Tyndall's DAS research showcased to the European Commission President
Tyndall National Institute, based at University College Cork and one of the Irish partners in ATLAS, welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a delegation of European Commissioners to Cork on 3 July 2026.
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin hosted the visit and welcomed President von der Leyen and her fellow Commissioners to Tyndall. The visit took place at the outset of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Among the research presented was Tyndall's work on Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) using optical fibre.
Within ATLAS, Tyndall leads DAS activities in Ireland, with a particular focus on field trials and validation at the SmartBay test site. The material presented during the visit was based on a separate Tyndall field trial conducted at SmartBay in 2024, before the ATLAS project began.
The Tyndall visit formed part of a wider presentation of the institute's semiconductor, photonics and advanced-materials research. Tyndall’s team, including Dr Cleitus Antony, presented findings and data visualisations from a separate DAS field trial conducted at the SmartBay Observatory in Galway Bay in 2024, before the ATLAS project began. The team used the earlier results to explain how an optical fibre can act as a distributed sensor by measuring small changes in backscattered laser light caused by acoustic or mechanical disturbances along the cable. The team explained the broader potential of DAS deployed on submarine optical cables to detect or monitor activity such as vessel movements, marine-mammal sounds, seismic events and other underwater disturbances.
Minister James Lawless, TD, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with Dr. Cleitus Antony and Rory Fox
Although the research material presented during the visit came from a separate 2024 Tyndall trial that predated ATLAS, it illustrated the type of fibre-based ocean sensing that the project will investigate and validate at its study sites. SmartBay Observatory is one of three ATLAS test sites, alongside sites in Portugal and the Canary Islands. Within the project, Tyndall leads DAS activities in Ireland, including planned field trials at SmartBay, validation of DAS performance and support for project-level data integration. The visit therefore provided valuable visibility for the wider scientific and societal objectives addressed by ATLAS.
Speaking to the press the next day, President von der Leyen referred to the fibre-based sensing research she had seen at Tyndall and highlighted its potential to detect activity beneath the sea, from passing ships to sea mammals to seismic movement. She framed the technology as a way to strengthen maritime security while preserving a balance between surveillance and the privacy of citizens, and pointed to the protection of undersea infrastructure as a growing European priority
Sources:
Tyndall National Institute: [Tyndall welcomes President of the European Commission](https://www.tyndall.ie/news/tyndall-welcomes-president-of-the-european-commission-ursula-von-der-leyen-in-visit-showcasing-europes-semiconductor-ambitions/)
Irish Examiner: [related coverage](https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41873781.html)