Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the announcement of a €3 million investment in mental health research, highlighting the strong role of the University of Galway in advancing evidence-based mental health policy and services.

The funding was announced today by Mary Butler Minister for Mental Health, and includes support for a new all-island Collaborative Research Network as well as 10 individual research projects addressing key mental health challenges.

A central element of the investment is a €1 million allocation to establish a new all-island Mental Health Collaborative Research Network, which will be led by Maynooth University in partnership with the University of Galway and the National Suicide Research Foundation at University College Cork. The network will embed lived experience in mental health research, build research capacity and career pathways, and strengthen collaboration across the island.

A further €2 million has been allocated by the Health Research Board to fund 10 applied research projects focused on areas such as youth mental health, adult ADHD, women’s mental health and loneliness among older people. One of the funded projects will be led by Professor Margaret Barry of the University of Galway and will examine community-based mental health promotion initiatives for priority population groups.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Canney said this is a very significant investment in mental health research and it is particularly positive to see the University of Galway playing a leading role in both the new all-island research network and in project-level funding.

He said that high-quality research is essential to improving how mental health services are designed and delivered, and that this funding will help ensure policy decisions are grounded in evidence, lived experience and innovation.