Irish Health Minister announces €3m investment in mental health research

Ireland’s Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD, has announced a €3m 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 €1m 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 the University College Cork.

The network will embed lived experience in mental health research through co-production of studies between academics and public involvement, while also building capacity and career opportunities for researchers in the area of mental health.

It will also co-ordinate mental health research by identifying research gaps and fostering partnerships between academic institutions in Ireland and internationally.

A further €2m 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 Butler, which has tripled since 2022, underscoring the Minister’s commitment to evidence-based policy and innovation in mental health.

She said: “This significant investment marks a major step forward in how we understand and respond to mental health needs in Ireland.

This funding demonstrates the whole of government response around mental health and our continued spearheading of scientific excellence to inform policy interventions across government

“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 co-ordinated, build research capacity, embed lived experience within research projects, and ensure research findings are translated into real-world impact.

“And 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, added: “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 bring 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.

The new all-island Collaborative Research Network will transform how research is co-ordinated, build research capacity, embed lived experience within research projects, and ensure research findings are translated into real-world impact

“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.”

And the Health Research Board’s chief executive, 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 €1m 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 €2m 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.

Research projects funded by the HRB under this call are:

• 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 – Dr Amanda Fitzgerald (University College Dublin) 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 Michael Walsh (Central Remedial Clinic)
• Improving Outcomes for Children in Care – Prof David Hevey (Trinity College Dublin) and 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) 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 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 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) and Prof John Lyne (Newcastle Hospital Greystones)