An Irish-based researcher has been awarded a €2.5 million grant by the European Research Council.

Professor Bashar Nuseibeh of the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre - Lero - won the ERC advanced grant, which will run over five years, to focus on privacy and security threats relating to new mobile and cloud technology.

The programme will look at adaptive security and privacy, and will be a collaboration between Lero at the University of Limerick and the Open University in the UK. Prof Nuseibeh, who has been working with Lero since 2009, will lead the research teams.

It will research techniques for developing software systems to protect users from the shifting privacy and security threats as a result of new technology such as smartphones and tablets.

The advanced grants are aimed at allowing top researchers in the region to undertake ground breaking, high risk projects.

Lero brings together researchers from UL, Trinity College, UCD, DCU, NUI Galway, and Dundalk Institute of Technology. It is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, with other Irish and international funding agencies also backing it.