Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
527. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Skills if additional funding will be made available for research relating to Covid-19 including the wider societal impact; if such research will include the arts and humanities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18826/20]
View answerThe Irish Research Council (IRC) and the Health Research Boardvcollaboratedvto fund a Covid-19 Rapid Response Call earlier this year. This call included 3 separate strands, targeting medical countermeasures, health service readiness and social and policy countermeasures to Covid-19. Following international peer review, 21 projects were selected for funding with a total investment of €3.4 million. The funding was made available by repurposing an element of the Council’s existing budget. Should the budget further permit, the Council maybe able to fund further research relevant to Covid-19, while also broadening its scope.
To leverage additional funding for COVID-related research, the IRC has been actively promoting the role of existing programmes – notably, its COALESCE Research Fund – as a mechanism through which the next phase of the government’s response to Covid-19 might be channelled. The interdisciplinary strand of COALESCE would potentially represent an effective means for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences researchers to lead collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects relevant to Covid-19 with partner-colleagues from STEM disciplines.
