Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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963. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for programme expenditure to improve a significant decline and to address the lack of consistency in the numbers of output targets for New Research Ireland-funded PhD positions from 310 in 2023 to 200 in 2024, with a slight increase of 220 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32532/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The provisional return for the number of new Research Ireland funded PhD positions in 2024 is 489.

In common with other targets set with Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland, expected 2024 and 2025 outputs reflect a conservative estimate of capacity considering the dissolution of the two previous agencies and the establishment of the new agency in August 2024. This sits alongside the need for the agency to engage in extensive stakeholder consultation during 2025 in order to establish strategic programming which reflects the broad research activity under its remit. The corporate plan is expected to be published in late 2025.

Output trends over time also reflect the cyclical nature of research funding activity. Under the last Research Ireland Centres programme, cohorts of researchers were recruited for terms of up to four years, with the last intake running from 2023 until 2026/2027. 310 new postdoctoral researchers were funded by Research Ireland in that year.

The Department will be working with Research Ireland on a revised set of metrics, which will be fully aligned with the Agency’s strategic plan and national goals, including under Impact 2030, Ireland's national research and innovation Strategy. The output targets for the coming period will necessarily take cyclical research funding programmes into consideration and will reflect the anticipated impact of a new Research Ireland Centres programme launching in 2026.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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964. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for programme expenditure to improve a significant decline and to address the lack of consistency in numbers of output targets for New Research Ireland-funded postdoctoral researchers funded by Research Ireland per annum from 309 in 2023 to 250 in 2024; the reason there is a slight increase of 260 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32533/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The provisional return for the number of new Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland funded postdoctoral researchers in 2024 is 325.

Targets that had been set for 2024 reflected a conservative estimate of agency capacity considering the anticipated dissolution of the two previous agencies, and the establishment of the new agency in August 2024. Output targets for 2025 have been held relatively static whilst the newly established agency engages in extensive stakeholder consultation and prepares the long-term corporate plan to reflect the expanded remit of Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2025.

Output trends over time reflect the cyclical nature of research funding activity. Under the last Research Ireland Centres programme, cohorts of researchers were recruited for terms of up to four years, with the last intake running from 2023 until 2026/2027. 400 new postdoctoral researchers were funded by Research Ireland in that year.

The Department will be working with Research Ireland on a revised set of metrics, which will be fully aligned with the Agency’s strategic plan and national goals, including under Impact 2030, Ireland's national research and innovation strategy. The output targets for the coming period will necessarily take cyclical research funding programmes into consideration and will reflect the anticipated impact of a new Research Ireland Centres programme launching in 2026.