Sea Scan research team at Trinity College Dublin aims to strengthen maritime surveillance as Government expands defence innovation agenda.
Ireland has awarded more than €1.8m to a Trinity College Dublin consortium developing an AI‑enhanced system for real‑time vessel detection, in one of the state’s most significant recent investments in defence‑focused research.
The winners of the Research Ireland – Defence Innovation Challenge were announced in Dublin on Wednesday (25 February) by James Lawless, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and Helen McEntee, TD, Minister for Defence.
“Maintaining strong awareness of activity in Ireland’s maritime domain is essential, particularly given the country’s role as an island nation and a key Atlantic gateway for digital connectivity”
The programme is designed to deepen collaboration between the research community and the Defence Forces at a time of heightened attention to national security and maritime resilience.
Defending the seas
Announcing the awards, Lawless said the winning teams had shown how academic research can yield technologies that support operational needs.
“These projects will harness artificial intelligence to deliver real time maritime awareness and will develop rapidly deployable, multi-purpose shelter systems to support and enhance the operational needs of our Defence Forces. The prize winning projects demonstrate how cutting edge research can deliver practical, real world solutions that strengthen national security while driving technological innovation,” he said.
McEntee said the government viewed innovation as central to modernising the Defence Forces. “AI‑driven technologies like Sea‑Scan will significantly enhance maritime situational awareness, supporting the Naval Service in safeguarding our waters and responding swiftly to emerging challenges,” she said. “This investment reflects our commitment to modernising defence capabilities and embracing innovative solutions for the future.”
AI surveillance system
The Sea‑Scan project, led by Professor Marco Ruffini and Dr John Kennedy at Trinity College Dublin, with Defence Forces liaison Commander Cathal Power, secured the main prize under the Maritime Situational Awareness Challenge.
The team is developing a real‑time vessel‑detection system that uses artificial intelligence to interpret signals from subsea fibre‑optic infrastructure, enabling early identification of ships and the detection of vessels operating without transponders.
The project is intended to give the Naval Service additional tools to monitor activity in surrounding waters and protect strategically important undersea cables and energy infrastructure. The researchers said the technology would also have broader uses, including environmental monitoring.
Ruffini said Ireland’s location as an Atlantic hub made reliable monitoring increasingly important.
“Maintaining strong awareness of activity in Ireland’s maritime domain is essential, particularly given the country’s role as an island nation and a key Atlantic gateway for digital connectivity,” he said. He added that recent trials had demonstrated the potential to detect and characterise vessel activity using live subsea fibre networks.
“This research lays the foundation for future capabilities that can complement existing maritime surveillance systems and support both national and European resilience,” he said.
Deployable shelter system
The runner‑up award went to the Mobile Adaptable Shelter team at University College Dublin, led by Dr Daniel McCrum and Dr Kevin Roche with Defence Forces liaison Captain Dave McKenna.
The project focuses on developing a modular, rapidly assembled shelter intended for defence and humanitarian operations. Current systems used by the Defence Forces require specialist teams and lengthy set‑up times; the new concept aims to deliver a lightweight structure that can be erected without complex tools.
Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, welcomed the awards.
“Innovation and collaboration are central to ensuring Óglaigh na hÉireann can continue to fulfil our roles effectively in a rapidly evolving security environment,” he said. He added that Sea‑Scan could enhance how the Naval Service monitors and responds to activity at sea, while the MASH shelter concept represented “an important advancement in deployable infrastructure”.
Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, chief executive of Research Ireland, said the challenge‑based model ensured solutions were developed directly with Defence Forces personnel.
“The Sea‑Scan team are developing a high‑quality solution to a complex problem that will deliver a transformational capability for the Irish Defence Forces,” he said. He added that the MASH project balanced speed and structural quality in a way that could have broad impact.
The Defence Innovation Challenge forms part of a three‑phase programme involving concept development, seed funding and a final prize award, with projects aligned to priorities in defence policy.
The competition included challenges in maritime awareness, advanced shelter systems, search and rescue, and aeromedical emergency dispatch, alongside a stream for disruptive technologies.
Top image: Defence Minister Helen McEntee, TD; Prof. Marco Ruffini, TCD; Dr John Kennedy, TCD; Cdr Cathal Power
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