US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership Programme

US-Ireland R&D Partnership

Connects United States and United Kingdom researchers through joint biomedical innovation grants.

Eligibility · Ireland, United Kingdom, United States

The US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership Programme is a trilateral funding initiative co-administered by the Health Research Board (HRB), Research Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland), the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Northern Ireland health research bodies including the HSC R&D Division. The programme funds collaborative health and biomedical research projects requiring at least one applicant from each of three jurisdictions: the United States, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland. The programme covers the full remit of the NIH, meaning any health research area is in scope. Awards reach up to €700,000 on the Irish side over project durations of 12 to 60 months, with HRB co-funding the Republic of Ireland health research component.

Lead applicants in each jurisdiction must be at mid-stage or senior stage in their research careers. Organisations from academic, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors are eligible, but consortia must span all three jurisdictions with a minimum of three partners. The application process uses NIH's standard RO1 format; the US applicant submits the tri-partite proposal to NIH for peer review. Before submission, teams must file an Intention to Submit form with the relevant funding agency ten weeks before the NIH deadline, and deliver a draft tri-partite proposal to Research Ireland and HRB six weeks before that deadline.

The programme operates on a rolling basis with an open window extending through 11 October 2028, meaning proposals may be submitted at any NIH standard deadline during that period without a separate annual competition. This makes the scheme particularly attractive for consortia that are assembling teams across the three jurisdictions on their own timeline. Competitive proposals clearly delineate the scientific contribution of each jurisdictional partner, demonstrate genuine research collaboration rather than nominal participation, and align the Irish component with HRB strategic priorities in health and social care.