Research & Innovation

Irish universities are dedicated to increasing the scale, scope and impact of investment in higher education research and innovation. A key objective is to work with funding agencies and Government Departments to significantly expand research capacity and provide a balanced research ecosystem in which investigator-led research is prioritised alongside industry focused research.

Ireland’s advanced research programme, centred to a large extent in universities, has made great strides in recent years. Sustained public investment in research, even in years of recession, has contributed to economic recovery with a network of top-class research facilities now in place. But, we still lag behind many of our key competitors. Latest figures show Irish R&D investment, both public and private, at 1.4% of GNP (1.2% of GDP) against an OECD average of 2.4% of GDP with top performers like Denmark investing 2.9% of GDP. Sustained investment in research spending is required if Ireland aims to compete with the best in Europe and globally in the next decade.

The Irish universities strive to clearly demonstrate to Irish citizens the value of government investment in higher education research and by working in partnership with key stakeholders, how that investment can be optimally distributed across funding streams to maximise the return to society and the economy.

The IUA Research Office works with the Vice Presidents/Deans of Research, Directors of Research, Research Officers and Directors of Technology Transfer in our member universities to pursue and implement common policies and actions, including:

  • Policy development for supporting research
  • Specific Operations to support access to funding
  • Supporting Researchers Careers

Learn more about...

University Research

Ireland’s publicly-funded research system, centred predominantly in the higher education system, has made great strides over the last two decades, click the title above to learn more about the funding behind the research.

University Research Showcase

University Research has a transformative influence on societies and economies, click the title above to see some ground-breaking research projects happening in our member universities.

Research Policies and Priorities

A key priority for the Irish universities is to ensure that Ireland’s research & innovation ecosystem is appropriately resourced and efficiently operated. Click the title to learn more about our research priorities.

University Research Offices

Dublin City University

Learn more >

Maynooth University

Maynooth University

Learn more >

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin

Learn more >

TU Dublin

Learn more >

 

University College Cork

Learn more >

University College Dublin

Learn more >

 

University of Galway

Learn more >

 

University of Limerick

Learn more >

Our Charter Commitment to Research & Innovation

“INCREASE THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION” BY…

  •  Significantly expanding research capacity and providing a balanced research programme so that basic, foundational research is prioritised alongside applied research.
  • Increasing the output of PhD graduates by at least 30% over the next 10 years.
  • Expanding engagement between universities and industry in relation to knowledge transfer and innovation.

IUA’s Director of Research and Innovation is Dr Lisa Keating.