A €300 million round of funding for investment in research at third level has been announced by the Government.
Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe launched cycle 5 of the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI). It will run over the five years of 2009 to 2013.
Funding will be allocated under a number of headings, including capital facilities such as state-of-the-art facilities for over 1,400 researchers in higher education institutions. The funds will also help to build national shared facilities in areas of strategic importance.
Proposals will be sought in the areas of biomedical and health research; chemistry and pharmaceutical research; marine environmental research, environmental (waste management) research; and cultural heritage.
Funding will also be allocated to structured PhD programmes, which Mr O’Keeffe said would enhance the quality of PhD education, provide students with multi-disciplinary skills and enable PhD students to take up a variety of careers in academia and in the private and public sectors.
The Minister said the announcement signalled the Government's determination to continue to prioritise investment in Ireland's development as a knowledge-intensive economy.
"This is crucial to achieving economic recovery and to laying the basis for our future prosperity,” he said.
He envisaged that €300 million of public funding will be awarded to successful projects following an international assessment process.
He said the investment would provide “concentrated infrastructure for delivering on the Government's economic development objectives”.
“It's an essential plank in our platform for economic renewal and our commitment to the development of Ireland's smart economy.”
The Minister said the economic framework plan published by the Taoiseach before Christmas identified an ambition to make Ireland “an innovation hub of Europe”.
“Investment in our basic research and development capacity is crucial to achieving that objective.”
The Higher Education Authority will now issue a call for proposals to higher education institutions inviting them to develop competitive proposals for this latest round of funding under the scheme.
Last year was the tenth anniversary of the funding scheme and the latest round announced today brings to almost €1.2 billion the total research investment in higher education institutions under the programme since its introduction.
The investment forms part of the Government's Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (SSTI) - the blueprint for developing research and technological innovation.