Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 March 2025
412. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the means by which he will support research and innovation in Irish universities to ensure Ireland remains competitive on the global stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14928/25]
View answerThere is a comprehensive and ambitious set of commitments for research and innovation in the new Programme for Government. This work will be progressed via a number of national policies and strategies, under the national research and innovation strategy Impact 2030.
Under Budget 2025, additional funding was announced for Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, with its total budget funding research in the Irish Third Level system now standing at €309.2 Million. This also includes funding to increase its PhD stipend level to €25,000.
The formation of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland in August 2024 is designed to build a more effective and cohesive national research and innovation system. Taighde Éireann will be working with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and others to ensure a continued pipeline of a highly skilled research workforce which are critical to delivering on Ireland's knowledge economy objectives. Researchers, research talent and excellence, will be cornerstones of the new agency in supporting a vibrant research base and building Ireland’s global reputation as a research and innovation leader across all disciplines. Research Ireland funds and champions research excellence and talent to maximise impact, ensuring that funding opportunities meet the needs of the research and innovation ecosystem, whilst delivering sustainable economic, societal, cultural, and environmental impact. Taighde Éireann funds partnerships of all scales, from curiosity-driven research across all disciplines and career stages, including early-career researchers, to large-scale research and innovation mechanisms.
Research Ireland Centres link researchers in partnerships across academia and industry in areas of strategic focus, consistently delivering groundbreaking research. The Frontiers for the Future Programme enables independent investigators to conduct highly innovative, collaborative research. The Co-Centre Programme provides opportunities for researchers to build strategic collaborative partnerships across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The National Challenge Fund incentivises researchers to develop solutions to key challenges in the areas of Green Transition and Digital Transformation. The ARC Hub Programme seeks to establish a new model for regional innovation and entrepreneurial training. The Pathway programme supports talented postdoctoral researchers from all research disciplines to develop their track record and transition to become independent research leaders. These examples demonstrate the breadth and scope of the agency's engagement with the research and innovation ecosystem, including a highly collaborative relationship with the Higher Education Authority.
As part of Budget 2025, a National Training Fund funding package of nearly €1.5 billion over a six-year period was agreed for the tertiary sector. This includes €650m in a core funding package for the higher education institutions, to utilise as they deem appropriate, consistent with the need to secure the most beneficial, effective and efficient use of those resources. This additional investment will ensure that Ireland remains competitive on the global stage.
In line with the Programme for Government and the Government's continued support for the development of the Technological Universities (TU) sector, under TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise (TU RISE), a fund of €83.68m will be made available to higher education institutions in the technological sector to support research capacity building with a focus on enhancing engagement with regional enterprises. TU RISE will enhance central research functions within the technological university sector to further institutions’ engagements with their regions.
I have also announced the allocation of Performance Funding Awards totalling €5 million to five higher education institutions. Each institution is being awarded €1 million in recognition of their exemplary and significant contributions to the delivery of national priorities. The performance funding is awarded on the basis of an evaluation of 14 Impact Assessment Case Studies submitted by higher education institutions (HEIs) to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in September 2024. HEIs were invited to submit case studies describing exemplary initiatives that contributed towards the achievement of national strategic objectives aligned with the higher education System Performance Framework 2023–2028. The submissions were assessed by an independent, international panel of expert evaluators.
Finally, Global Citizens 2030, Ireland’s Talent and Innovation Strategy sets out Ireland’s ambitions to embed excellence in talent and innovation into Ireland’s global footprint and is the first international strategy to encompass the breadth of tertiary education, and research and innovation systems. It builds upon Ireland’s many achievements over the past decade and is intended to confirm Ireland’s place as a first choice destination for international talent and as a thought leader in education, research, innovation and science policy.
