Press Release: Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler announces €3 million investment in mental health research
- Allocation of €1 million to establish a new all-island Mental Health Collaborative Research Network
- A further €2 million allocated by the Health Research Board to 10 different research projects to progress understanding of mental health in areas such as: youth mental health, ADHD in adults, women’s mental health, and loneliness in older people
- Dedicated Health Research Board funding for mental health research has tripled since 2022
Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler TD has today announced a €3 million investment in mental health research to advance understanding in areas such as youth mental health, ADHD in adults, women’s mental health, and loneliness in older people.
A grant of €1 million will establish a new all-island ‘Collaborative Research Network’ in mental health which will be led by Maynooth University, in partnership with the University of Galway, and the National Suicide Research Foundation at University College Cork. The new research network will embed lived experience in mental health research through co-production of studies between academics and public involvement, whilst also building capacity and career opportunities for researchers in the area of mental health. The network will also coordinate mental health research by identifying research gaps and fostering partnerships between academic institutions in Ireland and internationally.
A further €2 million will fund 10 separate mental health research projects, directly delivering on commitments in the National Mental Health Research Strategy and Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone.
These investments are supported by the Health Research Board’s dedicated mental health research budget provided by the Minister for Mental Health, which has tripled since 2022, underscoring the Minister’s strong commitment to evidence-based policy and innovation in mental health.
Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler said:
“This significant investment marks a major step forward in how we understand and respond to mental health needs in Ireland. Dedicated funding for mental health research has tripled since 2022, reflecting our strong commitment to evidence-based policy and innovation.
“The new all-island Collaborative Research Network will transform how research is coordinated, build research capacity, embed lived experience within research projects, and ensure research findings are translated into real-world impact. The Collaborative Research Network was a key recommendation in the Mental Health Research Strategy which I published in December 2024.
“The 10 funded research projects will make a tangible difference whether it’s reducing waiting times for young people through single-session intervention approaches or exploring how GPs can play a greater role in supporting adults with ADHD. The insights generated from these projects will help us build a more responsive, inclusive, and effective mental health service for everyone.”
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless said:
“I am delighted to see Maynooth University again leading out on this critical initiative and continuing to develop their health faculty and expertise, following the successful launch of their new School of Nursing last year. Research and informed analysis brings multiple benefits to solving societal challenges such as in the mental health arena. Breakthroughs often emerge from unexpected inquiries and leading-edge research recognises and supports that. Right across the programme for government we recognise the value of research and its application to public health.
“This funding demonstrates the whole of government response around mental health and our continued spearheading of scientific excellence to inform policy interventions across government. The significant and targeted investment by the Health Research Board sits alongside competitive research funding opportunities from Research Ireland in supporting excellent research in the State”.
Health Research Board CEO, Gráinne Gorman said:
“We welcome Minister Butler’s continued commitment to advance mental health research which has seen the HRB’s dedicated mental health research budget triple since 2022. This recent investment demonstrates the power of co-production and collaboration in driving research that improves mental health and wellbeing, especially among priority and underserved populations, across the island of Ireland.”
Collaborative Research Network
The Collaborative Research Network – CO-PRIME (Co-producing and Promoting Research & Innovation in Mental Health) – led by Professor Sinead McGilloway from Maynooth University, will receive €1 million over five years from the Health Research Board. This network was called for in the National Mental Health Research Strategy. The CO-PRIME Network will:
- Embed lived experience and co-production in mental health research
- Build capacity through training and career development for researchers from a variety of backgrounds
- Identify knowledge gaps and support translation of research into policy and practice
- Foster all-island collaboration and international partnerships
Project funding for 10 new studies
The Health Research Board has also invested €2 million in 10 new mental health research projects through the Applied Partnership Awards scheme, which brings together knowledge users and researchers to co-develop projects that address real-world needs in health and social care. In this round of the scheme, the Health Research Board specifically requested applications in mental health, and there was a very high level of interest across the research community. The funded projects reflect Sharing the Vision’s emphasis on the need for whole-of-government and whole-of-population approaches to mental health.
List of research projects funded by the HRB under this call:
- Improving the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Priority Population Groups: An Evaluation of the Act Belong Commit Mental Health Promotion Initiative in Community Settings – Prof Margaret Barry (University of Galway) & Dr Aisling Sheehan (Health Service Executive)
- Project ACCESS (Advancing Care through Single-Session Therapy): Examining the Implementation of Timely Youth Mental Health Interventions in Jigsaw Ireland – Dr Amanda Fitzgerald (University College Dublin) & Dr Jeff Moore (Jigsaw – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health)
- Exploring Experiences and Co-producing Supports to Promote Mental Wellbeing and Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Children with Physical Disabilities in Ireland – Dr Jennifer Ryan (RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences) & Mr Michael Walsh (Central Remedial Clinic)
- Improving Outcomes for Children in Care – Prof David Hevey (Trinity College Dublin) & Mr Robert O’Connor (Tusla Child and Family Agency)
- Designing an Integrated Women’s Mental Health Service: Enhancing Quality and Integration of Women’s Mental Healthcare – Dr Anne Doherty (University College Dublin) & Dr Richard Duffy (The Rotunda Hospital)
- Enabling General Practitioners to Develop an Extended Role in Adult ADHD Diagnosis and Management in Primary Care – Prof Emma Wallace (University College Cork) & Dr Aoife O’Sullivan (Irish College of General Practitioners)
- SMILE MS: Supporting Mental Health by Improving the Lives and Emotional Wellbeing of People with Multiple Sclerosis – Dr Rebecca Maguire (Maynooth University) & Ms Mary McCusker (Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland)
- Understanding and Addressing Mental Health, Loneliness and Quality of Life in Older People Living with HIV in Ireland: A Pathway to Social Prescribing – Dr Louise Brennan (Trinity College Dublin) & Professor David Robinson (St James’s Hospital Dublin)
- Shifting the Paradigm- Empowering Paramedic Educators to Better Support Practitioner Mental Health, through an Evidence-Based, Scaffolded Teaching Faculty Curriculum – Dr Michelle O’Toole (RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences) & Mr Brendan Cawley (Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council)
- Integrating Smoking Cessation Interventions into Mental Health Services: National Survey, Guideline Development and Pilot Service Evaluation – Prof Brian O’Donoghue (University College Dublin) & Professor John Lyne (Newcastle Hospital Greystones)