Written answers
Monday, 9 September 2024
Department of Education and Skills
Cross-Border Co-operation
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1982.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the North South Research Programme contribution (rounds 1 and 2, 2022-2027) €50 million; to provide the total allocation; the expenditure to date; the amount that is contained with expenditure ceilings laid out in the Stability Programme Update and Summer Economic Statement, and the amount that will have to come from additional funding; the date the project was started; and the projected date of completion, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34815/24]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The North South Research Programme (NSRP) is funded by the Government’s Shared Island initiative and delivered by the HEA on behalf of Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
In July 2021, funding of €40 million was allocated to the North South Research Programme and a further €10 million was announced by the Department of the Taoiseach in December 2022, bringing the total funding for the North South Research Programme to €50 million.
The revised National Development Plan states that the Government will allocate ring fenced, multi-annual resourcing for all-island investment out to 2030 including through the Shared Island Fund and the previously published expenditure ceilings take this commitment into account.
The first round under the North South Research Programme was allocated in October 2022. Funding was awarded on the basis of excellence, assessed through a rigorous and independent international peer-review process. 62 projects were awarded funding across three programme strands.
The expenditure details for the 2021 NSRP Call 1 as of December 2023 is outlined in the table below. The second round of project reporting was completed in January 2024 with projects submitting details up to the 31stof December 2023. In 2024, there has been expenditure on Strands II and III. This will be reported against in January 2025. There will also be final payments on Strand I in 2024/2025 – approximately 10% of their budget per project which will be paid out after the submission of the final reports.
| - | 2021 NSRP Call - Project Expenditure | - | Admin Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 Reporting Expenditure (Project start - Dec 2022) | Year 1 Reporting Expenditure (Project start - Dec 2022) | €880,228.46 | €50,000.00 |
| Year 2 Reporting Expenditure (Jan 2023 - Dec 2023) | Year 2 Reporting Expenditure (Jan 2023 - Dec 2023) | €8,084,587.41 | € 179,991.00 |
The following table provides an analysis of the first cycle of reporting under Round 1.
Round 1.
| Strand Type | No. of funded projects | Project duration |
|---|---|---|
| Strand I – Bilateral researcher - researcher (maximum award per project €200,000) | 55 projects | 1-2 years |
| Strand II – Emerging hubs of excellence (maximum award per project €4,000,000) | 5 projects | 4 years |
| Strand III – Partnerships of scale maximum award per project €4,000,000) | 2 | 4 years |
| 62 Projects | 4 years |
Round 2
Depending on the scale of budgets requested by the top-ranking applications, it is expected that Call 2 will support 4-5 Strand II projects (the maximum budget is €4m).
It is expected, subject to agreement with the Shared Island Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach, that a formal announcement will be made in the next few weeks.
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1983.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the Ulster University new teaching and student services building in Derry; to provide the total allocation; the expenditure to date; the amount that is contained with expenditure ceilings laid out in the Stability Programme Update and Summer Economic Statement, and the amount that will have to come from additional funding; the date the project was started; and the projected date of completion, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34816/24]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The location for the proposed building is significant from an heritage perspective, and as such, UU has engaged extensively in a pre-planning process with Derry-Strabane District Council. My officials understand that this process is ongoing, and is likely to lead to the submission of a full planning application to Derry-Strabane District Council in late Q4, 2024 or early Q1, 2025.
The contribution from the Shared Island Fund in the Department of Taoiseach is up to €44m over the lifetime of this capital project, which will take up to 4 years to complete.
My Department has not sought any contribution from the fund at this stage.
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1984.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on All-Island Co-Centres for Research and Innovation contribution; to provide the total allocation; the expenditure to date; the amount that is contained with expenditure ceilings laid out in the Stability Programme Update and Summer Economic Statement, and the amount that will have to come from additional funding; the date the project was started; and the projected date of completion, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34817/24]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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In 2023, the Co-Centres Programme was established to take forward an Irish Government commitment in the Programme for Government and under the New Decade, New Approach Agreement to establish all-island research and innovation hubs, working with partners in Northern Ireland and at UK.
The Co-Centres Programme is jointly funded up to €70 million by Research Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland), Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA) and United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) and will focus on Climate/ Biodiversity and Water, and Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems.
The following table provides an update on Ireland's financial contribution to the programme:
| Total allocation | €35m |
|---|---|
| The expenditure to date: | €2,627,617 |
| Date project was started | 01/01/2024 |
| Projected date for completion. | 31/12/2029 |
The revised National Development Plan states that the Government will allocate ring fenced, multi-annual resourcing for all-island investment out to 2030 including through the Shared Island Fund and the previously published expenditure ceilings take this commitment into account.
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