Funding of €194,821 has been allocated to Letterkenny Institute of Technology to support contract researchers and research students who had their work disrupted due to Covid-19.
€47 million has been announced for third level institutions nationwide in light of the pandemic.
Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “Covid has caused significant disruption to all our lives. Now more than ever, we need research, innovation and ingenuity.
“The funding will help to protect both people and projects at a critical moment for Ireland’s national research system as we look towards the next national research and innovation strategy
“COVID-19 has caused major disruption to Irish higher education institutions. Basic and applied research, alongside teaching & learning, and engagement, have all been impacted. Some research activities have been paused over recent months, where laboratories have been closed, or access to archives, engagement with focus groups, etc, have been curtailed.”
The institutions are set to prioritise their funding for researchers and research students in greatest need, for example, those researchers who are coming to the end of their contracts before the end of 2020.
They will also continue to pursue all other avenues for project completion, for example in the form of budget re-allocations. They will now engage with relevant funders to agree the extension of appropriate activities.
