Research and Innovation at the Heart: Ireland hosts its first Enhanced Dialogue

Ireland hosted an Enhanced Dialogue with the European Commission in Dublin on 11-12 February, bringing together Colm O'Reardon, Secretary General of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), and Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Research and Innovation. The meeting focused on discussing Ireland's research and innovation policy, European Research Area (ERA) priorities and shaping the future direction of European funding programmes ahead of the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

Analysis of Ireland's research and innovation system under the European Semester set the scene for discussions, highlighting both opportunities and challenges facing the national R&I landscape. The participants discussed the implementation of the ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027, the role of Member States and ERA's support of national objectives. The Dialogue then zoomed in on artificial intelligence in science and research security. The breadth of topics generated strong engagement from a wide range of stakeholders, underlining their strategic relevance and potential impact on Ireland's R&I ecosystem and beyond.

The next day, discussions explored Ireland's perspectives on future R&I priorities within the next Multiannual Financial Framework, including preparations for FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund.

With Ireland set to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July, the Enhanced Dialogue provided an important platform to discuss national R&I priorities alongside the European Commission's plans for 2026.

Reflecting Ireland's whole-of-government approach to research and innovation policy, participation extended beyond DFHERIS to include representatives from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the Department of Finance; the Department of Defence; the Department of Health; and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. Key R&I funding agencies, including the recently established Research Ireland, as well as the Higher Education Authority, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, also contributed. Representatives from universities across Ireland showcased the breadth and strength of the national research and innovation ecosystem.

A highlight of the visit was a tour of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), a leading institution in health sciences and medical research. The delegation received a preview of the exhibition "Heart: More Than a Beat", which opened later that day, alongside a tour of new facilities and exchanges with researchers on cutting-edge projects.

Background

Enhanced dialogues with EU countries are a new, bottom-up channel of cooperation with the European Commission. These dialogues aim at creating a country-tailored approach to foster Research and Innovation in the participating EU country. They are organised on a voluntary basis and built around topics matching the interests of the country. Spain is one of the 17 countries having an enhanced dialogue with DG research & Innovation. This was the second time Spain hosted an Enhanced Dialogue following the first one in May 2023.

More information

Enhanced dialogue with EU countries