Research and Innovation Bill 2023
The Government of Ireland has published the general scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023 to merge the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to create a unified research and innovation funding agency. The new agency will capitalise on the recognised strengths of the IRC and SFI, to achieve the objectives of Impact 2030. It will drive world class research and innovation in Ireland and work collaboratively with other research funders and enterprise, both in Ireland and internationally. The functions of the new agency includes to promote North/South cooperation amongst research funders, institutions and researchers.
SFI Co-Centres Programme
The SFI Co-Centre Programme 2022 Call run in partnership between Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) was launched on 24 November 2022 and focused on Climate and Sustainable & Resilient Food Systems. The Programme has a fund of €74m available to support collaboration across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The call closed for applications on 16 March 2023 and funding decision are expected in October 2023. Programme details are available here, including a link to the webinar SFI held on 8 December 2022.
HEA North-South Research Programme 2021
Results of the first HEA North-South Research Programme 2021 funding Call were announced by the Department of Higher and Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) on 2nd March 2022. The Programme is a collaborative scheme arising from the Government’s Shared Island initiative, being delivered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of the DFHERIS. A total of €37.3 million is awarded to 62 collaborative research projects between academics and institutions in Ireland and in Northern Ireland under this first call, details of which are available here.
Shared Island Fund
Announcement from the Department of the Taoiseach on 5th July 2021 of a new investment fund of €40m that is being provided through the Shared Island Fund to support the deepening of links between high education institutions, researchers and research communities on the island of Ireland.
Science Foundation Ireland
SFI Strategy 2025 on ‘Shaping Our Future’ outlines SFI’s ambitions to create, with others, a cohesive research and innovation ecosystem as part of ‘Preparing for Tomorrow’.
PEACE PLUS Programme
PEACEPLUS is the new cross-border funding Programme created to strengthen peace and prosperity within and between the border counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland. PEACEPLUS (2021-27) is the successor programme to both PEACE IV and INTERREG VA. With a budget of €1.1bn available, the programme has been divided into six themes. Each new programme aims to address longstanding social and economic challenges which have and continue to impact our communities. Within each theme there are several investment areas – these will have a more specific focus and target specific organisations such as local authorities or community groups. There are 22 investment areas in total, more information about this can be found in the SEUPB PEACEPLUS website.
Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation that will run for 7 years until 2027 with a budget of €95.5 billion. Further information about Horizon Europe available here.
US Ireland R&D Partnership Programme
The US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership is a unique initiative involving funding agencies across three jurisdictions: United States of America, Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland.
