As European countries vie to attract the world’s top research talent, Minister Lawless today launches Global Talent Ireland, with the call opening tomorrow.
Irish Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, TD, announced the launch of Global Talent Ireland today (17 July), a new initiative which hopes to attract “outstanding international research leaders to Irish higher education institutions and public research bodies”.
Minister Lawless had flagged that the initiative would be coming this summer back in May, in response to the news of extensive federal cuts to academic research in the US. Now the promised recruitment drive is here. Managed by Research Ireland for the Department, it kicks off proper tomorrow (18 July).
“By investing in global research talent, we are strengthening Ireland’s position as a hub at the heart of Europe for research excellence, innovation and opportunity,” said Lawless, who encouraged prospective applicants to begin engaging with Irish research bodies without delay.
“Ireland offers a stable, dynamic and globally connected research environment. We are ready to welcome talented researchers who aspire to make a meaningful impact economically and societally, while advancing their careers here in Ireland.”
At a time when the US administration is making huge cuts to its academic and funding institutions, and the research community there is becoming more and more disillusioned, many countries are seeing this as an opportunity to attract some of the greatest minds in research.
In May, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen presented the first elements of the EU’s Choose Europe initiative, which hopes to attract the best and brightest of researchers and scientists to Europe.
In April, the European Research Council announced it was doubling the additional funding available for grantees relocating to Europe, so that researchers based in the US or elsewhere wishing to move to Europe could apply for up to €2m beyond the usual maximum grant amount to set up a laboratory or research team.
Neither mentioned the US by name but von der Leyen could not have been much clearer.
“The role of science in today’s world is questioned,” said von der Leyen last month. “The investment in fundamental, free and open research is questioned. What a gigantic miscalculation.”
Spending cuts at at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have created great unrest in the academic community in the US.
Designed to support the recruitment of both mid-career rising stars and established research leaders, the Global Talent Ireland programme will provide the resources needed to establish or relocate world-class research teams in Ireland, and its will fund research across all disciplines under Research Ireland’s remit, “with a focus on strategic areas of importance to Ireland”.
The call goes live on the morning of 18 July, with an information webinar planned for 1 August. Expressions of interest are due by 28 August, 2025, with a full proposal deadline of October 2025, followed by a rigorous peer review and interview process.
Silicon Republic will be back with further details around the new initiative on Monday. Watch this space.
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
