Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In recent years, my Department has made significant progress in improving health research infrastructure, including that of cancer research. It is not currently possible to quantify the amount of investment across all areas of brain cancer research, which can span clinical trials, epidemiological studies of causes and outcomes, and laboratory-based research. The funding sources for such research include the Health Research Board (HRB) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), cancer charities, and pharmaceutical company-funded clinical trials.

The majority of HRB funding schemes are open to cancer-related research offering continuous funding opportunities for cancer research. A 2018 report published by the HRB, which examined funding awards across seven national funders, recognised that:

• between 2011 and 2015 seven national funding agencies including the HRB reported investment of €89,719,795 in 354 awards in cancer-related research, which was the second-largest portion of overall national investment;
• cancer-related research accounts for 20.2% of all HRB funding commitments;
• the HRB was the primary national funder for cancer-related research (54% of total cancer-related research), with Science Foundation Ireland also being an important funder in this area (35%).

In line with the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026, a National Cancer Research Group has been established. The Group aims to improve co-ordination and oversight of cancer research nationally and provide a forum for the agreement of research priorities. The Group also seeks to achieve continuity of funding and to ensure that funding allocations are linked to the agreed research priorities.