Professor Daniel Carey:

I am delighted to be here on behalf of the Irish Research Council and to have the opportunity to discuss the proposed research and innovation Bill. We welcome the decision by the Government to create a new competitive research funding agency by amalgamating the IRC and SFI. I want to address three principal themes today, namely, the need for support for basic, fundamental research, the composition of the board of the new agency and the importance of maintaining our commitment to the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Curiosity-driven, fundamental research is the foundation for all research and innovation activity in Ireland. It lies at the heart of the decision to enter the field of research, tackle difficult questions and produce results. We understand the world and one another better as a result of such activity. Society benefits through the development of products and interventions that improve lives.

At the same time, our economic prospects increase by creating a knowledge base driving foreign direct investment. It is vital, therefore, that the new agency meaningfully supports fundamental bottom-up research across all disciplines and career stages.

To illustrate the point, consider the response needed to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. The rapid development of mRNA vaccine treatment relied on a whole history of curiosity-driven research. An all-of-society crisis demanded an all-of-society response, calling on the work and expertise of a host of researchers, both in the sciences and the humanities and social sciences, including education, sociology, psychology, politics and philosophy, as we contended with a major challenge to social values. To take a different example, we are now seeing the transformative effects of quantum computing, but only after years - even decades - of backing basic research emerging from the insights of Einstein, Heisenberg, Feynman and others.

Impact 2030 identifies climate change and digital transition as key areas, and we support a multidisciplinary approach to national and global strategic priorities. However, we must avoid the risk of over-directing the system toward particular research areas and thereby losing our ability to respond to new and evolving priorities. The new agency must, therefore, be empowered through the legislation to support bottom-up fundamental research within and across all disciplines and career stages. To give an important example, 18 months ago, we did not know how much we would rely on our knowledge of eastern Europe to confront the crisis in Ukraine.

My second point relates to the board of the new agency. The IRC’s governance structures provide a proven model for supporting research within and across all disciplines by appointing board members who are active researchers, representing a wide spectrum of disciplines. This model should be adopted by the new agency.

The legislation should set out the competencies of governing board members and the board should mainly consist of active researchers from across the spectrum of research alongside research users, including enterprise. To maintain the vital connection between research, teaching and learning, the HEA should nominate at least one member for appointment to the board of the new agency.

My third point relates to the commitment to the arts, humanities and social sciences, AHSS. The Covid-19 crisis reminded us of why we need this robust and resilient community of researchers, which includes some of highest-ranked disciplines and provides the basis of so much of our international reputation. The IRC’s mandate to support excellent research across all disciplines is coupled with a particular responsibility for AHSS. We have ensured that the design of our funding calls is inclusive of all disciplines. We caution against establishing a separate council for AHSS, which may unintentionally isolate such research and suggest that the main business of the new agency lies elsewhere.

I will make two final points. The legislation should include explicit provision for funding individual principal investigators from early career stage through leading researcher stage to ensure a pipeline of success at European level, including European Research Council, ERC, awards. Since January 2022, 67% of Ireland-based ERC awardees are current or past IRC award holders and-or mentors or supervisors of IRC-funded researchers. The IRC's work programme is administered by a small team of HEA staff assigned to duties in the IRC. It is imperative that the contribution of this team is appropriately recognised in equivalent terms and conditions for staff of the new agency to foster a positive working culture.

I thank the committee. I will be happy to answer questions as they arise.