The Irish government has plans for a “transformative” research funding programme to take up the mantle of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI), a €1.2 billion (?1 billion) scheme that ran from 1998 to 2015 and was widely considered a “step-change” in Irish research investment.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Irish Universities Association, James Lawless, the minister for further and higher education, research and science, said he envisaged a programme that “responds to today’s needs while retaining the founding spirit of the original PRTLI”.

The programme “was a turning point in Ireland’s development as a knowledge economy, and the state’s first major strategic investment in research capacity, infrastructure and training”, he said. “It changed the country, and it is time to deliver a new phase of that instrument.”

“I recognise that research and innovation ambition of that scale has perhaps not been prioritised sufficiently in recent years,” said Lawless, who was appointed to the higher education and research ministry in January. “As the new minister I intend to prioritise that area, and I am pleased to have the full backing of the Taoiseach and government in doing so.”

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The new scheme “will include targeted support for equipment renewal, recognising that much of what was funded under the original scheme is nearing obsolescence”, the minister said. He suggested that equipment too large for one university to host could reside in “shared centres” specialising in particular disciplines.

The “majority of funding”, however, “will be reserved for a major competitive core based on application quality; one designed to drive institutional ambition, deepen collaborative links and deliver real, system-wide impact”.

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The programme “will not duplicate existing schemes”, Lawless said. “Instead, it will create space for excellence to flourish, independent original priorities, responses to strategic visions, and open to new ideas that can transform Ireland’s research landscape once again.”

The Department of Further and 成人VR视频, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) is “actively progressing the proposal for [the scheme] with stakeholders”, the minister said, adding, “This significant, multiannual funding, for a genuinely strategic, open-ended, capacity-building programme will be transformative.”

Ireland is also likely to join several other European schemes in setting out plans to attract US-based researchers, Lawless said, amid funding cuts and academic freedom restrictions under the Trump administration. He noted the €500 million package announced by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last week, intended to “make Europe a magnet for researchers”.

“The last few months have undoubtedly changed how people view the United States in terms of research and indeed higher education,” Lawless said. “It has unfortunately become a cold place for free thinkers and talented researchers.”

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Ireland “can offer a stable, open, EU-aligned environment where world-class researchers can thrive, contribute and shape the future of science”, he said. “Ireland will be a welcoming host for the best and brightest, and I intend to bring plans to the government in the coming weeks to enable that.”

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com