Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1375. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline, given his sponsorship of the Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) (Amendment) Bill 2018, the plans he has to introduce legislation to amend the Research and Innovation Act 2024 in accordance with his stated views on the inadequacy of funding of oriented basic research in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2665/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Research and Innovation Act 2024 provided for the establishment of Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland as Ireland’s new research and innovation funding agency, with the new body coming into being from 1 August 2024.

The new agency has been established to oversee competitive research funding across all disciplines, ranging from the arts, humanities and social sciences through to science, technology, engineering and maths, across the full spectrum of research stages from basic and curiosity - driven approaches to applied research, which is focused on more immediate, practical purposes. The expanded remit of the agency supports the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches we will need to respond to existing challenges and maximise future opportunities. The Act also provides that funding for the Arts, Humanities and the Social Sciences has now been placed on a statutory footing for the first time.

Research Ireland is also a key enabler for realising the objectives of Impact 2030, Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. Impact 2030’s objectives include the promotion and support of excellence in research and innovation across all disciplines, and at all career stages of research activity.

The new Board of the agency has been appointed following a public appointments process. The Board members have a range and balance of both research and governance knowledge and competencies, with membership drawn from a variety of experiences and backgrounds including academia, the public sector and the commercial world, in line with the requirements of the new agency.

Research Ireland will be engaging in extensive consultation with stakeholders and research bodies to discuss the optimal approach to programme design, and to identify how the agency can best support a cohesive national research and innovation ecosystem. Future agency planning and programme design, including examining approaches to funding oriented basic research within the portfolio of agency funding programmes, will be informed by this process.

Given the very significant reforms introduced through this Bill, which was passed by the Oireachtas less than 12 months ago, and the fact that it addresses many of the issues which had previously been identified both in my earlier interventions as well as by others, I do not propose to seek amendments to this Act.