Driving Innovation, Resilience and Sustainability: Highlights from IMR’s Network Day

Karl Crowley, Senior Program Manager for RD&I Circular Economy at IMR/CIRCULÉIRE, presenting at IMR’s Network Day in Mullingar on 20 November 2025.

On Thursday, 20th November, Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) hosted its Members Network Day in Mullingar. A gathering of industry leaders, technology experts and member companies, the event focused on accelerating Ireland’s manufacturing sector toward a more resilient, sustainable, and circular future. 

 The Circular Economy Innovation unit and IMR’s wider Sustainable Manufacturing team collaborated in two of the sessions held on the day: Electrification of Heat: Strengthening Energy Resilience and Sustainability and R&D Funding Masterclass: From Bottlenecks to Funding Opportunities. 

The Electrification of Heat panel, with experts including Dr Geraldine Brennan (Director of Circular Economy Innovation at IMR), Diana Vaz (Senior Programme Manager, IMR Sustainability Team), Colm Martin (Manager of EXEED Program at SEAI), and Gareth McAllister (Founder & Managing Director, Ahascragh Distillery), explored how electrification can transform energy systems and reduce Irish industry’s carbon footprint. The panel offered insights pertaining to CIRCULÉIRE´s 11th Good Practise Sectoral Guide which was officially launched at this event.  

The R&D Funding Masterclass, led by Kevin James Fraser (IMR EU Programme Manager), Karl Crowley (Senior Program Manager for RD&I Circular Economy), and Paul Kilroy Glynn (PRIAM Commercial Lead), provided practical strategies for unlocking innovation through funding by outlining and demystifying national and EU funding mechanisms. 

The Members Network Day was an opportunity for the CIRCULÉIRE team to share information about our services and research capabilities and connect with stakeholders committed to advancing Ireland’s circular economy.