IFUT has formally written to Trinity College Dublin, Research Ireland, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, and senior officials in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, following confirmation that former SFI Research Centres, now operating under Research Ireland, including CRANN and AMBER in TCD, are being closed/scaled down after core funding was not renewed or extended.
Based on information available to us, IFUT believes that up to 150 research posts across affected centres, including other centres where funding concerns have arisen, may ultimately be placed at risk.
Research Staff Yet to Be Consulted
While consultation processes have commenced for certain staff categories, research staff have not, to date, been formally consulted.
Many researchers remain without clarity regarding their employment position, redeployment options or career progression. IFUT has raised this directly with university management.
Should redundancies arise at this scale, the Protection of Employment Acts 1977–2024 may be engaged. In addition, public service agreement provisions concerning the avoidance of compulsory redundancy and the use of redeployment mechanisms must be actively considered.
Closure Raises National Research Capacity Concerns
These centres were established through substantial public investment as strategic research platforms. Researchers were recruited internationally and encouraged to build careers within Ireland’s research system. The decision not to renew or extend centre funding, without clearly articulated transition arrangements, risks the loss of significant publicly funded expertise.
IFUT has sought urgent meetings with Research Ireland and the Department to address:
- The employment consequences of centre closures;
- The need for redeployment options to be fully explored;
- The disruption to early-career researchers;
- The long-term implications for Ireland’s research capacity.
The closure of major research centres at this scale is not simply an institutional matter. It raises serious national questions about how research staff are supported when strategic funding decisions change.
IFUT will continue to engage at institutional, funding agency and Government level to seek clarity, protect members’ interests, and ensure that all available mechanisms are explored to mitigate avoidable loss of research posts.
Members affected are encouraged to contact IFUT directly for advice and representation admin@ifut.ie