The HECA Student Research Awards (HSRA) 2022 

The HECA Research Committee is proud to announce the second year of the highly successful HECA Student Research Awards (HSRA). This is a special event for students across the HECA member higher education institutions to showcase their current research work in the first semester of the next academic year. Students are being offered the opportunity to design a digital poster that relates directly to their respective research study. 

HSRA 2021 Winners

The interest and participation of the HSRA 2021 far exceeded the expectations of the HECA Research Committee and the judging panel were extremely impressed by the exceptional standard of the digital posters submitted and the opportunity to showcase the commendable research studies that are being undertaken by our students. Feedback from  Valentina Quiroga (CCT, 1^st prize HSRA 2021) and Niamh McTiernan (DBS, 2^nd prize HSRA 2021) also provide encouraging words on the importance of promoting this award in showcasing and celebrating the research work being done by students across the county.

Valentina Quiroga (CCT) 1st Prize HSRA 2021

"I was extremely happy and proud to win the first-ever HECA Student Research Award. The fact that my hard work has been recognized inspires me to keep working on the development of my education. 

This award recognizes the work my teammates and I carried out as part of the applied project for the third year in Information Technology at CCT College. Research is essential for the discovery of new insights to previously unknown questions, being a bridge between technology and people, and with the positive potential of changing the way we live. It makes me proud to be part of a college that provides me with encouragement and the tools to facilitate my creativity and productivity. Not everyone is so fortunate to have such a supportive environment."

Niamh McTiernan (DBS) 2nd Prize:

"It is a huge honour for me to receive second place in the HECA Student Research awards 2021. I really appreciate the compliment of winning the award on my post-graduate research project 'Covid-19 the Dynamics of Digital Transformation: Reshaping the Fashion Industry’. It is with great gratitude to get the recognition for this research project. I hope this award will help with building my future career."

Going forward, this event will continue to provide a platform for students to share their research with a wider academic community. The goal of the HECA Research Committee is to encourage and promote further research studies, and the role of HSRA is to showcase and celebrate the commendable work that is being done by students across the country.

Call for Digital Posters for the HSRA 2022

Submissions open: 30th of June to 30th of September 2022.

What is the purpose of the HECA Student Research Awards?

• The HECA Student Research Awards (HSRA) is an opportunity for students to showcase their research to a wider academic community.
• The aim is to promote the research studies that are currently being undertaken in our colleges, and to support and encourage further study in these areas.
• A panel of research experts from a number of academic institutions will assess the posters and decide on a winner.

How do I participate in the HECA Student Research Awards?

Design a concise visual representation of your scholarly research.

• Contact your college supervisor, lecturer, or programme director if you need any digital assistance, or academic support, with this project.
• Poster submissions to the HECA website will be accepted from the 30th of June – 30 September 2022 via a 

How do I submit my poster to the HECA website? All entries need to be submitted by Friday 30^th of September 2022.

What are the characteristics of a good poster? 

• Begin by summarizing the central message of your poster in one or two sentences.  
• Headings should be used to guide your viewer to important features in your research.
• The language used should be clear and concise.
• Use only two types of fonts. Font types like Arial or Verdana are used extensively in posters. 
• Use bullets and numbering lists to identify important points.
• Use images in a manner that respects copyright provisions. 
• Use graphics that are self-explanatory and appealing. 
• References and works cited can be displayed in smaller text, but not so small as to require the viewer to focus closely to read them.
• Proofread the poster for spelling, grammar, readability, etc. Ask friends and family for feedback on your poster.
• A template for a research e-poster is available to download here but applicants do not have to follow this template and can be as creative as they like.
• Further information on research posters is available at the following https://libguides.dbs.ie/pp/introduction.

The HECA Research Committee look forward to receiving your posters anytime between 30^th of June 2022 and 30^th of September 2022. If you have any further queries regarding the HECA Student Research Awards (HSRA), please contact any member of the research committee:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]