CÚRAM & Ardán (ardan.ie) together run a partnership project called ‘Science on Screen’ which aims to facilitate, promote and increase the inclusion of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) content in Irish film and TV production.  

Documentaries 

The partnership began in 2016 with CÚRAM funding documentary filmmaking and providing access to leading scientists to explore methods of scientific ‘story telling’ and to produce short films that incorporate current research at CÚRAM and its partners.  

These documentaries are freely available for community and educational screenings nationwide. Please contact Claire Riordan (claire.riordan@universityofgalway.ie) to request access. Since 2016, eight Science on Screen films have been produced. These have been broadcast on RTE and or TG4, screened at numerous international film festivals and have scooped 6 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 1 million people to date.  

The documentaries produced to date are: 

Mending Legends
The Patient Effect
A Tiny Spark
Bittersweet
Feats of Modest Valour
Off The Bench
The People There To Catch Us
The Home Health Project 

The latest Science on Screen documentary call out will take place in April 2024, with an information day being held on 19th April. A filmmaking team will receive funding of €40,000 to make a 25 minute documentary on the theme of Cardiovascular illness. 

Animations 

In 2022, short 1 minute animations were added to the Science on Screen catalogue, each one illustrating a project being developed by researchers at CÚRAM. The aim of the animations is to convey complex medical advances being done by the researchers in an easy to understand way.  

Four animations were commissioned in 2022 and can be found at the links below. Two animators were commissioned to create 2 animations each, with a bursary of €4,000 per animation.  

BUCCAL-PEP Drug Delivery Patch for Cheek
New Endopierce Stent Coating Technique
Adrenal Gland Energy Delivery
Extended Pain Relief for Osteoarthritis 

A further four animations were commissioned in 2023 and will be completed in 2024. The aim is to keep adding to the Science on Screen portfolio with future call outs expected.  

More information 

To keep up to date with Science on Screen initiatives, follow Ardán and CÚRAM on social media and sign up to the Ardán newsletter. 

For more information, get in touch with Ardán at Kenny_at_ardan.ie