Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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1173. To ask the Minister for Health whether funding has been allocated by her Department, or by bodies under its aegis, for research on new treatments for triple negative breast cancer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47897/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Health Research Board (HRB) invest more than €50M each year in research to inform health and social care practice and policy, which improves people's health and contributes to economic growth.

HRB funding schemes are run as open, competitive calls and all eligible applications are internationally peer-reviewed by experts in the field. HRB typically do not ring-fence funding for specific conditions. Therefore, applications in any topic area, including cancer, are welcome through any and all HRB grant schemes.

The HRB has a long track record of pro-actively supporting cancer research, with a significant expenditure in this area. These investments include a combination of research project and programme grants open to applications in all areas of research, as well as targeted cancer research infrastructure investment.

HRB funding has enabled trials in triple negative breast cancer through investment in cancer trials infrastructure, supported investments in precision medicine and genomics which is vital for future treatments of cancer subtypes, as well as directly funded research projects.

In 2021, the HRB made new five-year grants for cancer clinical trials infrastructure across the country totalling 21.6M, taking into account regional, national and international developments in healthcare and in cancer research and innovation.

This investment sought to build on previous investments of over €70 million to build and enhance the capacity of hospitals with significant cancer services to conduct high-quality clinical trials of cancer therapies in an all-island context, aligned with goals and targets set out in the National Cancer Strategy and broader Government research and innovation goals.

The HRB Board approved funding recommendations from an independent international Panel, comprising a total investment of €21.6M between 2022-2026. This supported six Cancer Clinical Trials Groups.

HRB investment of the National Cancer Clinical Trials Network that is hosted by Cancer Trials Ireland and the Cancer Clinical Trials Groups enables funding of studies across different areas of cancer. As of September 2025, Cancer Trials Ireland reported the following cancer studies in the area of Breast Cancer:

• 36 studies under “Breast” disease site indicator
• 12 “In Development” – undergoing contract agreement/regulatory submission
• 18 “Open Recruiting” – currently enrolling participants
• 6 “Pre Approval” – awaiting final confirmation of funding (pipeline studies)