Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, most definitely. We launched a new partnership with the Irish Research Council earlier this week. Irish Aid has been funding a lot of research across our third level institutions over recent decades. We intend to enhance the relationship even further in the future. We had a presentation in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland from a number of different researchers who are doing research work that is part funded by Irish Aid and part funded by the Irish Research Council. Science Foundation Ireland also has a role to play in carrying out research that will have an impact on how we plan for the future of Ireland, but which will also have a significant impact across our partner countries. We want to support research happening here that can also resonate or have an effect worldwide.