Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris announced Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland as the official name of the new Research and Innovation funding agency.
The official naming marks another landmark moment in the process to establish the new agency, which will be created on the passing of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023.
The legislation, which will be published in the coming weeks, will amalgamate the activities and functions of the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to create a new competitive funding agency for research and innovation.
Announcing the official name of the agency today, Minister Harris said:
“I’m very proud today to announce the establishment of our new research and innovation agency, Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland.
This agency will enhance our capacity to address the issues Irish society is facing, in particular climate change and the digital transition. It will also enable us to engage and compete with greater impact at an international level, making the most of future opportunities in research and innovation.
The agency has a founding principle of parity of esteem for all disciplines, all research types, and all career stages, which will be key to developing our capacity to respond to challenges, and our already strong international reputation for research excellence.
I want to reassure our researchers that we are working to ensure there will be no disruption to existing services and programmes, they can continue on with confidence in their work and in this agency.
Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland is now established, and myself and my Department look forward to working with this new agency to support the exciting future of Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem.”
The Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 requires that the name of a new agency promotes and puts priority on the Irish language.
The name Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland will accomplish these aims, and also allow the new agency to promote the success and excellence of Irish research and innovation in Europe and wider international arenas.
Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland will capitalise on the recognised strengths of the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland in driving world class research and innovation in Ireland.
The new agency will fund research and innovation excellence in all disciplines across the spectrum of Arts, Engineering, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, Technology and others.
The Research and Innovation Bill 2023 will place Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences research on a statutory footing for the first time.
The establishment of the agency in statute also ensures parity of esteem for the IRC’s critical mission of supporting researchers at all career stages.
In making competitive funding awards across all disciplines and of varying sizes, the agency will significantly broaden the access of researchers in all areas to an improved range of research funding programmes.
It is expected that Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland will come into operation in 2024.