Minister Martin marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
10th Anniversary, 26th November 2010
The Great Hall, IMMA, Kilmainham
Statement by Minister Micheál Martin, TD
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin today welcomed the publication of Mosaic, a book marking the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS).
The establishment of the IRCHSS during Minister Martin’s time at the Department of Education and Science was among the first steps towards enhanced government support of research activity and innovation in Ireland.
Over the course of the past ten years, some €76 million has been made available by the Department for Education and Skills, allowing research to be undertaken and advanced by some 1,373 postgraduate students, 299 postdoctoral fellows and 217 senior research fellows.
Marking the event and publication, Minister Martin said:
“Today, ten years after its establishment, I am proud to reflect on what the IRCHSS has enabled and what people have achieved thanks to IRCHSS support. Given our own history, it is critically important that we invest in developing an understanding of the dynamics of conflict and how peace can be achieved and maintained.
Department of Foreign Affairs supported academic programmes enable the Irish academic community to enhance its international engagement in the area of conflict resolution. They help bridge the gap between research, policy and action in the field of peace and conflict studies and provide a unique opportunity for us to draw upon the important analytical research which is being carried out in the academic community and to explore further synergies in our work”.
The first of two Department of Foreign Affairs supported initiatives managed by the IRCHSS is the post-graduate conflict resolution scholarship, which the Minister renamed the Andrew Grene Scholarship in Conflict Resolution in memory of the Irish UN worker who tragically lost his life when Haiti was devastated by an earthquake last January. The research of the Conflict Resolution Scholars complements the work of the Department and can be drawn upon for academic reference.
The second academic scheme funded by the Department is the Research Development Initiative. The RDI allows established academics in Irish universities and colleges to undertake research projects related to conflict resolution. There are currently three RDI projects underway, covering research areas such as EU engagement with international mediation and patterns in conflict resolution. As with the Andrew Grene Scholarships in conflict resolution, the themes for the RDI match the work of the Department in conflict resolution. As Ireland will chair the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2012, the themes for the next round of RDIs are reflective of the direction and ethos of the OSCE and cover topics such as frozen conflicts, mediation and the freedom of the media.
Congratulating the IRCHSS on the milestones it has achieved, the Minister wished participants well with their important event and esteemed panel of speakers.
ENDS
26 November 2010
