Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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512. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on plans to attract a greater number of top international researchers and academics to Ireland. [62615/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department oversees the implementation of Impact 2030, Ireland's national research and innovation strategy, which emphasises the vital role that people and their skills play in sustaining and advancing Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem.

Pursuant to this, my Department has also developed and published Global Citizens 2030, Ireland’s Talent and Innovation Strategy, which aims to enhance Ireland's global footprint in talent and innovation, with a focus on education, research, and international collaboration.

As part of the delivery of this initiative, two DFHERIS Talent and Innovation attachés have been appointed and are now working from the Irish Consulates in Boston and San Francisco. Government has committed to appoint a total of six such attachés by 2030, who will co-ordinate and prioritise Ireland’s global talent and innovation activities.

Under Impact 2030, my Department also continues to support the EURAXESS Ireland Office which is hosted by the IUA and facilitates researcher mobility. EURAXESS Ireland provides tailored and free advice to researchers and their families coming to work or study in Ireland. In 2024, EURAXESS Ireland processed 840 new hosting agreements and a further 623 agreements were extended. These hosting agreements covered researchers from over 70 different non-EEA countries. The scheme allows the host research or business organisation to employ eligible personnel from outside the EU without any additional Work Permit.

In 2025, through Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, I launched the Global Talent Ireland initiative. This programme will provide the resources needed to bring world-class researchers to Ireland to enable them to carry out globally competitive research here. The initiative is a cornerstone of the Government’s commitment to continue to build a knowledge-driven economy that will support Ireland to remain competitive into the future. The outcome of this process will be available shortly.