Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to highlight the excellence we see across partnerships that are already happening with our universities and colleges. Just recently, we saw €7 million come into the US-Ireland programme. This is a phenomenal programme that is bringing in researchers. That €7 million will fund ten research positions in colleges in Ireland, another ten or 11 in Northern Ireland and the equivalent in the US. It works with funding agencies. Those partnerships are in place now and I am very hopeful, and I know the Minister of State will probably speak to this, that those existing partnerships we see in our current funding agencies will transfer to Taighde Éireann.

The Senator mentioned water. Those projects were around sustainable collection and management of water, photonic integrated circuits, wearable sensors to monitor health, telecomms and microbial activity. Funding for those projects was announced in March 2024. It shows that those types of partnerships with other universities at an international level are already benefiting Ireland in terms of us getting that research that, hopefully, will have an impact on society and we will be able to see in society. I hope those existing partnerships and developing new partnerships with other universities, colleges and funding agencies at an international level will continue.