€3M investment for mental health research announced

A further €2 million through the HRB's Applied Partnership Awards (APA) scheme will fund 10 separate mental health research projects, three of which are based at UCD, directly delivering on commitments in the(opens in a new window)National Mental Health Research Strategy and (opens in a new window)Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone.

These investments are supported by the Health Research Board (HRB)’s dedicated mental health research budget, which has tripled since 2022, underscoring the Minister’s strong commitment to evidence-based policy and innovation in mental health.

Minister 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."

The projects ((opens in a new window)see below) range from implementation of timely youth mental health interventions and improving outcomes for children in care, to supporting mental health and wellbeing among people living with multiple sclerosis and older people living with HIV.

Dr Gráinne Gorman, Chief Executive of the HRB, said: “We welcome the Minister’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.”

The new Collaborative Research Network, CO-PRIME (Co-producing and Promoting Research and Innovation in Mental Health), will receive €1 million over five years from the HRB. It is led by Professor Sinéad McGilloway, Irish public health and community psychologist, and Professor of Family and Community Mental Health at Maynooth University. CO-PRIME will help to build a more connected, inclusive and impactful mental health research system across the island of Ireland. The 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 the translation of research into policy and practice 

• Foster all-island collaboration and international partnerships 

Ten funded mental health research projects 

• 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) and 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 – (opens in a new window)Dr Amanda Fitzgerald (UCD School of Psychology) and 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) and Mr Michael Walsh (Central Remedial Clinic). 

• Improving Outcomes for Children in Care – Prof David Hevey (Trinity College Dublin) and 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 – (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Anne Doherty (UCD School of Medicine, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital) and 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) and 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) and 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) and 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) and Mr Brendan Cawley (Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council). 

• Integrating Smoking Cessation Interventions into Mental Health Services: National Survey, Guideline Development and Pilot Service Evaluation – (opens in a new window)Prof Brian O’Donoghue (UCD School of Medicine, Consultant Adult Psychiatrist at St Vincent's University Hospital) and Professor John Lyne (Newcastle Hospital Greystones).