Ireland is investing €460 million (£397 million) into seven new research centres dedicated to fields such as artificial intelligence and healthcare but academics remain concerned about the government’s wider plans for research funding.
Research Ireland, the government’s research and innovation agency, said in a statement that the new centres would also focus on areas such as quantum technology and energy.
They will operate under a new network known as Rinn - the Irish world for point, tip or headland – over the next eight years and are expected to attract a €500 million from industry and international partners.
The agency said the centres would support 577 research positions, develop “over 800 PhDs” and involve 17 research-performing organisations, including several universities.
“The scale and scope of this €460 million investment is a powerful statement of Ireland’s ambition in research and innovation. Research Ireland centres have, over the last 13 years, fundamentally reshaped our innovation landscape – turning excellent and innovative research into real-world societal and economic impact,” said James Lawless, Ireland’s higher education minister.
