Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
209. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline the success of Irish colleges, enterprises and other stakeholders in drawing down EU Horizon research funding; and the next steps for remaining rounds under current framework programme. [67597/25]
View answerIreland continues to perform strongly in Horizon Europe and remains firmly on track to exceed its national drawdown target. To date, Irish organisations have secured over €1.05 billion in funding, representing just over 2% of the EU funding allocated to date, indicating that we are in a strong position to achieve the Impact 2030 target of €1.5 billion.
Our Higher Educational Institutions are leading Ireland’s Horizon Europe drawdown, accounting for 57% of national success, equivalent to €607 million, across key areas including health, digital technologies, climate and agri-food.
They remain highly competitive in excellence programmes such as the European Research Council and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions.
Irish enterprises, particularly SMEs are also strong performers, drawing down over 29% of Ireland’s budget share which equates to € 309 million. Ireland ranks among the top EU countries for SME participation and has had notable success through the European Innovation Council Accelerator.
This strong national performance is supported by effective coordination across national agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, the Health Research Board, Research Ireland and Teagasc, working collectively through the National Support Network to support applicants and strengthen national competitiveness.
The European Commission and Member States are negotiating the work programme for 2026 and 2027. This final Work Programme is scheduled to be adopted in December 2025 and will distribute a further €13 billion in funding across its various thematic areas in 2026. Through the National Support Network, we will continue to work closely with Irish stakeholders to maximise Ireland’s drawdown under this final phase of Horizon Europe.
