QUEEN’S and University of Ulster have signed up as academic partners in Science Foundation Ireland’s internationally renowned Investigators Programme.
Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry and the Republic’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Richard Bruton
TD signed the ground-breaking collaboration agreement which will allow collaborative projects involving universities from both jurisdictions to undertake international leading edge research.
Mr Farry said: “I am grateful to the minister, and to Professor Mark Ferguson, for their generous offer of collaboration in such an important and high-profile research programme.
“I am pleased to announce my department is making available funding of up to £8.4m over the next six years to enable Queen’s and the University of Ulster to participate in the next two annual calls, the first of which is due to be published by SFI next month.
“This is an extremely timely development, building on the success of my department’s strengthening the all-island research base programme, while also providing real opportunity to develop new cross-border research collaborations with the potential, in the longer term, to bring further success under Horizon 2020 — the European Commission’s latest research framework programme and a major priority for both governments.”
Professor Mark Ferguson, director general of SFI and chief scientific adviser to the Irish government, said: “We are very pleased to see the Investigators Programme become accessible to even more members of Ireland’s talented scientific community.
“This partnership is a key stepping stone in helping Ireland maximise its potential funding opportunities.”