Our aims

All-Island Research Excellence Network

The All-Island Research Excellence Network (AIREN), led by University College Dublin (UCD), Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (Ulster), is a network dedicated to supporting research managers and administrators (RMAs) across the island of Ireland (IOI).

The initiative commenced in January 2021  and was funded through the InterTradeIreland (ITI) Synergy Programme from January 2021-March 2023.

AIREN has received additional funding starting December 2023 from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to grow and expand the membership and activities of the network.

Through AIREN, research managers and administrators (RMAs) across the island of Ireland will be proactive and develop new ways to support existing and build new cross-border collaborations.

Aim:
To connect RMAs across the island of Ireland (IOI) to address mutually relevant issues and challenges, and to capitalise on opportunities to complement existing research support professional networks.

Share Research Management Best Practice & Knowledge

To hold events for RMAs across the IOI (North/South and East/West) to identify and share best practice in research, impact and innovation/enterprise with each other.

AIREN has held many events for research managers and administrators in the  HEI and research community across the island of Ireland to identify and share best practice areas in Research, Impact and Innovation/Enterprise with each other. AIREN events to date have included the in-augural AIREN Conference on ‘Research for the Future’ held in Belfast in September 2022.  Learning from each other greatly enhances the professional service and support to the academic community, industry and other stakeholders for the benefit of cross-border collaboration. To support the sharing of research management best practice and knowledge AIREN aims to:

  • Hold 3 AIREN events each year
  • Hold bi-annual AIREN Conferences, with the next AIREN Conference scheduled for 2025 
  • Build relationships with other networks of research support professionals such as EARMA, ARMA (UK), CARDEA, Northern Ireland Research Professionals Network and other research support professional organisations.

Identify & Maximise Funding Opportunities to Support All-island Research

Raise awareness of research funding opportunities available to support cross-border and all-island collaboration, and together maximise the all-island funding awarded through competitive funding programmes. AIREN aims to:

  • Identify and keep informed of funding programmes available to support all-island collaboration
  • Identify and keep informed of funding programmes available to support career development for research support professionals
  • Share knowledge and insights on such funding programmes
  • Facilitate introductions to seed new research collaborations and partnerships
  • Engage with the relevant funding bodies on the same.

Develop the AIREN Network & Expand Membership

As AIREN continues to develop and expand the network aims to:

  • Facilitate interaction between AIREN members across the IOI.
  • Identify and apply to external funding programmes for funding to support AIREN.
  • Provide a forum for engagement with stakeholders (e.g. funding bodies), other relevant networks and all-island initiatives.
  • Provide a ‘voice’ for AIREN members to improve and strengthen recognition of the research support profession on the IOI.