20 February 2025
Research Ireland – a transformative reset
Ireland’s new research and innovation agency, Research Ireland, sets the stage for a cohesive, interdisciplinary system that drives sustainability, excellence and impact across all disciplines.
Research Ireland Board members: Back row (left-right): Rebecca Braun, Eoin O’Sullivan, Godfrey Gaston, Leonard Hobbs; Front row (left-right): Lorraine Allen, Anne Vaughan, Patricia Quane. Credit: Research Ireland
On 1 August, 2024, Ireland marked a significant milestone with the establishment of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, a new competitive research and innovation agency. This achievement fulfils a key action from Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, Impact 2030. By amalgamating the functions of the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the new agency fundamentally resets Ireland’s competitive public funding landscape.
For the first time, research in the arts, humanities, and social sciences is placed on a statutory footing. This integration creates an opportunity for Ireland to build a cohesive national research and innovation system, supporting a strong, sustainable and resilient economy and society.
Engaging stakeholders for transformation
The Research Ireland team is committed to establishing a high-performance organisation that reflects the successes of its predecessors while delivering the government’s ambitions for the future. Central to this effort is a detailed stakeholder engagement exercise, running throughout the first half of 2025. This outreach will involve workshops, webinars, town halls and surveys, building on pre-establishment consultations. The insights gathered will inform the agency’s ambitious strategy through 2030, setting clear goals and actionable objectives.
Driving excellence and impact
Research Ireland’s mission is to fund and champion excellent research and innovation that creates a better future. The agency is committed to managing its portfolio fairly and inclusively, addressing the needs of diverse stakeholders – including the research community, enterprises and government – while delivering societal, cultural, environmental and economic impact. Above all, Research Ireland prioritises value for money for Irish taxpayers.
Maintaining continuity of service to the academic community is essential during this formative period. All existing awards previously administered by SFI and IRC, such as DOROTHY, COALESCE, Laureate and Frontiers for the Future, will continue.
Large-scale Research Centre funding announced in mid-2024, such as for the VistaMilk Research Ireland Centre for Digitalising Dairy Production and Processing and the BiOrbic Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy, will also remain. These centres alone are supporting hundreds of highly skilled research positions across senior researcher, post-doctoral, PhD and MSc levels over the next five years.
In parallel, Research Ireland is reviewing its current programme calls to identify gaps, eliminate duplications and enhance efficiency.
A vision for the future
Outlining the agency’s vision, Celine Fitzgerald, Interim CEO of Research Ireland, stated: “Our vision is for enhanced coordination of funding activities, an intensification of interdisciplinary research, and a more vibrant research base that showcases Ireland’s global reputation as a research and innovation leader across all disciplines.”
With a clear mandate and ambitious strategy, Research Ireland is poised to drive transformative innovation across Ireland’s research and innovation landscape, ensuring a better future for all.
Words by:
Carl Gibney, Communications & Marketing Manager, Research Ireland carl.gibney@researchireland.ie