This Capacity Building in Evidence Synthesis award builds on previous strategic investments and will further establish Ireland as a leader in global efforts to provide up-to-date, reliable evidence for better-informed policy and practice decisions in health and social care.
The Health Research Board (HRB) will award €4.5 million to Evidence Synthesis Ireland (ESI) with a further €1.5 million invested by the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (HSC R&D) of Northern Ireland.
Dr Gráinne Gorman, Chief Executive at the HRB, says:
“The HRB recognises the critical role of evidence synthesis in healthcare decision making. For more than 20 years we have played a leading role in collaboration with HSC R&D to support and develop evidence synthesis capacity on the island of Ireland and beyond.
“This funding will enhance Ireland’s contribution to international efforts as demand for high-quality, complex evidence in healthcare decision-making increases globally. It will build additional capacity, enabling policymakers to better understand and use research evidence. Ultimately it will strengthen health systems, delivering meaningful improvements in people’s health.”
Health and Social Care Research and Development (HSC R&D) in Northern Ireland, who are co-funders of ESI, expressed their continued support for this valuable programme.
Dr Rhonda Campbell, Assistant Director, HSC R&D says:
“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with HRB in the development of ESI. This continued support will help build capacity to meet the ever increasing cross-sector need for evidence syntheses to inform health-care decision-making.”
Funding of the new five-year programme will enable ESI to contribute to improvements in evidence synthesis globally by consolidating methodologies, ensuring work is not duplicated, coordinating resources and making sure research findings reach the people who need them most.
Declan Devane, Professor of Health Research Methodology at University of Galway and Director of ESI says;
“We will advance our work in evidence synthesis capacity building and education in parallel with developing and testing innovative research approaches that integrate AI, supporting researchers to produce faster, more relevant and more cost-effective evidence syntheses.
“The University of Galway’s commitment to support this initiative by funding a permanent, full-time Professorship in Health Research Methodology and two PhD studentships over four years will help sustain ESI’s work in advancing evidence synthesis in the future.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
What is Evidence Synthesis?
When clinicians, policymakers, or patients need to make important healthcare decisions, they often look at pieces of research, called evidence syntheses, that have gathered and assessed information from many research studies rather than relying on just one study. Evidence syntheses help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence.
For more information visit evidencesynthesisireland.ie
