The Irish Research Council was established and mandated to:
fund excellent research within, and between, all disciplines, and in doing so to enhance Ireland’s international reputation as a centre for research and learning
provide policy advice on postgraduate education, and on more general research matters, to the Higher Education Authority and other national and international bodies. In giving us this role, the then Minister for Research and Innovation requested that particular attention be given to the arts, humanities and social sciences.
support the education and skills development of excellent individual early-stage researchers and cultivate agile independent researchers and thinkers, while offering a range of opportunities which support diverse career paths
enrich the pool of knowledge and expertise available for addressing Ireland’s current and future needs, whether societal, cultural or economic and deliver for citizens through collaboration and enabling knowledge exchange with government departments and agencies, enterprise and civic society