North-South Shared Island Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) Platform Announced
- Published on: 23 January 2026
- Last updated on: 23 January 2026
Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton, TD, and Northern Ireland Minister of Education Paul Givan, MLA, have officially announced the North-South Shared Island Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform.
The T-REX platform bridges the gap between research and school-based practice, ensuring that evidence-informed teacher strategies are employed to better meet the needs of all pupils, including those facing a range of barriers to education.
This innovative professional learning platform provides opportunities for educational professionals across both jurisdictions to connect. It facilitates communication, collaboration and knowledge-sharing to bridge the research-practice gap to enhance the impact of research across a range of education settings. Education professionals have learning and collaboration opportunities around such issues as Educational Disadvantage, Leadership, and Wellbeing.
Building on an existing infrastructure, the project involves a digital community where educators (teachers, leaders, student teachers, higher education researcher, support professionals, etc) can:
- Link with other educators about evidence and research
- Learn how to collect, collate and evaluate evidence to support decision making and action in schools and other educational settings
- Share insights and learning from personal work and explore the insights of others with ease in a way that is quick, clear, and accessible
Announcing the platform today, Minister Hildegarde Naughton said:
"Today marks an important step forward in cross-border educational cooperation. The T-REX platform will empower teachers to engage with cutting-edge research, ensuring that evidence-based strategies are effectively implemented in classrooms across the island. By breaking down barriers between research and practice, we can better address educational disadvantage and improve outcomes for all students. This initiative reflects our shared commitment to excellence in education and the transformative power of collaboration. I look forward to seeing the positive impact T-REX will have on teachers and learners, North and South."
Northern Ireland Minister of Education, Paul Givan, MLA, said:
"This is an exciting time for education in Northern Ireland as we see real momentum through the TransformED NI strategy. The T-REX platform represents a further significant investment in high-quality professional learning. It enables teachers to refine their practice, share what works and ultimately contributes to our shared goal of building a world-class education system.
"Research shows that evidence-informed teaching strategies significantly improve pupil outcomes, especially for those facing barriers to education. T-REX helps teachers translate research into practical classroom strategies, ensuring that every pupil benefits from high-quality teaching.”
The project is part of a programme of cooperation between the Department of Education and Youth and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland on educational underachievement, support through the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Fund.
Notes to Editors
About the North-South Shared Island Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform
The North-South Shared Island Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform (www.t-rex.ie) is an online community of practice for educator professionals. As engagement with and in research has become increasingly standard for educational professionals of all kinds, it has become clear that a forum for interaction between individuals and groups is needed for research to have maximum impact and value in schools and classrooms.
The aim of the North-South Shared Island Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform is to enhance the impact of educational research findings in the classroom by facilitating a research-informed approach in education which increases efficiency, promotes excellence in teaching and learning and facilitates transformative models of teacher professional learning. The North-South Shared Island Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform achieves this aim through three primary functions: linking, learning and sharing.
The project is overseen by a Project Board with representatives from the two Education Departments. It is delivered by Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick with support from Stranmillis University College, Belfast.
A new professional development programme, ‘T-REX Digital Badge: Using Evidence to Address Educational Disadvantage’ is available to educators in Ireland and Northern Ireland, the first successful cohort completed in 2025, and this course will run again from 26th January 2026. The programme was developed in partnership with Stranmillis University College, Belfast. A pre-existing Digital Badge, ‘Using evidence for Wellbeing in Educational Settings’ has also opened up to educators in Northern Ireland, along with an additional course in Middle Leadership in Education.
The Shared Island Initiative
The Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Initiative aims to harness the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance cooperation, connection and mutual understanding on the island. The Initiative is backed by the Government’s Shared Island Fund, for delivery of all-island investment commitments and objectives in the Programme for Government and the National Development Plan. As part of existing cooperation, the Department of Education and Youth and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland are delivering a pilot cooperation programme on educational underachievement, comprising elements on teachers’ research exchange (T-REX), creativity in schools, and supports to address educational underachievement.