Shared Island Research: Research Partners

The Shared Island Unit is progressing a Shared Island research partnership with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which is adding to understanding of current and potential linkages across the island of Ireland in a range of economic, social and environmental domains. On 28 April 2025, the Taoiseach gave the keynote address at the ‘Research on a Shared Island’ conference, marking four years of the first phase of this joint research programme, which produced 16 reports. The Taoiseach also announced a further phase of the joint research programme which is underway, and continues to produce analysis of the whole island with a focus on strategic policy and cooperation considerations for both jurisdictions. Full details of all ESRI – Shared Island publications are available on the ESRI website.

The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) advises the Taoiseach on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social, and environmental development in Ireland. At the request of the Department of the Taoiseach, the NESC undertook a programme of research in 2021 to produce a comprehensive report on Shared Island issues for the Government, to inform the development of the Shared Island Initiative as a whole of Government priority. More information on the NESC work and publications on Shared Island is available on the NESC website.

On 14 April 2021, the Irish Research Council (now Research Ireland), in partnership with the Department of the Taoiseach, opened a call for applications for academic research related to the Government’s Shared Island Initiative. Eleven awards, with a maximum value of €20,000 each, were made under the New Foundations programme, funded by the Shared Island Unit. On 10 May 2022, a further call opened and eight awards were made, again with a maximum value of €20,000 each. The approved projects are contributing new knowledge and perspectives to inform the Government’s objectives and commitments on a Shared Island, and involve North/South, East/West or relevant international collaboration. Full details of both the 2021 and 2022 research projects can be found on the Research Ireland Award Database.

The Shared Island Unit partnered with the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS), on a call for research undertaken over 2021-2023. The SCoTENS - Shared Island research partnership funded five projects on teacher education, across two areas:

• Enhancing educational attainment: sharing experience and learning on a shared island.
• How we teach: acknowledging, understanding and learning with others and from others on a shared island.

This research is contributing to enhanced understanding and informing professional and policy development considerations on a shared island basis. You can read about all five projects on the SCoTENS website.

Emergency Management and Planning:

As part of the All-Island Disaster Risk Reduction Research Programme, the Shared Island Unit has co-funded research with the Department of Defence on ‘Advancing a focused cross-border approach to public service messaging in emergency management’, ‘Communicating for impact: public warnings and safety messaging for border communities’, and ‘Advancing a focused all-island and cross-border approach to planning for recovery in strategic emergency management’.

Healthcare:

The Shared Island Unit commissioned independent scoping research by Professor Deirdre Heenan on 'Collaborating on healthcare on an all-island basis', as a discussion paper contribution for the Shared Island Dialogue on Health, held on 8 July 2021.