“Before Christmas, Ireland’s new Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science embarked on a consultation about its strategy for 2021-23. Like most other departments, the Department of Theoretical Physics at Maynooth made a collective submission to this consultation and we await further developments …” (more)
[In the Dark, 4 January]
“The end of this year marks the close of the European Union’s massive 2014–20 research programme, Horizon 2020. Over the past six years, more than 150,000 participants – including research institutes, companies and individual scientists – have collectively received almost €60 billion (US$73.5 billion) in research funding …” (more)
[Quirin Schiermeier, Nature, 22 December]
“University staff and students remain ‘in the dark’ about whether they will be able to access vital research funding and take part in exchange opportunities when Britain leaves the EU. Higher education leaders are calling on the Government to prioritise full participation in the Erasmus+ exchange scheme and the Horizon Europe research funding programme as a no-deal Brexit looms …” (more)
[Eleanor Busby, Belfast Telegraph, 12 December]
“A mere two weeks after the National Science Foundation declared it would close the Arecibo single-dish radio telescope – once the largest in the world – the observatory took a dramatic dying breath and collapsed on Dec. 1, 2020 …” (more)
[Raquel Velho, The Conversation, 11 December]
“Minister for Further and Higher Education and Research Simon Harris has paid tribute to the Tyndall National Institute in Cork after it surpassed more than 100 EU funded awards totalling over €56 million for research projects. Mr Harris said that the Tyndall’s securing of over 100 Horizon 2020 awards totalling some €56.1 million from the EU for research and innovation over the past seven years made it one of the most successful institutes in Ireland for European funding …” (more)
[Barry Roche, Irish Times, 17 November]
“Cork’s Tyndall National Institute has succeeded in securing more than €56m in funding as it reaches the milestone of its 100th Horizon 2020 award. It makes the centre one of the most successful institutes in Ireland for European funding …” (more)
[Brian Finn, RTÉ News, 12 November]
“A broad range of Irish scientific research is to be supported by the latest round of Science Foundation Ireland’s Frontiers for the Future programme – 71 research grants totalling €53 million have been allocated for work to be carried out in 12 higher education institutions …” (more)
[Kevin O’Sullivan, Irish Times, 4 November]
“Millions are set to be pumped into scientific research projects, ranging from anti-ageing to potential new treatments for Alzheimer’s and Crohn’s disease. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, announced 71 grants valued at €53m under the Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) ‘Frontiers for the Future’ programme …” (more)
[Eavan Murray, Independent, 2 November]
“My attention was recently drawn to a proposal for a radical overhaul of the research funding system in the Netherlands by the Dutch Academy of Sciences. The document I linked to above is in Dutch but the principles are easily understood. To prevent academics having to waste so much time writing proposals that have a very limited chance of success, it is proposed to introduce ‘rolling grants’ for which no application is needed …” (more)
[In the Dark, 18 October]
“Since its establishment in 2007, the European Research Council (ERC) has developed a reputation for excellence. Its grantees have won seven Nobel Prizes, four Fields Medals and five Wolf Prizes, along with the 6,100 publications produced by its grantees being among the top one per cent most cited in their respective fields …” (more)
[Jane Cook, University Times, 8 October]
“Ireland has reached the momentous milestone of having won just over €1 billion to date from the current European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020. Horizon 2020 began in 2014 and will conclude in the main at the end of this year, with the launch of the next Framework Programme, Horizon Europe in 2021 …” (more)
[DFHERIS, 28 September]
“Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris today promised a ‘bright new era for research in Ireland’, saying that Ireland’s recent achievements in research funding should ‘only make us more ambitious’ …” (more)
[Jane Cook, University Times, 16 September]
“Today, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, announced a €4.3 million investment in the Irish Research Council’s Enterprise Partnership Scheme, providing funding for fifty enterprise-focused research awards …” (more)
[Rebecca Deasy-Millar, Trinity News, 17 August]
“The EU and UK have been discussing UK participation in Union Programmes, including Horizon Europe, as part of the negotiations on a future EU-UK relationship. It is encouraging that both sides have committed to the principle of UK participation in their mandates, recognising that collaboration between the UK and the EU in the framework programmes strengthens our ability to tackle shared challenges, such as cancer and climate change …” (more)
[IUA, 22 July]
“Today, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) have called for an ‘ambitious’ long-term EU budget for research, innovation and education. LERU stated that Europe’s universities are ‘disappointed and concerned’ by what they describe as the ‘limited’ budget proposed for the EU’s flagship higher education and research programmes Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ …” (more)
[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 14 July]
“Recent EU Commission data shows that Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) has attracted more research funding from the EU in the area of ICT than all the other institutes of technology combined and more than many Irish universities and technology companies …” (more)
[Dylan White, Limerick Leader, 2 July]
“An Open Letter to the Members of Dáil Éireann. Five years ago over 1,000 Irish scientists wrote to government urging a rebalancing of funding toward basic research. Basic discovery research is exactly the type that produces the scientists, skills and serendipitous solutions we need when faced with an unexpected challenge like COVID-19. Half a decade on from that letter little has changed for the better …” (more)
[IrishScientists.org, 25 May]
“The Irish Universities Association welcomes the announcement of €5 million in funding grants to key COVID-19 research and innovation projects by Minister Heather Humphreys today. 26 ground-breaking research projects have been funded today (26th April), 21 by the Health Research Board/Irish Research Council and a further 5 by the Science Foundation Ireland/Enterprise Ireland/IDA Ireland …” (more)
[IUA, 29 April]
“The President of NUI Galway has said significant investment in profound research focused on helping human health and well-being during the current health emergency will be announced today by the Taoiseach. Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said the funding will support medical, technical and social research projects specifically focused on Covid-19, a number of which are based at NUI Galway …” (more)
[RTÉ News, 29 April]
