The RESTART project team was proud to take part in the National Challenge Fund Showcase, hosted by Research Ireland at Croke Park. The event brought together teams from across all eight challenge areas who have advanced to the Grow Phase of the programme. This phase provides up to €500,000 in funding over 12 months to develop and refine prototype solutions that address critical societal challenges.

At the showcase, the RESTART team demonstrated their innovative in-situ water quality sensor, the CS Sentinel. This cutting-edge prototype is designed to deliver real-time early warning of pollution events while also meeting legislative monitoring requirements.

The CS Sentinel’s key innovation lies in its integrated dual detection module, designed to enhance both speed and accuracy in water quality monitoring. The first module uses a biomarker enzyme to rapidly screen for E. coli, triggering a secondary response when pollution is detected. The second module then activates a culture-based method using zero-waste, multifunctional cartridges to deliver a definitive, actionable result—eliminating the need for manual grab sampling and enabling timely, on-site decision-making.

This approach has the potential to revolutionise how we monitor bathing water quality, enabling faster risk communication for contamination events and improving our ability to mitigate pollution in recreational and bathing waters.

The showcase also offered a valuable opportunity for the team to engage with key stakeholders across research, policy, and the public sector—gathering feedback, building networks, and advancing shared goals in environmental monitoring and public health protection.