Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We know this new agency is going to be ground-breaking and transformative. It is about research and innovation across all disciplines. What is phenomenal is that it now places research, particularly in the arts, social sciences and humanities, on a statutory footing which previously did not exist. We are going to see that this new agency has a statutory footing for funding in those areas.

My colleague mentioned multidisciplinarity across the many areas of research. Senator Clonan mentioned Impact 2030 and its goals and objectives, which are about using and working with all areas of research to fight the challenges that we have across the board, whether social, economic or environmental. This agency has competitive funding. At its crux, it is competitive. It is based on excellence in each and every area. Ireland will stand tall. It will stand head and shoulders above so many others because it bases that on excellence. We have the talent in Ireland across many areas. We have the talent in every single section and area of research. What we will see is that all of those areas will be looking at funding coming through this agency and they will also be able to compete for international competitive funding.

The Impact 2030 proposal of research and innovation strategy is about how we engage with research and innovation within third level. It is not just that, however. It is also about creating our future. It is literally about doing the roadshow that went around all of the towns of Ireland last year and the year before, engaging with people on the ground. They had it in Roscommon and Ballinasloe, they talked to people on the street, they brought in researchers to talk to people on the street, they went into the primary and secondary schools, they talked to parents and they literally engaged with everybody about what it means to have research in Ireland. That is the important thing. Impact 2030 is about ensuring that we use research for policy-making that is evidence-based, so when our agencies, Ministers and Departments are making decisions, there is an evidence base and they are basing it on the excellence that is coming out of the research that will be done by researchers across every institution in Ireland.