18 December 2024

This new initiative is designed to strengthen collaboration between institutions in Ireland and Wales, enhancing their ability to secure Horizon Europe funding. The award provides financial support to academic partners, enabling them to collaborate on innovative projects addressing global challenges and advancing scientific progress.

The programme offers grants of up to €60,000 to eligible research teams, with 50% funding provided by Research Ireland and 50% by WIN from a Welsh Government innovation grant. Joint applications must be led by researchers from both Ireland and Wales. By encouraging Wales-Ireland collaboration, the fund aims to leverage the strengths of both Irish and Welsh universities, creating a foundation for impactful research and development.

Dr Lewis Dean, head of the Wales Innovation Network, said:

"The UK’s re-association to Horizon Europe in 2024 is a great opportunity for Welsh researchers to be part of the world’s largest research collaboration programme. This joint programme between the Wales Innovation Network and Research Ireland provides support for Welsh researchers to build new ties and strengthen existing partnerships with their Irish counterparts. I am delighted WIN can facilitate this initiative to showcase the excellence of Welsh research on an international stage and build collaborations to address global challenges.”

Celine Fitzgerald, Interim CEO at Research Ireland, said:

“Ireland and Wales have a strong history of collaborating on research and innovation projects, and this has been supported through political commitment between our two governments. Today, Research Ireland has active partnerships with a range of higher education institutions including Cardiff University, Swansea University, Aberystwyth University and Bangor University. I welcome the launch of the Research Alliance Award, which will further solidify our research bonds and, in particular, strengthen our joint grant applications to Horizon Europe.”

Applications must be sent as a single PDF to raa@researchireland.ie by 31 January 2025. Download the call document and expenditure form.

For queries from Welsh institutions, please contact innovation.wales@uniswales.ac.uk.