Posted on 26 days ago by Laurentina Kennedy
€836m Horizon funding secured by Irish organisations for R&D
Irish organisations have been awarded more than €836m in funding from the EU's Horizon Europe 2021 -2027 research and innovation programme.
The current seven-year programme aims to support organisations to tackle global challenges, conduct ground breaking multidisciplinary research and boost the EU’s industrial competitiveness and growth.
To date, Irish organisations have been granted €836.4m which equates to 2.14% of the €39 billion awarded so far, showing that Ireland is tracking ahead of its target at just past the halfway point of the programme.
The funding is distributed across 1,295 projects involving 487 organisations and businesses.
Almost half of those organisations have been awarded more than a quarter of a million euro, while one in five have secured greater than €1 million.
Successful applicants from Ireland are drawn from a range of sectors and include higher education institutions, research performing organisations, public organisations and SMEs.
217 SMEs have been awarded €233m under Horizon Europe, and Ireland ranks at number four amongst the 27 EU member states for SME participation in projects.
The top three biggest funding successes for Ireland under the Horizon Europe framework programme areas are:
the European Research Council’s grants for academic researchers - €131m
the Digital, Industry & Space programme area - €122m
the Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment programme area - €121m
The figures were announced today as more than 600 delegates including EU member state representatives, policy makers and industry leaders from the research and business community attend the Horizon Europe Impact Conference at the Convention Centre in Dublin.
The conference will highlight Ireland’s success in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe by showcasing the benefits that participation from small and large enterprises, academic researchers and other stakeholders has produced.
Colm O’Reardon, Secretary General at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science said, "This is a welcome opportunity to take stock at the halfway point of Horizon Europe, to reflect on our successes so far and look forward to Ireland leading and participating in impactful research and innovation projects with our international partners."
Enterprise Ireland leads the Horizon Europe National Support Network which aims to promote and secure funding for Irish research projects.
Conference delegates will hear from industry and academic leaders and senior figures from the European Commission including Mairead McGuiness former European Commissioner, Henriette Van Eijl, Deputy Director for Health and Societal Transitions, European Commission and Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin.