TAIGHDE EIREANN RESEARCH IRELAND

Their core work

Research Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland) is Ireland's national research funding agency, responsible for investing in and coordinating publicly funded research across the country. Within H2020, they participate in ERA-NET Cofund actions — pooling national funding with other European agencies to launch joint transnational research calls in areas like quantum technologies, advanced materials, nanomedicine, and blue bioeconomy. Their role is strategic: they decide which research themes Ireland co-invests in at the European level, shaping the national research agenda through coordinated international funding programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015-2017), Research Ireland focused on co-funding biomedical research (systems medicine, nanomedicine, diagnostics) alongside foundational investments in materials science and quantum technologies. From 2018 onward, the portfolio broadened significantly — adding gender equality in research, blue bioeconomy, and FET/ICT themes while doubling down on quantum technologies (QuantERA II) and pivoting materials research toward batteries and Green Deal alignment (M-ERA.NET3). The trajectory shows a national funding agency expanding from traditional STEM domains toward societal challenges, sustainability, and emerging digital technologies.

Research Ireland is aligning its transnational funding portfolio with EU Green Deal priorities (batteries, circular economy) and deepening its quantum technologies investment, signalling Ireland's strategic bets for the next decade.

How they like to work

Research Ireland never coordinates H2020 projects — they join exclusively as a participant, which is typical for national funding agencies in ERA-NET actions where multiple countries pool resources. With 116 unique partners across 40 countries, they operate as a highly connected network node rather than a project leader. For potential collaborators, this means Research Ireland is the gateway to getting Irish national co-funding in transnational calls, not a research partner in the traditional sense.

With 116 unique consortium partners across 40 countries, Research Ireland has one of the broadest geographic networks possible for a national funding agency — a natural result of participating in pan-European ERA-NET actions that typically involve 20-30 funding organisations per network.

What sets them apart

As Ireland's national research funding agency, Research Ireland is the single point of entry for accessing Irish co-funding in European transnational research calls. Unlike research institutes or universities, they don't perform research — they fund it, which means partnering with them in an ERA-NET means Irish research teams can receive national funding to join your consortium. Their participation in a thematic ERA-NET signals that Ireland has committed national budget to that research area, making them a strategic partner for consortium builders who need Irish participation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• QuantERA II
  Largest funding commitment (EUR 296,787) and a continuation from QuantERA I, demonstrating Ireland's sustained strategic investment in quantum technologies across communication, computing, simulation, and sensing.
• M-ERA.NET3
  Marks a clear pivot toward Green Deal alignment — extending materials research into batteries, circular economy, and SDG-linked funding, with notably lower funding (EUR 59,812) suggesting a scaled participation model.
• ACT
  The only non-ERA-NET project (CSA scheme), focused on gender equality and institutional change — shows the agency's commitment to research culture beyond pure technology funding.