Taoiseach and Minister Lawless announce outcomes of the second call for the North-South Research Programme

Posted: 11 August, 2025

Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD today announced the allocation of €16 million in funding for four major cross-border research collaborations between higher education institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The investment is delivered through the second call of the North-South Research Programme (NSRP), administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

This initiative is a key pillar of the Government’s Shared Island strategy, advancing an all-island research agenda that strengthens cross-border ties and delivers real, lasting impact for communities across Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Each of the four selected projects will receive up to €4 million over a four-year period. These projects were chosen following a highly competitive process involving 131 applications from 17 higher education institutions, evaluated by international experts. This outcome confirms the strong appetite between Ireland and Northern Ireland’s Higher Education and Research Institutions to collaborate on an all-island basis.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD said:

“Deepening cooperation between higher education institutions and researchers on a cross-border basis to conduct research of economic and social benefit to the whole island is a key priority of the Government’s Shared Island Initiative.

“I am very pleased to see the Higher Education Authority in this second round of the programme enabling four major new institutional cross-border research partnerships with this focus.

“I congratulate all of the successful research teams and institutions and look forward to seeing the outputs and benefits that each project will deliver in the years ahead.”

Minister Lawless said:

“Since my appointment, I have actively engaged in strengthening North-South collaborations between higher-education and research institutions.  Today’s announcement is a clear demonstration of the potential we unlock when we work together at scale.

“These projects, spanning cybersecurity, language and identity, Parkinson’s disease research, and inclusive design, demonstrate the potential of what shared research ambition can achieve. They will foster innovation, inform policy, and enhance quality of life across communities. Crucially, they set the stage for deeper collaboration in the years ahead.”

Higher Education Authority CEO, Dr Alan Wall, said:

“The Higher Education Authority is delighted to deliver the North South Research Programme which is a unique funding mechanism supporting the growth of research collaboration across all disciplines on an all-island basis. Projects funded under Call 2 have been selected based on excellence following a competitive call for proposals. Each project will receive up to €4 million over four years. The Call 2 projects will build on the success of Call 1 and further strengthen collaboration, research capacity and knowledge sharing on the island of Ireland.”

NOTE TO EDITORS

• The North South Research Programme was resourced with an initial commitment of €40m from the Government’s Shared Island Fund alongside resourcing from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. A further allocation of €10m from the Shared Island Fund was made by the Government in December 2022 to contribute to a second call under the programme.
• In October 2024, tertiary education and research institutions were invited to submit proposals to a second call under the North-South Research Programme with funding for four major projects over a four-year period.
• Building on the success of the first round of the NSRP, Call 2 is supporting medium-scale projects that will deepen the connections, and lead to more sustainable collaborative institutional relationships on the island in the areas of higher education and research.
• Collaborations are to deliver actions based on:

1. 1. Emerging Hubs of Excellence that support academic research teams to collaborate on a shared work programme, and
   2. Partnerships of Scale that support institution to institution strategic research engagement.

• In response to this call, 131 applications from 17 HEIs were submitted and were evaluated by a panel of international experts.
• The Programme for Government 2025 confirms that the North South Research Programme will be continued to support all-island collaboration on higher education and research.
• The following four successful projects were recommended for funding:

Strand III – Partnership of Scale:

CO-CREATE: Art and Design Research Network for Inclusive Futures (National College of Art and Design and Ulster University) 

This project will establish a network of researchers using art and design to engage the creativity of diverse communities in research that is focused on driving societal transformation through co-created approaches to public services, climate action, health, and inclusive heritages.

The CO-CREATE project aims to develop co-creation methodologies through art and design research, focusing on All-Island collaboration between Ireland and Northern Ireland. It aligns with the NSRP principles to enhance research impact and community engagement. The project aims to create frameworks, toolkits, and models for co-creation in areas like healthcare and community-led services, building cross-border research networks and infrastructure to drive innovation and positive change.

CyberUnite: Adaptive Resilient Security for Cross-Border Critical Infrastructure (University of Limerick and Queens University Belfast)

This project’s research is about co-operating on the topic of resilient and adaptive cybersecurity for cross-border social and economic infrastructures. The project research methodology is concerned with achieving rapid all-island coordinated development of novel and transformative cybersecurity solutions so that key sectors of shared economies can secure their businesses.

The CyberUnite project aims to secure cross-border critical infrastructure. Through collaboration and knowledge-sharing, the project aims to enhance cyber-resilience and improve economic and national security, developing a unified cybersecurity research ecosystem, driving innovation and enhanced protection for critical infrastructure. The project is built on collaboration, following NSRP principles to promote researcher mobility, resource sharing, and research excellence, creating solutions that benefit the entire region.

Strand II – Emerging Hubs of Excellence:

LIFELANGS: Living Observatory of Shared Languages and Identities on the Island of Ireland (Trinity College Dublin and Queens University Belfast)

This project will create a centre dedicated to studying the languages and identities shared across different communities across the island of Ireland. It will gather knowledge from various fields like language, education, and social sciences to create tools for teaching and learning about languages and cultural awareness that will help people better connect with each other, leading to a more inclusive and shared society.

The LIFELANGS project aims to drive collaboration across the island of Ireland, fostering a shared understanding of linguistic diversity and promoting social cohesion. Through its All-island approach, the project will develop high-quality resources, while establishing networks of excellence and partnerships for innovation. This collaboration will create a critical mass of expertise and evidence-based resources, ultimately informing policy design and development for a shared island.

PD-Life: Enhancing wellbeing and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease (PD), through an all-Ireland, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional PD research hub (University College Cork and Queens University Belfast)

This project will create an all-island PD research hub that will look at wellbeing and resilience for people living with PD. It will focus on areas such as stigma, mental health and physical activity, fostering collaboration between universities in Ireland and Northern Ireland. By bringing together interdisciplinary teams, the project seeks to improve quality of life for people with PD through research and innovation, while enhancing PD research capacity and profile in the Island of Ireland. The project aligns with the NSRP principles by creating a network of excellence, implementing collaborative research, and defragmenting the PD research landscape. Key outcomes include raising public awareness of PD, informing policy and healthcare practice, and developing sustainable cross-border collaborations and student mobility.