Eight Health Research Charities Ireland (HRCI) members have secured €3.1 million to support 12 innovative health research projects under the latest round of the HRCI-HRB Joint Funding Scheme. The Health Research Board (HRB) contribution is €1.76 million.
Among the projects receiving funding are studies exploring:
- Potential new treatment routes for cystinosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Earlier detection and treatment of brain metastases
- Personalised care approaches for adults with Dravet syndrome
- Earlier diagnosis of colorectal cancer in primary care
Funding under this round also included projects focused on improving care for people living with Parkinson’s disease, advancing epilepsy treatment and diagnosis, supporting young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy as they transition to adulthood, and investigating new approaches to lung cancer treatment.
Beneficiary charities are: the Irish Thoracic Society, Fighting Blindness, Muscular Dystrophy Society of Ireland, Parkinson’s Ireland, Breakthrough Cancer Research, the Irish Cancer Society, Cystinosis Ireland and Epilepsy Ireland.
The research will be caried out at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork and the University of Auckland.
See the full list of research being funded with additional details on each project here.
Priorities identified by charities and patients
HRCI Chief Executive Dr Avril Kennan said the scheme gives charities, patients and the public a direct role in determining which research receives funding.
“The HRCI-HRB Joint Funding Scheme changes the paradigm of who decides what research gets funded.
“By putting charities and patients at the heart of funding decisions, it ensures that research is not only excellent, but that it responds to the questions that matter most to the people it is intended to benefit.”
Dr Kennan said the scheme has become an important example of meaningful Public and Patient Involvement (PPI), attracting interest nationally and internationally as a model of good practice.
HRB Chief Executive Gráinne Gorman also noted the strong emphasis on PPI in research design and the inclusion of rare disease research, both of which align closely with priorities in the HRB’s current strategy.
“These projects demonstrate the strength of research shaped by the needs and experiences of patients, families and communities. The wide range of research topics being funded highlights the value of the HRCI partnership in supporting research that can improve health and care outcomes.”
Addressing strategic priorities
The HRCI-HRB Joint Funding Scheme funds internationally competitive and innovative research in areas of strategic relevance to participating charities and the communities they support. Projects are expected to generate new knowledge and evidence of benefit to health or healthcare.
Funding was available for projects lasting between 12 and 36 months, with a maximum value of €300,000 excluding overhead contributions.
A long-standing funding partnership
This is the thirteenth round of the HRCI-HRB Joint Funding Scheme, which has been in operation since 2006. The scheme is unique in that the HRB co-funds research with charity partners, either on a 50:50 or 75:25 basis.
A distinctive feature of the scheme is its international scope, enabling charities to support research in Ireland and abroad and access the best expertise wherever it is based.
This latest round of investment brings the HRCI-HRB Joint Funding Scheme support to 177 research projects, representing a total investment of more than €31 million.
