As the Deputy may be aware, I have acted swiftly over the past year in response to the international policy developments you have referred to. In particular, they contributed to my decision to develop the Global Talent Ireland initiative, launched in July last year. The programme is designed to build upon our existing research-base by attracting world class research talent to Irish Higher Education Institutions and public research bodies.
Managed by Research Ireland on behalf of my Department, Global Talent Ireland will have an initial annual budget of €8 million (with potential for further scaling), to fund research grants, start-up costs and infrastructure. This will support the recruitment of both mid-career ‘Rising Stars’ and established ‘Research Leaders’, enabling them to conduct globally competitive research, that will benefit the whole Irish research ecosystem. This will attract additional top talent and further strengthen Ireland’s national research skills base, creating a substantial multiplier effect.
Since the programme’s launch, Research Ireland has received strong engagement from a wide range of disciplines, countries, and Irish higher education institutions. The applications represented a variety of subjects, including health and life science, climate and energy, social sciences, ICT, Physics, Chemistry, Materials, Maths, Space, and Arts and Humanities.
I look forward to being able to provide further updates on this programme in the near future.
