Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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720. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the establishment of Research Ireland and its role in strengthening Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem, including new programmes such as the Research Talent Call and New Frontiers Research Programme. [67814/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Research and innovation is a key economic and social enabler for Ireland, through its importance to national competitiveness, resilience and productivity.

The establishment of Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland marked a milestone in realising the ambitions of the Impact 2030 Strategy, giving Ireland a statutory competitive research funding body covering all disciplines for the first time.

The new agency supports my department in delivering on the Impact 2030 Strategy, Programme for Government commitments, and a number of other priorities including climate action, digital transition, and boosting innovation and competitiveness. Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland also has a significant role in strengthening cooperation and communication across a more cohesive national research and innovation ecosystem. 2025 has seen a national programme of stakeholder engagement to develop its first 5 year strategy for publication early next year.

The Research Ireland New Frontiers Programme supports high-risk, high-reward research and collaborative projects, innovative research and programmes that aim to deliver impactful and innovative solutions to significant national challenges. This is an investment of €34.5million, with 39 awards across 12 higher education institutions, which will be co-funded for next year by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Geological Survey of Ireland, Children’s Health Foundation, and Breakthrough Cancer Research.

New programmes for the new agency remit already launched this year include the Global Talent Ireland Call, which is designed to attract top-tier academic and research talent to Ireland, with funding for Rising Stars and Research Leaders in strategic research areas aligned with Impact 2030 and our national priorities.