Cross-border €40m research fund welcomed by academics

Taoiseach launches single largest allocation to date under the €500m Shared Island fund

'This is genuinely a very exciting opportunity, which will bring new ideas together through an all-island prism' Micheál Martin said of the cross-border research and development fund. File picture: Julien Behal

Academics throughout the island have welcomed the State’s new fund of €40m to foster cross-border research, as part of the Taoiseach’s Shared Island initiative.

Micheál Martin’s announcement is the single largest allocation to date from the €500m Shared Island fund.

Although the money will not be matched by funding from the Northern Assembly and no politicians from the North were present at the launch yesterday, Mr Martin said it is a signal of his commitment towards the fostering of good relations.

Cross-border collaborations

The aim of the programme, which will be run by the Higher Education Authority, is to support individual researchers based in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Republic to collaborate with those in a HEI in the North on an identified research project.

The fund will also support research teams to collaborate on an agreed work programme, and higher education institutions will be supported to collaborate with each other on the basis of their respective institutional strategic research priorities.

The funding will be awarded in two tranches, the first issuing before the end of this year, and the second in the third year. 

Maximum of €100k per year

This year’s approved projects may receive a maximum of €100,000 per annum for up to two years for individual researchers collaborating, while projects proposed by institutions may receive up to €1m per annum for up to four years. A maximum of 50% of any award may be allocated to partners in the North.

All publicly-funded higher education institutions on the island will be eligible to apply to the programme, and at least one proposal participant must be based in Ireland and one in the North.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Martin said one positive learning from the pandemic will be the importance of properly-funded research to progress public health.

“This is genuinely a very exciting opportunity, which will bring new ideas together through an all-island prism and which offers a new way of working for researchers all across the island,” Mr Martin said.

So much more can be achieved by working together on the shared challenges facing us. We see it time and time again. 

Further and higher education minister Simon Harris said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for an all-Island approach to research and innovation. 

"This is about co-operation on the issues that matter to all of us. 

”We can achieve so much when we work together and it is vitally important we work together to face the great challenges we are facing as a country and a world,” he said:

This funding will support individual researchers based in an Irish higher education institution to collaborate with a researcher in a HEI in Northern Ireland on an identified research project, or research teams to collaborate on an agreed work programme.