Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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291. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how he intends to incentivise research and development in public institutions and in private enterprise, and, in particular, in joint research initiatives between public institutions and businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17857/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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There is a comprehensive and ambitious set of commitments for research and innovation in the new Programme for Government. This work will be progressed via a number of national policies and strategies, under the national research and innovation strategy Impact 2030.

The formation of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland in August 2024 is designed to build a more effective and cohesive national research and innovation system. Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland is working with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and others to ensure delivery of Ireland's knowledge economy objectives.

Under Budget 2025, additional funding was announced for Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, with its total budget funding research in the Irish Third Level system now standing at €309.2 Million. This also includes funding to increase its PhD stipend level to €25,000.

The agency is currently undertaking a programme of extensive stakeholder engagement across the country, with events in Galway, Cork, Limerick, and Dublin in recent weeks to discuss future planning for the new agency, including stakeholders from across academia, enterprise, and the public sector.

The online Research Ireland Full Corporate Plan Consultation Survey is currently live on the agency's website, and will remain open until Tuesday, 22nd April at 5pm. The Research Ireland Forum in Dublin in June will also provide stakeholder engagement opportunity, and this input will be critical in ensuring that future agency planning further strengthens the excellent ongoing research and innovation cooperation across and between public institutions and private enterprise. There are also ongoing agency consultations with Government Departments, national research funding bodies, and international research funding bodies, to ensure that the new agency meets sectoral needs, particularly attracting, developing, and retaining research talent.

Researchers, research talent and excellence, will be cornerstones of the new agency in supporting a vibrant research base and building upon Ireland’s global reputation as a research and innovation leader across all disciplines. Research Ireland funds and champions research excellence and talent to maximise impact, ensuring that funding opportunities meet the needs of the research and innovation ecosystem, whilst delivering sustainable economic, societal, cultural, and environmental impact. Research Ireland funds partnerships of all scales, from curiosity-driven research across all disciplines and career stages, including early-career researchers, to large-scale research and innovation mechanisms.

Research Ireland Centres link researchers in partnerships across academia and industry in areas of strategic focus, consistently delivering groundbreaking research. The Frontiers for the Future Programme enables independent investigators to conduct highly innovative, collaborative research. The Co-Centre Programme provides opportunities for researchers to build strategic collaborative partnerships across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The National Challenge Fund incentivises researchers to develop solutions to key challenges, particularly in the areas of Green Transition and Digital Transformation.

The ARC Hub Programme seeks to establish a new model for regional innovation and entrepreneurial training. The Pathway programme supports talented postdoctoral researchers from all research disciplines to develop their track record and transition to become independent research leaders. These examples demonstrate the breadth and scope of the agency's engagement with the research and innovation ecosystem, including the highly collaborative relationships between the Higher Education Authority, Enterprise Ireland, and the IDA, further enhancing our collaborative innovation system.

As part of Budget 2025, a National Training Fund funding package of nearly €1.5 billion over a six-year period was agreed for the tertiary sector. This includes €650m in a core funding package for the higher education institutions, to utilise as they deem appropriate, consistent with the need to secure the most beneficial, effective and efficient use of those resources. This additional investment will ensure that Ireland remains competitive on the global stage.

In line with the Programme for Government and the Government's continued support for the development of the Technological Universities (TU) sector, under TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise (TU RISE), a fund of €83.68m will be made available to higher education institutions in the technological sector to support research capacity building with a focus on enhancing engagement with regional enterprises. TU RISE will enhance central research functions within the technological university sector to further institutions’ engagements with their regions, promoting enterprise engagement with academia and regional development.

I have also announced the allocation of Performance Funding Awards totalling €5 million to five higher education institutions. Each institution is being awarded €1 million in recognition of their exemplary and significant contributions to the delivery of national priorities, and the achievement of national strategic objectives aligned with the higher education System Performance Framework 2023–2028.

Global Citizens 2030, Ireland’s Talent and Innovation Strategy sets out Ireland’s ambitions to embed excellence in talent and innovation into Ireland’s global footprint and is the first international strategy to encompass the breadth of tertiary education, and research and innovation systems. It builds upon Ireland’s many achievements over the past decade and is intended to confirm Ireland’s place as a first choice destination for international talent and as a thought leader in education, research, innovation and science policy. My Department appointed the first two Global Ireland Talent and Innovation Attachés towards the end of 2024. It is intended that the Attachés will take up their new roles in San Francisco and Boston, respectively, in the summer.

Research Ireland will foster partnerships across disciplines, higher education institutions, and the public and private sectors, nationally and internationally, to drive economic impact and societal benefit. By strengthening links within these highly interconnected sectors, we will accelerate collaborations, the dissemination of new knowledge and discoveries, and the advancement of talent and skills needed for Ireland.

Research Ireland will continue to fund partnerships between academia and private enterprise which are a key driver of economic impact. Research Centres and Centres for Research Training, as well as fellowship programmes, have all played an important role in supporting and developing industry collaboration and co-funding.

Working with others in the sector (IDA, Enterprise Ireland, HEIs) and through the research programmes it supports, the agency will play a key role in building and maintaining a pipeline of highly skilled and talented individuals who will support local enterprises, continue to attract multinational companies, and drive innovation across all sectors in Ireland.

We have built a flexible and responsive system that can move quickly. The strength of our workforce, the quality of our research, and the depth of our innovation capacity have been the bedrock of Ireland’s success for 30 years. We will build on those foundations now to secure our future. My Department is working in close cooperation with colleagues across government to navigate and respond to current challenges as we have responded to challenges in the past, with pro-active strategic planning and an eye on the opportunities that will arise.