Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 October 2025
882. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the transparency that is mandated through clearer author contribution statements and verified funding acknowledgements, to create a more reliable and accountable record of how research is conducted and supported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56619/25]
View answerMy department works with our aegis bodies and the wider research and innovation ecosystem to support and promote the excellence and integrity of our national researchers and research output, and transparency and accountability of our publicly funded research.
Acknowledgement of Taighde Éireann-Research Ireland funding is mandated in the agency's Grant Terms & Conditions, which the grant recipients and their Research Bodies are required to agree to, prior to final confirmation of a grant of research funding.
Taighde Éireann- Research Ireland collects data concerning publications arising from the grants it funds, and these records are uploaded by each grant recipient in their Researcher Profile in the Taighde Éireann- Research Ireland's Grants and Awards Management System. The details of how these publications are attributed to Taighde Éireann- Research Ireland funding are recorded in the agency grant management system system. Applications made for funding, which include references to peer reviewed publications, are scrutinised by external subject matter expert peer reviewers, as part of the overall evaluation of an application for funding. During the term of a grant, the agency requires progress reports to be submitted by grant recipients and progress reviews are undertaken depending on the size and scale of grant.
Ireland enjoys extensive international research and innovation relationships with and beyond the European Union, grounded in shared values and principles of academic freedom and research integrity, the will to strengthen support for open access research and evolving measures to support research excellence and integrity. The HEA’s Principles of Good Practice in Research in Irish Higher Education Institutions was developed in 2019 to provide a clear and consistent framework for higher education institutions within which to situate such practices, with a revision in December 2022 to reflect changes in the research landscape.
Significant progress has been made in this regard since the establishment of my department in 2020, in particular on the open access research and research integrity agendas, primarily as a result of the dedication of associated working groups. My department will continue to support progress on these key policy agendas, and will continue to work with the HEA to monitor and develop the Principles of Good Practice to position Ireland as an international model of best practice, to help drive research excellence and continue to improve research outcomes, with the view to further enhancing the international reputation of the Irish research and innovation ecosystem.
