The Health Research Board (HRB) will support the all-island research network and 10 research projects that focus on priority or underserved groups with the new investment.  

The projects range from implementation of timely youth mental health interventions and improving outcomes for children in care, to supporting mental health and wellbeing among people living with multiple sclerosis and older people living with HIV.  

Speaking about the investment, Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler says: 

“This significant investment marks a major step forward in how we understand and respond to mental health needs in Ireland. Dedicated funding for mental health research has tripled since 2022, reflecting our strong commitment to evidence-based policy and innovation. 

“The new all-island Collaborative Research Network will transform how research is coordinated, build research capacity, embed lived experience within research projects, and ensure research findings are translated into real-world impact. The Collaborative Research Network was a key recommendation in the Mental Health Research Strategy which I published in December 2024. 

“The 10 funded research projects will make a tangible difference whether it’s reducing waiting times for young people through single-session intervention approaches or exploring how GPs can play a greater role in supporting adults with ADHD. The insights generated from these projects will help us build a more responsive, inclusive, and effective mental health service for everyone.” 

Dr Gráinne Gorman, Chief Executive of the HRB, added,  

“We welcome the Minister’s continued commitment to advance mental health research which has seen the HRB’s dedicated mental health research budget triple since 2022. This recent investment demonstrates the power of co-production and collaboration in driving research that improves mental health and wellbeing, especially among priority and underserved populations, across the island of Ireland.”  

The new Collaborative Research Network – CO-PRIME (Co-producing and Promoting Research & Innovation in Mental Health) – will receive €1 million over five years from the HRB. It is led by Professor Sinéad McGilloway, Irish public health and community psychologist, and Professor of Family and Community Mental Health at Maynooth University. CO-PRIME will help to build a more connected, inclusive and impactful mental health research system across the island of Ireland. The network will:  

  • Embed lived experience and co-production in mental health research  
  • Build capacity through training and career development for researchers from a variety of backgrounds  
  • Identify knowledge gaps and support the translation of research into policy and practice  
  • Foster all-island collaboration and international partnerships  

The HRB will also provide €2 million to support 10 new mental health research projects with a focus on priority and underserved groups through its Applied Partnership Awards (APA) scheme. Together with CO-PRIME, these projects demonstrate early, concrete steps in implementing key recommendations of the National Mental Health Research Strategy, which was led by the HRB and focuses on:  

  • Increasing and sustaining funding across the mental health research system  
  • Strengthening co-production and lived experience engagement  
  • Building capacity and collaboration among researchers, policymakers, practitioners and communities  
  • Maximising the impact of mental health research on the wellbeing of people with mental health difficulties and their families, supporters and communities  

ENDS 

Notes 

The investment delivers on key commitments in the National Mental Health Research Strategy which was led by the HRB and the national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone.  

Read the Department of Health press release here  

Details of the ten funded projects can be found below: 

  • Improving the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Priority Population Groups: An Evaluation of the Act Belong Commit Mental Health Promotion Initiative in Community Settings – Prof Margaret Barry (University of Galway) & Dr Aisling Sheehan (Health Service Executive)  
  • Project ACCESS (Advancing Care through Single-Session Therapy): Examining the Implementation of Timely Youth Mental Health Interventions in Jigsaw Ireland – Dr Amanda Fitzgerald (University College Dublin) & Dr Jeff Moore (Jigsaw – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health)  
  • Exploring Experiences and Co-producing Supports to Promote Mental Wellbeing and Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Children with Physical Disabilities in Ireland – Dr Jennifer Ryan (RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences) & Mr Michael Walsh (Central Remedial Clinic)  
  • Improving Outcomes for Children in Care – Prof David Hevey (Trinity College Dublin) & Mr Robert O’Connor (Tusla Child and Family Agency)  
  • Designing an Integrated Women’s Mental Health Service: Enhancing Quality and Integration of Women’s Mental Healthcare – Dr Anne Doherty (University College Dublin) & Dr Richard Duffy (The Rotunda Hospital)  
  • Enabling General Practitioners to Develop an Extended Role in Adult ADHD Diagnosis and Management in Primary Care – Prof Emma Wallace (University College Cork) & Dr Aoife O’Sullivan (Irish College of General Practitioners)  
  • PROMISE: Improving Mental Health Supports for People with Multiple Sclerosis in Ireland – Dr Rebecca Maguire (Maynooth University) &  Ms Mary McCusker (Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland)  
  • Understanding and Addressing Mental Health, Loneliness and Quality of Life in Older People Living with HIV in Ireland: A Pathway to Social Prescribing – Dr Louise Brennan (Trinity College Dublin) & Professor David Robinson (St James’s Hospital Dublin)  
  • Shifting the Paradigm- Empowering Paramedic Educators to Better Support Practitioner Mental Health, through an Evidence-Based, Scaffolded Teaching Faculty Curriculum – Dr Michelle O’Toole (RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences) & Mr Brendan Cawley (Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council)  
  • Integrating Smoking Cessation Interventions into Mental Health Services: National Survey, Guideline Development and Pilot Service Evaluation – Prof Brian O’Donoghue (University College Dublin) & Professor John Lyne (Newcastle Hospital Greystones)