Health Research Board (HRB)
Founding year
1986
History
The Health Research Board (HRB) was founded in 1986 as a statutory body of the Irish Department of Health. It currently has 105 staff, an annual budget of €52 million, and manages an investment portfolio of approximately €200 million. The main areas of activity of the HRB are (i) funding research proposals and managing grants across the spectrum of health research, from applied biomedical research to health services and public policy research, (ii) conducting evidence reviews to underpin decision-making in health, (iii) managing data collections in the areas of alcohol and drug treatment and deaths, disability and psychiatric admissions and discharges and (iv) supporting national initiatives in mental health policy, and European engagement and research.
ENRIO member since
Structure
The HRB is a statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Health
Main Tasks
The HRB Strategy 2021-2025, Health research – making an impact, sets out how they will advance health research, data and evidence to benefit Ireland’s people, society and economy. they are committed to ensuring that research and evidence are translated into important breakthroughs that improve people’s health, deliver new treatments and inform health policy and practice.
This is achieved through support for five strategic areas, namely:
- Research that makes a difference
Research enables advances in health and social care that make a real difference to people’s lives. The HRB is committed to investing in research that delivers value for health, the health system, society and the economy, through a strategic, well-balanced funding portfolio that responds to real-world needs – collaborating with partners to address challenges and drive innovation in the health system, and supporting meaningful involvement of patients, carers and the public in research.
- An independent voice
The HRB aims to be an independent, credible voice for research and evidence and a trusted thought leader. They seek to enhance coordination between those involved in evidence synthesis nationally and internationally and to earn and maintain people’s trust in the evidence produced while facilitating dialogue on emerging health research topics. The HRB evidence centre will continue to support the generation of independent, credible evidence to inform decisions of policymakers, practitioners and the public.
- Trusted data
Health and social care data, along with research and statistical data, has the potential to transform healthcare delivery and how we manage our own health. The HRB is already playing a leading role in enabling this transformation. They are committed to promoting and enabling the use of data to shape health policy, enhance healthcare delivery and drive broader research and innovation initiatives. Moreover, they are working to increase public understanding of the importance of facilitating secure access to health and social care data for research, policy and planning. They support the adoption of best practices in data management, governance and re-use by data producers and researchers.
- Thriving research environment
Health research that delivers value needs an enabling environment to thrive – from skilled researchers and access to infrastructure, to policies that support and enhance good research practice. The HRB is striving to build this strong, supportive environment for health research in Ireland, fostering connections between the academic and healthcare systems in the process. In partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, they are working to ensure that funding for researchers and infrastructure is delivered effectively, that the highest standards of governance, quality and ethics are met, and that innovative practices are developed and taken up here in Ireland.
- Productive international partnerships
From pandemics to climate change, many of the greatest health challenges we face are global and can only be addressed through international partnership. To meet these challenges, the HRB is committed to fostering and enhancing European and international coordination, collaboration and engagement in health research. They help Ireland’s research community to compete for EU and international funding, and work with policy stakeholders to identify opportunities to engage in initiatives that can advance health and broader government objectives.
Investigation
The HRB does not conduct investigations of allegations of misconduct by researchers that it funds, but expects its host institutions to have in place appropriate guidelines and processes to do undertake investigations. This expectation forms part of the HRBs Terms and Conditions of funding.
Training
The HRB does not deliver ethics and research integrity training to the researchers that it funds, but expects its Host Institutions to have in place appropriate training at post-graduate level (as part of PhD programmes). This expectation forms part of the HRBs Terms and Conditions of funding.
In addition, through its active participation in the National Research Integrity Forum, an umbrella body for both RFOs and RPOs in Ireland, the HRB actively advocating for harmonized ethics and research integrity training in Ireland for researchers at all levels of the career path.
Promoting Research Integrity
The HRB has been actively involved in the promotion of research integrity through its own policies and guidelines, and was the first Irish funding agency to publish such policies and guidelines, and to articulate its expectations in this regard in its Terms and Conditions for funding.
The HRB has been represented in both the ESF and Science Europe Working Groups and Research integrity, has participated in ENRIO for a number of years, and has played a leadership role in Ireland in the promotion of research integrity through its involvement in drafting the National Policy on Research Integrity, co-funding national seminars, chairing the Funders Subgroup of the National RI Forum and ensuring that it was specifically names in the relevant action in the National Innovation Strategy up to 2020.
Other tasks: Funding of health research
Health research is funded in a range of host institutions across Ireland, including universities, Technological universities, hospitals, and health-relevant government agencies. Health-related statistics are collected and analysed to inform planning in the health system and government policy.
Contact
Catherine Gill PhD
Programme Manager
Health Research Board
Grattan House
67-72 Lower Mount Street
Dublin D02 H636 - Ireland