Introduction
When the Health Research Board (HRB) was established in 1986, it was born out of clear necessity. At the time, Ireland lagged behind many peers in research activity, health outcomes, economic performance and public policy – including in health and social support.
Bodies like the HRB laid the groundwork for future reforms. Evidence-based approaches to policy became a foundational part of what later drove the Celtic Tiger. Economic and public policy advanced hand in hand.
Critical moment
Fast forward 40 years and we operate in a very different world. Advances such as digital health and personalised medicine are driving positive change, and when delivered with appropriate safeguards, artificial intelligence can be harnessed as a force for good.
But all this is happening in the face of a critical moment for people’s health and our health system.
Ireland’s population is growing rapidly, and our demographic profile is shifting at pace.
We have an ageing population and a rising number of people living with disability and chronic disease such as cancer and cardiovascular disease; antimicrobial resistance and climate change pose an ever-growing threat; and health inequity persists.
Women’s health, genomics and rare disease research remain underdeveloped, and people’s mental health is under assault by the attention economy.
Action now
Addressing the health challenges of tomorrow requires action now. To plan effectively, reliable evidence and data are essential. That is why the HRB matters now more than ever.
Our leadership role in health research and evidence empowers decision-making in health and social care to tackle future challenges.
Building on our success
To achieve this, the HRB will build on its strengths. This means not simply doing the same things again. It means remaining agile and responsive to public need and the needs of policymakers. Part of this involves maximising access to clinical trials and real-world evidence (RWE) studies across all settings in trusted, regulated and safe environments in collaboration with other stakeholders.
We will also rise to the challenge of scaling up Ireland’s research workforce, collaborating with partners to create a health system where practitioners can pursue successful research careers.
Our work joining the dots to create a more integrated evidence ecosystem and expanding our services in evidence synthesis and knowledge brokering, will continue with renewed vigour.
We will work with international partners to advance the capacity to produce real-time data and evidence and establish an evidence hub focused on preparedness for emerging health threats.
We will expand national health information systems and enhance the use of data through geomapping of service provision, supporting Ireland’s compliance with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and participation in the Health Data Access Body (HDAB).
All of this work will be underpinned by a strong ethical governance framework, aligned with national and European Union (EU) standards to ensure that people’s data rights are appropriately safeguarded.
People-centred approach
From our earliest days, the HRB understood that progress in health and social care research and policy is best achieved through collaboration, placing people at the centre of everything we do.
The HRB pioneered public and patient involvement (PPI), making it a foundation stone of how research is conducted in Ireland. We will continue to embed a culture where research is conducted with people, not simply about them.
When the HRB was founded, William A Watts, our first chairman, said that in the long term our health system would reflect the research base underpinning it. Forty years later, that statement remains true.
As we look to the next 40 years, we commit to focusing on research that delivers impact for everyone, empowering decision-making grounded in trusted evidence in a spirit of collaboration across the island of Ireland, the EU and beyond. We look forward to shaping and empowering Ireland’s inclusive health and social care research future.