Be part of the Walton Institute at @SETUIreland community. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest research, innovation, news, and events happening at Walton Institute, and see how our work is making real-world impact. Stay connected. Stay informed. Stay inspired 🙌 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/waltoni… Facebook: facebook.com/Walton.SETU Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/waltoninsti… Instagram: instagram.com/waltoninstitut… #WaltonInstitute #SETU #Research #Innovation @SETU_Research

We’re excited to highlight one of the cutting-edge research initiatives underway at Walton Institute: AIQ-SHIELD — a project tackling one of the most critical challenges of our digital era. As artificial intelligence becomes ever more central to how organisations operate, the sophistication of cyber threats continues to escalate. AIQ-Shield is designed to address this challenge head-on by developing comprehensive security solutions that protect AI systems against evolving attacks. This includes integrating post-quantum cryptography into a Zero Trust architecture to future-proof AI infrastructures against both current and emerging threats — including those posed by quantum computing advancements. The AIQ-SHIELD project is led by Dr Indrakshi Dey and Dr Ilias Cherkaoui under the Programmable Autonomous Systems (PAS) division in Walton Institute, @SETUIreland, as part of SETU's TU RISE initiative. For more information visit: waltoninstitute.ie/projects/… #WaltonInstitute #SETU #CyberSecurity #QuantumComputing #AI @SETU_Research

2025 has been another exciting year of research and innovation at Walton Institute in @SETUIreland. Below is just a snapshot of some of the team's activities throughout the year. From all of us, to all of you, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎉 #WaltonInstitute #SETU #Research #Innovation @SETU_Research

2025 has been another highly productive year for Walton Institute at @SETUIreland. Our team has continued to secure significant funding through both National and @EU_Commission programmes, bringing our total funding to date to €153 million, and with €5.6 million total research spend this year alone. These investments are vital in expanding our innovation ecosystem, fostering stronger collaborations with industry, communities, and international partners. We've also welcomed new researchers, engineers, postdocs, students, and interns, all of whom bring fresh expertise and enthusiasm to Walton. We are proud to see our research and innovations making a tangible impact across a wide range of sectors, including Smart Health, Smart Energy, Agriculture, and more. Additionally, we are contributing to the development of standards and policy discussions at a European level. We’re excited for 2026 as we celebrate our 30th anniversary and continue our journey of cutting-edge research and innovation in the South East. Kevin Doolin, Executive Director at Walton Institute, takes a look back at 2025. #WaltonInstitute #SETU #Research #Innovation #EuinmyRegion @SETU_Research youtu.be/ADHlaDKwdyo

The team at Walton Institute, @SETUIreland and SETU Xcelerate Centre taking part in @wlrfm's Wear Red to Work Day in aid of a great cause @SVP_Ireland ❤️ #WaltonInstitute #SETU #WearRed @ArclabsSETU @SETU_Research

🎉 We are proud to announce that a paper by Walton Institute at @SETUIreland's Kavindu Sellahewa, James Joseph Shawe, Mohammed Gismalla and Dr Deirdre Kilbane has been published in the International Conference on Software, Telecommunications and Computer Networks (SoftCOM) - 2025. The publication 'Predicting Wavefront Errors by Analysing Point Spread Function in Space Optical Communications' focuses on improving satellite optical communication, which is like sending data via light beams between Earth and space. A big problem is that the atmosphere distorts light, making the signals blurry and weak, like looking through a wavy glass. This paper proposes using machine learning to predict these distortions directly from the blurry image itself. In simulations, the method accurately predicted the distortions, showing it could help make satellite communications clearer and more reliable. Read the full publication here now ➡️ ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract… Full story: waltoninstitute.ie/news-and-… #WaltonInstitute #SETU #Publication #SatelliteCommunications @SETU_Research @Researchirel @connect_ie

🌱 We are pleased to announce that Walton Institute at @SETUIreland has secured €100k in Enterprise Ireland Proof of Concept funding to develop AgritatorAI, a next-generation artificial intelligence Agricultural and land image analysis platform. AgritatorAI’s initial development aims to automate Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) compliance verification. With 6.2 million beneficiaries across Europe, AgritatorAI will develop a production-grade AI engine capable of identifying crops, detecting land activity such as grazing, and assessing compliance features within land parcels, greatly speeding up the claims process. #WaltonInstitute #SETU #AI #Agritech #CAP #EnterpriseIreland #Innovation 📰 waltoninstitute.ie/news-and-…

The ENTIRE EDIH and ICS Technology Gateway team at Walton Institute, @SETUIreland were delighted to be part of the 'Accelerating your Digital Transformation with the Applied IoT Technology Gateway Cluster and European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs)' event in Dublin. The showcase event hosted by @ENTIRE_EDIH_IE, @Data2Sustain EDIH, ICS Technology Gateway, @NimbusCentre and @WirelessIoT, brought together industry experts, support agencies and innovative companies to highlight the growing opportunities for Irish SMEs and public service organisations embarking on digital transformation. Attendees had the unique opportunity to hear powerful case studies from Gary Evans – @feedalpha, Dave Carthy – Ideal Technologies, and Envir-Aware, demonstrating the practical benefits of 'test-before-invest' services. A key message from the day was the wide variety of support, expertise and funding currently accessible to Irish enterprises. Businesses unsure where to begin were encouraged to contact their local Technology Gateway or EDIH, who can provide tailored guidance and connect them with the most suitable resources. Stay tuned to our website and socials for details of more upcoming events 🙌 waltoninstitute.ie/news-and-… #euinmyregion #EDIH_Network #TechnologyGateway #AppliedIoT

Dr Lizy Abraham, Head of the Emerging Network Labs Division at Walton Institute, @SETUIreland was excited to have the opportunity to present her research at IEEE HealthCom 2025, a leading international conference on digital health technologies held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 🩺 The paper entitled 'SSC-UNet: UNet with Self-Supervised Contrastive Learning for Phonocardiography Noise Reduction', forms part of Dr Abraham’s @Researchirel Pathway Fellowship on Paediatric Heart Disease Diagnosis, improving the quality of children’s heart recordings through advanced AI methods, supporting earlier and more reliable cardiac screening. It is a joint collaboration with Dr Abraham’s PhD student in Walton Institute, Kritika Rajain, alongside clinical partners involved in the project. #WaltonInstitute #SETU #AI #DigitalHealth #Paediatrics @SETU_Research waltoninstitute.ie/news-and-…

🎉 We are proud to announce that Walton Institute in @SETUIreland has secured a €5.3m Horizon Europe project to develop EU mandated quantum-resistant security for critical sectors. The Q-Fence project will help protect critical digital infrastructure from emerging quantum computing threats. The EU has directed that all critical systems must upgrade to quantum-resistant security standards by 2030. By coordinating this vital European project, SETU and Walton Institute are positioning Ireland as a leader in future-proof digital security 🙌 #WaltonInstitute #SETU #Quantum #Cybersecurity #HorizonEurope @HorizonEU @SETU_Research waltoninstitute.ie/news-and-…

Join us on the 26th of November to learn more about how @feedalpha and @SETUIreland's Walton Institute have teamed up to spearhead GreenSphere, a transformative new initiative designed to revolutionise digital content generation through artificial intelligence (AI) while at the same time addressing the environmental concerns of AI scalability. Working with the @ENTIRE_EDIH_IE and ICS Technology Gateway team at Walton gave Feedalpha a platform to look at: ✅ the potential opportunities AI presents to businesses ✅ explore the relevance of AI in the business context at the present moment ✅ understand how to facilitate use of AI in the future. There are still a limited number of spaces available for this FREE and exclusive event. Book your space today! eventbrite.ie/e/accelerate-y… #Euinmyregion #EDIH_Network #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #IoT @Entirl @EITechGateway @aiotgroup @WirelessIoT @Data2Sustain @edih_net @NimbusCentre

📣 Applications are now open for 15 fully funded PhD positions under QUESTING, a new €4 million Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) doctoral network that will train the next generation of quantum internet experts. We are excited to announce that Walton Institute at @SETUIreland has been selected to coordinate QUESTING, the first doctoral network to tackle the complete lifecycle of distributed quantum networks. Over the coming years, it will train 15 PhD candidates as “Q-System Innovators” – specialists with rare interdisciplinary expertise spanning quantum technology, communications, computing, and social sciences. Dr Indrakshi Dey, Principal Investigator of QUESTING at Walton Institute, is calling on Europe’s brightest talent to apply - "If you are ready to stop studying the future and start engineering it, QUESTING is your launching pad.” Contact Indrakshi.Dey@waltoninstitute.ie for more details. #WaltonInstitute #SETU #Research #PhD #Quantum #MSCA #QUESTING waltoninstitute.ie/news-and-…

What happens when a drone receives false information but believes it to be true? This is the question that has driven the research of Walton Institute at @SETUIreland researcher Muhammad Iftikhar Umrani. Drones are being used more and more as everyday tools. But as their numbers grow, so does the need to keep them safe and dependable. Under the supervision of Dr Bernard Butler (SETU), and with the guidance of Dr Aisling O' Driscoll (@UCC) and Dr Steven Davy (@WeAreTUDublin), Iftikhar is studying how drones behave when their navigation or communication is disturbed, and how to help them recognise when something is wrong. The work forms part of the UAVSec project funded by @connect_ie, funded by @Researchirel. Read Ifthikar's full interview with Silicon Republic now 🙌 siliconrepublic.com/machines… #WaltonInstitute #SETU #UAV #researcher @SETU_Research

Envir-Aware Ltd. is developing Enviro-Bin-Aware, a VR educational game aimed at improving recycling awareness and behaviour in Ireland. The experience is designed to engage users—particularly students and adults—with interactive, immersive recycling challenges in a virtual world. With the game nearing its pilot-ready stage, Envir-Aware Ltd. engaged with @ENTIRE_EDIH_IE and the @NimbusCentre UX & XR Research Teams to evaluate the usability and educational effectiveness of the game and ensure its readiness for broader deployment. Join us at this exclusive event on the 26th November to learn more about how the team at Envir-Aware with the support of the Applied IoT Technology Gateway Cluster and the European Digital Innovation Hub Network turned their innovative vision into a reality. There are still a few spaces remaining. Book your place today ➡️ eventbrite.ie/e/accelerate-y… #euinmyregion #EDIH_Network #VR #VirtualReality #IoT @Entirl @EITechGateway @aiotgroup @ENTIRE_EDIH_IE @WirelessIoT @Data2Sustain @edih_net

🎉 We are proud to announce that an article by Walton Institute at @SETUIreland's Kavindu Sellahewa and Dr Deirdre Kilbane, in collaboration with Nitish Kumar Panigrahy (@binghamtonu), Albert Williams and Don Towsley (@manningcics @UMassAmherst) has been published in Scientific Reports - Nature. Quantum communication (QC) is a technology that uses the principles of quantum physics to transmit information in a completely secure manner, often via particles of light called photons. It’s important because it can enable unhackable communication, which is crucial for future data security. However, sending these delicate quantum signals from satellites to Earth is difficult, as atmospheric turbulence and distance degrade them. This paper proposes a design of placing a gold-coated parabolic reflector on a high-altitude balloon to reflect signals from space down to Earth. By reducing atmospheric loss, this method can make quantum links stronger, longer-lasting, and up to 25 times more efficient 🌍 Read the full paper here now: nature.com/articles/s41598-0… waltoninstitute.ie/news-and-… #WaltonInstitute #SETU #Publication #QuantumCommunication @SETU_Research @Researchirel @connect_ie