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Corporate

Health Research Board

The Health Research Board is the lead agency in Ireland supporting and funding health research.  It manages a number of health information systems and carries out health research in several nominated areas.

The HRB is organised into three Directorates.

  • Corporate Function Directorate
  • Research Strategy and Funding Directorate (RSF)
  • Health Information and In-House Research Directorate (HIIRD)

Each Directorate has a number of Units which manage different work areas.

Corporate Function Directorate

The Corporate team underpins the effective delivery of all HRB services. Working in conjunction with the rest of the organisation it helps to identify new areas of opportunity and introduce processes that will help to improve the quality of service that we provide to our customers.

  • Communications
  • Facilities
  • Finance
  • Human Resources
  • Information and Communications Technology 
Research Strategy and Funding Directorate

This directorate manages all aspects of HRB funded research activities. The Directorate is comprised of three Units.

  • Research Management Unit (RMU)
  • Research Infrastructure and Special Initiatives Unit (RISI)
  • The Policy, Evaluation and External Relations Unit (PEER)

The HRB currently manages funding programmes and commitments worth over €180 million. Funding covers all areas of health research from biomedical, translational, clinical and practice-based research, through to population health and health services research.

The Research Management Unit has responsibility for funding projects, programmes and career support. Details of all HRB research funding schemes, including scope, eligibility and how to apply, may be found in the Funding Available section of the website. The HRB also offers a number of different career support schemes to researchers and health professionals.

The Research Infrastructure and Special Initiatives Unit has responsibility for developing the infrastructure to support health research in Ireland and for managing special initiatives. The Unit is responsible for co-ordinating the work of the Cancer Consortium the Irish Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ICRIN), and the development of other large-scale infrastructure initiatives such as clinical research centres and networks.

The Policy, Evaluation and External Relations Unit, has responsibility for the development of research policy, evaluating the outcomes of HRB funded research and promoting national and international links. Information on the outputs and outcomes of HRB funded research may be found under evaluation. Details of the HRB's links with national and international agencies may be found under external relations.

Health Information and In-House Research Directorate

This Directorate focuses on two key areas of work. It manages a number of national information systems and databases, and it carries out health related research in several nominated areas.

This Directorate comprises four specialist units:

  • Alcohol and Drug Research Unit (ADRU)
  • Child Health Epidemiology Unit (CHEU)
  • Disability Databases Unit (DDU)
  • Mental Health Research Unit (MHRU) 

The Alcohol and Drug Research Unit is a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and information specialists who provide objective, reliable and comparable information on the alcohol and drug situation, its consequences and responses in Ireland. The ADRU maintains two national drug-related surveillance systems and is the Irish national focal point for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). The Unit also manages the National Documentation Centre on Drug Use. The ADRU disseminates research findings, information and news in Occasional Papers, in the Overview series, and in the quarterly newsletter, Drugnet Ireland. Through its activities, the ADRU aims to inform policy and practice in relation to drug use.

The Child Health Epidemiology Unit carries out research on pregnancy and child health is Current research is on neural tube defects, orofacial clefts and other congenital malformations.

The Disability Databases Unit manages two national service-planning databases for people with disabilities on behalf of the Department of Health and Children:

  • National Intellectual Disability Database (NIDD), established in 1995
  • National Physical and Sensory Disability Database (NPSDD), established in 2002

The disability databases provide a comprehensive and accurate information base for decision making in relation to the planning of specialised health and personal social services for people with intellectual, physical or sensory disabilities.

The Mental Health Research Unit carries out national and international research, information gathering and the dissemination of research outcomes on mental health and mental illness in Ireland. The HRB made a strategic move to merge the two existing mental health databases in 2006. The existing system, NPIRS, which records admissions and discharges to inpatient psychiatric services nationally, will be brought together with COMCAR, which is being developed to record activity in community care facilities. This closely reflects the changing nature of mental health care in Ireland from inpatient to community based care.