Minister Lawless launches €750m INSPIRE Research Infrastructure Investment Package
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From: Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
- Published on: 26 November 2025
- Last updated on: 26 November 2025
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD today launches INSPIRE, a landmark €750 million investment package that will transform research infrastructure across Ireland’s higher education sector.
INSPIRE represents the largest single commitment to research infrastructure and talent in the history of the State, delivering cutting-edge equipment to universities across the country that will cement Ireland’s position as a global leader in research and innovation.
The programme, launched with the support of Minister Jack Chambers, is funded through the €4.55 billion capital allocation secured by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science under this year’s review of the National Development Plan (NDP) undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
Between 2026 and 2031, €750 million will be invested, with an initial €100 million in 2026, aligned with national priorities such as competitiveness, productivity, digitalisation and decarbonisation.
Minister Lawless TD said:
“INSPIRE is about unlocking Ireland’s greatest natural resource, our people and their curiosity. Talent is in our DNA, and this programme gives our researchers and students the tools to turn bold ideas into breakthroughs. From quantum computing to life sciences, from AI to advanced manufacturing, INSPIRE will ensure Ireland remains a change maker, not a change taker, in the global knowledge economy.
“This is the largest investment of its kind in the history of the State, and it marks a step-change in how we think about research infrastructure, not as a cost, but as a strategic national asset. It will drive competitiveness, resilience, and social progress, creating the ideas that power new industries and improve lives. INSPIRE is an investment in our brightest minds and our boldest ambitions, and it will shape Ireland’s future for decades to come.”
Minister Chambers said:
“The launch today of INSPIRE with my colleague Minister Lawless is the real and tangible benefits of the recently undertaken review of the National Development Plan and reflects Government ambition to safeguard and secure Ireland’s future.
“We are investing in research infrastructure in the higher education sector in order to grow our economy, drive innovation and ultimately to enhance our domestic and international competitiveness. We have a world leading research sector in our country and his investment will further support the very highest standards in research to enhance our people’s living standards, drive better outcomes and improve quality of life.”
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD said:
"As demonstrated by the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity developed by my Department and recently approved by Government, continuing investment in research and development is key to not only underpinning our ability to compete globally, but to positioning Ireland at the frontier of small, advanced economies. It is for this reason that I am delighted to welcome my colleagues’ announcement of this landmark INSPIRE investment."
INSPIRE acknowledges that quality research equipment is critical for learning and training – giving students and researchers access to the skills and techniques that prepare them for roles across industry, academia and the public sector. The programme will serve as a platform for collaboration between higher education researchers and industry plays a vital role in helping companies, especially SMEs, to commercialise their innovations and bring them to market.
Launching INSPIRE today, Minister Lawless also published the report of the expert Working Group, established earlier this year to advance a strategic and systematic approach to this updating our research equipment infrastructure.
The Programme will be administered by the Higher Education Authority and Research Ireland, and coordinated by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It will be implemented in two phases, Phase Two building progressively and strategically on Phase One. The Programme will be open for applications in Q1 2026.
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INSPIRE Programme:
Strategic Objectives
The purpose of the INSPIRE Programme is to invest in research equipment in the higher education sector, ranging from routine equipment that is used within a higher education institutions and more advanced equipment that is appropriately shared across a number of institutions and, importantly, with external users.
While the INSPIRE Programme will fund research equipment, its strategic mission is to invest in Ireland’s talent and innovation ambitions. In doing so, it aims to:
Accelerate institutional strategies, not only in relation to their research performance but also in terms of their development ofhighly-skilledindustry-ready graduates, their collaboration and research commercialisation with industry, as well as their international reputation and role in regional development.
Advance national priorities, having particular regard to Ireland’s competitiveness and economic resilience, but also to its wider policy objectives including, for instance, climate action, digitalisation, and health and wellbeing.
Programme Outline
With an overarching budget of at least €500m from 2026 to 2031, the INSPIRE Programme will support two broad categories of research equipment:
Local Institutional Infrastructure: equipment used routinely for both teaching and research purposes within a higher education institution, typically costing between €25,000 and €500,000.
Shared Advanced Infrastructures: costing in excess of€500,000, these refer to larger-scale more advanced equipment appropriately shared across a number of institutions and also with external users.
The Programme will be implemented in two phases, with Phase Two building progressively on Phase One.
Further information about the Programme is available in the Programme Outline which is being published today along the Working Group report to coincide with the launch.
Next Steps
In Q1 2026, the HEA and Research Ireland will simultaneously open INSPIRE Phase One for complementary applications from each higher education institution.
As part of developing their Phase One submissions, the higher education institutions will collaborate with each other and consult with industry to plan suitable partnerships for potential Shared Advanced Infrastructures.
Work will commence on the development of the central access portal.
Development of the INSPIRE Programme:
Programme for Government 2025
The Programme for Government 2025 includes a commitment to examine a funding stream for research infrastructure, along the lines of the original Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions and grounded in the Government’s wider prioritisation of research and innovation as “key drivers of economic progress”.
Working Group on Research Infrastructure
The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science established an expert Working Group on Research Infrastructure in March 2025 to advance this commitment. The Group reviewed the good practices of the PRTLI, national activity since then in this area and international good practice. The Working Group’s report is being published today along with the INSPIRE Programme outline.
National Development Plan
The National Development Plan 2021-30 (NDP) recognises that “continued public investment in research and innovation […] will support Ireland’s ambition to position itself as a global innovation leader, underpinning a sustainable and resilient economic model that is truly knowledge-based”. Underpinned by the expert Working Group’s analysis and findings, a comprehensive research infrastructure investment programme formed an important part of this Department’s submission to the NDP review undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation earlier in 2025.
Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity
Published in September 2025, Ireland’s Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity emphasises the contribution of research, innovation and skills to Ireland’s future economic performance and resilience. Its first priority action is the establishment of a research infrastructure investment programme “to boost basic and applied research and innovation, build the talent pipeline for our indigenous and FDI enterprise base and continue to strengthen Ireland’s capabilities in frontier, emerging and deep technology sectors.”
