From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, UK Minister for Science and Investment Security, Nusrat Ghani MP and Northern Irish Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Edwin Poots MLA, have today announced a €74 million (£64 million) investment to create new collaborative research centres across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The call under the ‘Co Centres: Collaboration for Transformative Research and Innovation’ Programme will open in November and will focus on 2 thematic areas:
Announcing the collaboration, Minister Harris said:
“I am delighted to announce the launch of the new Co-Centres Programme.
“We have seen in recent years how important it is to invest in collaborative research and we are pleased to be able to support this ambitious new programme through the government’s Shared Island initiative.
“By working together, we can foster new research collaborations that are crucial to addressing both climate, and sustainable and resilient food systems, these are critical issues that impact on all of us.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Director General, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) said:
“Science Foundation Ireland is delighted to work with our partner funding agencies to create these unique research centres, which will address major societal challenges in areas which are of global importance and vital to the future of our communities. We look forward to launching the programme call in the coming weeks, and to funding outstanding large scale collaborative research with which will have real value and importance to our future."
Minister for Science and Investment Security, Nusrat Ghani, said:
“This excellent new programme will further deepen the relationships between the research sectors in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland, encouraging valuable cross-border collaboration between our friendly nations.
“By working closely with industry, the Co-Centres will ensure their excellent research translates into innovation that helps us tackle some of the most important challenges we face, from climate change to sustainable food systems.”
Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Edwin Poots, said:
“I am pleased to welcome the opening of this call, which represents a major joint investment for new research in the areas of Climate and Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems. I look forward to our research community responding to the call and subsequently delivering world-leading collaborative science to provide the evidence and innovation we need to enable Northern Ireland to reduce carbon emissions and biodiversity crisis in the right way; balancing climate, driving efficiency, environment and green jobs.”
The new Co-Centres programme will bring together leading academic and industrial researchers, as well as policy makers across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The call will be managed by SFI, Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The new programme will provide for an investment of €74 million to support future joint research, funded through:
A call for proposals under the new Co-Centres programme will be published by the agencies in mid-November.
The Programme will establish joint, virtual Research Centres with the aim of strengthening the research and innovation base across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland building strategic partnerships across these regions to support a competitive economy and addressing societal and environmental challenges.
Funding has been provided through the Shared Island Fund and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to Science Foundation Ireland of €40 million for the Co- Centres programme. Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has a budget allocation of up to £17 million (approximately €20 million). UKRI has a budget allocation of up to £12 million (approximately €14 million).
Each Co-Centre will be funded for a duration of 6 years.