At least €4m in funding launched for paediatric research in Ireland

8 Dec 2021

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Minister Simon Harris said the SFI-backed research funding has the potential to improve the lives of many sick children in Ireland.

Fresh funding of at least €4m has been announced for research proposals in the paediatric field of study that have the potential to find new treatments and cures for sick children in Ireland.

The funding comes from a partnership between Children’s Health Foundation and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) as part of the latter’s Frontiers for the Future programme that provides funds for independent, potentially high-impact research.

Each of the two foundations will provide a minimum of €2m in funding to successful paediatric research proposals, the call for which is now open until 28 January 2022. The grant call, peer review, selection and awarding processes of successful projects will be managed by SFI.

“This has the potential to impact and improve the lives of so many sick children,” said Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, TD, at the launch today (8 December).

“I would encourage our paediatric research community to come forward with research proposals and I hope this new collaboration will support further growth and development of paediatric research in Children’s Health Ireland and throughout Ireland.”

The Children’s Health Foundation was formed in 2019 when CMRF Crumlin and the Temple Street Foundation came together to form one charity for child healthcare in Ireland. The National Children’s Hospital Foundation will soon join the group to form one organisation.

Dr Ruth Freeman, director of science for society at SFI, said that the collaboration between Children’s Health Foundation and SFI will increase the level of high-quality collaborative paediatric research projects in Ireland.

“I hope that projects funded will significantly improve the understanding of underlying causes, assist with earlier diagnoses and support more effective treatment of childhood diseases,” she said.

Paul McNally, director of research and innovation at Children’s Health Ireland, said that a core part of his foundation’s strategy is to integrate research and innovation with compassionate clinical care for children.

“The announcement today is a major milestone on our journey towards that goal and is hopefully the start of a long, fruitful and ultimately impactful partnership that will benefit all children.”

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Vish Gain is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com