Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2026
879. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in view of his Department's role in coordinating Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2026, if the EU Presidency programme includes any citizen science initiative, in line with the role of citizen engagement in the EU missions. [52339/26]
View answerDuring Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, DFHERIS will host a series of open events in the coming months, aligned with OECD recommendations to embed citizen science as a mainstream, recognised and well-supported element of research policy:
• Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) Conference - Celebrating Mobility, Shaping Resilience
• Week of Innovative Regions in Europe (WIRE) - Future Regions: The Role of Sustainable Innovation in European Competitiveness
• European Innovation Council (EIC) Advance event - Advance: Progress and Future of EU's startup and Scale up Ecosystem
These events aim to foster broad engagement across researchers, policymakers and citizens, reflecting the OECD’s call for inclusive, participatory approaches to knowledge production and innovation.
Further and higher education also has a key role to play in advancing science-related fields amongst EU citizens. The Irish Presidency intends to advance work on Council Conclusions both on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and training and on AI-related skills and competences across education and training.
While the content of any such Conclusions will depend on the discussions at the EYCS Council, it is Ireland's intention that the Conclusions on STEM education and training would?establish?it as a priority area for the Council and the EU. In relation to the Council Conclusions in the area of AI-related skills and competences, Ireland’s intention is that they would focus on building AI literacy and responsible use across education, ensuring an ethical and evidence informed approach to AI in education, and strengthening governance and the readiness of education systems.
