Shaping the next phase of Ireland’s research and innovation system
Over recent months, Research Ireland has been engaging extensively with the research and innovation community across Ireland – listening, testing ideas and discussing how we deliver our strategy Curiosity, Capability, Competitiveness. These conversations with university leaders, students and researchers at all career stages, enterprise partners and professional staff have strongly influenced the development of our 2026 Programme Plan, which we publish today.
What has been striking throughout this engagement is the shared ambition across the system: a commitment to research excellence, to developing the next generation of talent, and to ensuring research delivers real benefit for society, the economy and communities.
The 2026 Programme Plan reflects both continuity and change:
- Continued strong support for researchers and research careers, including no reduction in support for PhDs, regular opportunities for early-career researchers via the Pathway programme, and annual calls under the new Investigators programme.
- New and more integrated funding mechanisms that strengthen partnership with Research Bodies. We are delighted to be working with Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Authority to deliver the INSPIRE Programme for infrastructure. Alongside this, a new strategic institutional funding mechanism will be developed to support PhDs Studentships & Postdoctoral Fellowships and to consolidate supplementary grants, while strengthening research and innovation capacity across the system.
- Improved coherence, predictability, and transparency across our funding landscape.
- New opportunities to support collaboration, multidisciplinary research, etc.
As a new agency, integrating and evolving existing programmes is not without its challenges. A key goal of the agency is to provide a streamlined programme offering, while avoiding duplication and reducing bureaucracy. Proposed changes have been shaped by consultation with the intent to strengthen Ireland’s research and innovation system for the long term. Many of the new programmes are in the development stage and we have further consultation planned with the sector.
Thank you to everyone who has engaged with us so constructively. We look forward to continuing this collaboration as we move into the delivery phase of our Programme Plan for 2026 and beyond, shaping the next phase of Ireland’s research and innovation system.
