The new appointees are:
- Dr Eoin O’Sullivan
- Anne Vaughan
- Professor Niamh Moloney
- Professor Valeria Nicolosi
- Dr. Godfrey Gaston
- Professor Rebecca Braun
- Patricia Quane
- Lorraine Allen
- Leonard Hobbs
Speaking today, Minister O’Donovan said:
“I want to thank the new Board members for bringing their experience and expertise to the development of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland. Their range of backgrounds and skills will be hugely beneficial to the new agency and to realising the ambitions of the Impact 2030 Strategy.
This Board brings a wealth and balance of both research and governance experience. The recruitment process has been grounded in ensuring that the agency has the best possible array of competencies, voices, skills, and experience, to articulate a balanced perspective across all disciplines and across the full spectrum of research and innovation.
This has delivered a highly competent Board with an impressive assembly of the strengths and skills the new agency requires. I am very pleased to welcome the new Board and wish them every success.”
The new agency amalgamates and builds on the activities and functions of the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and will capitalise on the recognised strengths of these two agencies in driving world class research and innovation in Ireland.
The establishment of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland is the keystone of Impact 2030:
Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, and the new agency will be central to realising the ambitions set out in the strategy. The Research and Innovation Act 2024 makes provision for the Board of Research Ireland to establish a Research Council, ensuring access to a wide range of research expertise.
The new agency will work under the aegis of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, in close collaboration with the Higher Education Authority, as well as Enterprise Ireland, the Industrial Development Agency and other research funding agencies.
The agency will develop our national capacity to respond to major societal challenges, such as the green and digital transitions, using integrated approaches from scientific, behavioural, economic, and cultural perspectives.
Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland will promote and support the contribution of research and innovation to Ireland’s economic, social, cultural, and environmental development and sustainability, as well as strengthening engagement across the research and innovation system and enterprise, Government and public bodies, along with the voluntary sector and society.