancer research. Today, the initiative has expanded considerably and the PVCR team run regular workshops around the country.
About the Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) at UCD
The Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) is supported under the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership, with matched funding from University College Dublin. A formalised approach to Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) is a relatively new concept and requires cultural change in the research community. In addition, to effect behavioural change and enable impact, there is a necessity to link with policymakers, patient groups and other stakeholders, activities that are not currently taking place on a significant scale (Grant ref 204844/Z/16/Z).
This Information Day was run with the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht.