Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the significant benefits of access to and engagement with world class shared infrastructure and facilities, for our national research and innovation system and I support transnational collaborative research.

As part of its whole of government strategic approach to drive research and innovation (Impact 2030), my Department directly manages some of Ireland's EU and other international research partnerships.

However, it is the Government’s position that in relation to membership of European Research Infrastructure Consortium’s (ERICs) – such as EATRIS, that there is a ‘bottom-up’ approach. This means that membership considerations are managed by the Department working in the relevant policy area, as they are best placed to make a determination on whether a Government decision favouring membership should be sought. It is at the discretion of the relevant Department to decide on and resource participation in ERICs and to secure membership.

Irish stakeholders are already involved in a number of European research infrastructure initiatives, and it is up to those stakeholders to engage with the relevant Department or Agency to determine whether it is appropriate to join an ERIC.

For example, Ireland's membership of the research organisation, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, is managed by Met Éireann under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Ireland's Euro-ARGO ERIC membership is managed by the Marine Institute, which is an agency of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Ireland’s membership of ECRIN (the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network) is managed by the Health Research Board which is an agency of the Department of Health.

My officials are of the view that in the first instance, Ireland’s translational research community should engage with the Department of Health, who would be best equipped to assess the benefits and opportunities of EATRIS membership and whether it would complement the ambitions of (and investments into) the many research-active clinicians working in the healthcare system. EATRIS membership could complement and add value and further impetus to Ireland’s existing membership of ECRIN, the 1MG+ initiative, the EU Cancer Mission and the EU Partnerships in Rare Diseases, Personalised Medicine and in Pandemic Preparedness; and to the overall goals set out in Sláintecare, where research and innovation is identified as a critical enabler of the transformation envisaged under the programme.