Higher Education Research and Knowledge Exchange
A key aim of the department is to develop and sustain a Higher Education Research sector that holds a strong position within the UK and beyond and makes a major contribution to economic and social well-being.
Higher Education Research and Knowledge Exchange
The Department is responsible for the formulation, development, and oversight of the implementation of Higher Education Knowledge Exchange policy and funding in accordance with Northern Ireland’s (NI) needs.
The Department provides core funding for these two fundamental aspects of our universities’ work, manages the NI element of one international research programme, and oversees promotion of NI participation in Horizon Europe.
Research funding
The Department provides Research funding for Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through a range of mechanisms. The majority of year on year (recurrent) research funding is distributed by reference to quality as assessed by performance in the most recent research assessment exercise, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. This is known as Quality-related Research (QR) funding. QR funding is paid to HEIs as part of the annual block grant, which includes funds for learning and teaching and widening participation and, as such, can be distributed by the recipient university according to its own strategic priorities.
QR funding also enables the universities to apply for competitive funding to cover the direct costs of specific research projects from funders such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), industry, charities, government departments and the European Union.
There are two main kinds of higher education research funding in Northern Ireland, known as the Dual Support System:
- funding provided by the Department to promote a dynamic and sustainable research base within universities
- funding made available to all UK universities on a competitive basis for specific projects by UKRI research councils and other funders.
The Department provides Capital funding for Research through the Higher Education Research Capital (HERC) fund.
Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) scheme
The Department also has responsibility for the DfE Postgraduate Researcher scheme. For further information on the Department`s studentships please visit the Postgraduate Researcher Scheme webpage on the nidirect website.
Further information for businesses on the benefits of employing postgraduate students is also available on the NI Business Info website.
Higher Education Quality-related Research (QR) funding
QR funding is used to provide strategic institutional funding to Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to support research activities . The formula for QR funding is primarily derived from the UK national research assessment exercise known as the Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Higher Education Quality-related Research (QR) funding
QR funding is the research element of the annual block grant issued to NI HEIs. It is used to support research infrastructure for example staff salaries, premises, libraries, and to enable HEIs to compete effectively for externally provided research funding (UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Research Councils, Charities, Industry etc). QR funding is non-directive and can be distributed by the recipient HEI according to its own strategic research priorities.
Total QR funding (£) in Northern Ireland, 2018/19 to 2024/25
| Academic Year | Queens University Belfast | Ulster University | Stranmillis University College | Total |
| 24/25 | 36,943,673 | 16,681,784 | 35,314 | 53,660,771 |
| 23/24 | 40,564,854 | 18,725,537 | 28,386 | 59,318,777 |
| 22/23 | 31,818,289 | 14,782,251 | 28,239 | 46,628,779 |
| 21/22 | 32,387,910 | 14,182,560 | 58,301 | 46,628,771 |
| 20/21 | 32,359,482 | 14,209,329 | 59,961 | 46,628,772 |
| 19/20 | 32,522,581 | 14,044,548 | 61,643 | 46,583,772 |
| 18/19 | 32,608,121 | 13,958,360 | 62,288 | 46,628,769 |
*Academic Years (A/Y) run from August to July
24/25 Total includes £7,032,000 of non-recurrent QR
23/24 Total includes £12,690,000 of non-recurrent QR
QR funding formula
Consists of four elements:
- Mainstream
- Premium
- Research Degree Programme Supervision
- Charities support
Mainstream
Provided in support of Units of Assessment (UoAs) according to the volume and quality of research that has been assessed as meeting or exceeding the 3* quality level in REF 2021 and weighted by the relative cost of research in each UOA. The volume measure for research is the FTE number of research-active academic staff submitted to REF 2021.
Table 1 - Mainstream funding weightings
| REF 2021 Quality rating | Mainstream funding weighting |
| 4* (Quality that is world-leading) | 4 |
| 3* (Quality that is internationally excellent) | 1 |
| 2* (Quality that is recognised internationally) | 0 |
| 1* (Quality that is recognised nationally) | 0 |
| Unclassified (Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work or is ineligible) | 0 |
Table 2 - UoA/ subject cost weightings
| Cost band | Cost weighting |
| A (High cost laboratory and clinical subjects) | 1.6 |
| B (Intermediate cost subjects) | 1.3 |
| P (UoA 4 - Psychology, Psychiatry & Neuroscience) | 1.42 |
| C (Others) | 1.0 |
Premium
Provided as fixed funding allocations (2:1 ratio) to STEM related UoAs (£318,300) and UoAs deemed to be in areas of economic relevance (£159,000). The application of the flat rate premium applies across the full breadth of the research quality.
Research Degree Programme (RDP) Supervision
Provided to HEIs as a standard contribution to the costs of supervising Home research students. It is distributed on the basis of quality of UOA submission and by the number of eligible cost‑weighted home full-time Post graduate Researchers (PGRs)
Table 3 - RDP funding weightings
| REF 2021 Quality rating | RDP Funding weighting |
| 4* (Quality that is world-leading) | 1 |
| 3* (Quality that is internationally excellent) | 1 |
| 2* (Quality that is recognised internationally) | 1 |
| 1* (Quality that is recognised nationally) | 0 |
| Unclassified (Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work or is ineligible) | 0 |
Charities support
Provided to help meet the full economic cost (FEC) of externally secured charities research income. It is distributed based on the 4 year average of charity research income from most recent HESA Finance record
Detailed tables
Higher Education Research Excellence Framework (REF)
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions (HEIs).The current exercise is REF 2029 which builds on the previous exercise (REF 2021).
The exercise is managed by the REF team based at Research England and overseen by a Steering Group comprised of representatives of the four UK Higher Education Funding bodies, including the Department for the Economy, NI.
The purposes of the REF are to:
- provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment
- provide benchmarking information and establish reputational yardsticks, for use within the HE sector and for public information
- inform the selective allocation of funding for research.
Further information is available on the REF website
Higher education knowledge exchange
Knowledge exchange activities are the processes by which knowledge, expertise and skilled people transfer between the research base and its user communities to contribute to economic competitiveness, effectiveness of public services and policy, and quality of life. The Northern Ireland universities, as the largest practitioners of research in the country, have a particularly important contribution to make to the economy in this respect.
Northern Ireland Higher Education Innovation Fund (NI HEIF)
The Department's primary funding tool for promoting knowledge exchange activity is the NI HEIF. The objective of NI HEIF is to encourage the higher education sector to increase their capability to respond to the needs of business (including companies of all sizes) and the wider community, with a clear focus on the promotion of wealth creation. The long term aim of this funding is to improve Northern Ireland’s innovation performance as a key element in raising productivity and delivering economic growth.
This core funding is currently approximately £4m per annum.
For further information contact, please contact the Department at research.branch@economy-ni.gov.uk.
Higher and Further Education Collaboration Fund – Connected
The overall aim of the programme is to enable the higher education (HE) and further education (FE) sectors to identify and meet, in a coordinated and holistic fashion, the Knowledge Exchange needs of businesses in particular, and also of the wider community.
This programme is being delivered by Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University, in partnership with the six colleges of further education. Under Connected, the universities and the six further education colleges come together to provide a highly effective “one-stop-shop" for companies wishing to access the technology and knowledge capital within the local research base, taking them right through the whole process from problem definition through to solution identification and implementation.
For further information, please visit the Connected website or For further information contact, please contact the Department at research.branch@economy-ni.gov.uk.
Higher education international research
The Department is currently providing funding for Northern Ireland universities to participate in the US-Ireland Research and Development (R&D) Partnership.
US - Ireland R&D Partnership
The US-Ireland R&D Partnership has its origins in the US-Ireland Business Summit that took place in Washington, DC in 2002.
The US-Ireland R&D Partnership is a tri-jurisdictional alliance which was officially launched in 2006. Its aim is to promote collaborative innovative research projects which create value above and beyond individual efforts.
Through the partnership, the governments of the United States of America, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland support collaborative research with the potential to generate valuable discoveries and innovations which are transferable to the marketplace or will lead to enhancements in health promotions, disease prevention and healthcare.
The “US-Ireland R&D Partnership” helps link scientists and engineers in partnerships across academia to address crucial research questions and to expand educational and research career opportunities in science and engineering.
The government departments and agencies across the three jurisdictions supporting this initiative are:
- Northern Ireland – Department for the Economy (DfE)
- Health and Social Care (HSC) R&D Division of the Public Health Agency
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
Republic of Ireland
- Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland
- Health Research Board
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine
United States of America
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
Thematic areas
The following thematic areas have been prioritised as important research challenges for the health and prosperity of the citizens of the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland:
- sensors and sensor networks
- nanoscale science and engineering
- telecommunications
- energy and sustainability
- cybersecurity
- health
- agriculture.
How the partnership operates
The partnership is guided by a joint steering group composed of senior representatives from government and academia across the three jurisdictions. Secretariat for the partnership is provided by US-Ireland R&D Partnership and a list of successful US-Ireland projects can be found on its website.
Under the US-Ireland R&D process, the partnership facilitates university researchers to submit joint research proposals in the identified priority areas. As part of this funding process, the governments (and/or relevant government research agencies within the partnership) contribute to the costs of researchers based in their jurisdictions. All proposals submitted under the auspices of the partnership must have significant research involvement from researchers in all three jurisdictions. Excellent science is considered fundamental and this is ensured by utilising the competitive peer review systems of the NSF and the NIH, which are gold standards for quality in scientific peer review.
In Northern Ireland:
- DfE supports projects in the eligible areas of sensors and sensor networks, nanoscale science and engineering, telecommunications, energy/sustainability and cybersecurity which fall under the jurisdiction of the NSF in the US
- the Health and Social care (HSC) R&D Division of the Public Health Agency supports health-related projects which fall under the jurisdiction of the NIH in the US
- DAERA supports agriculture related projects which fall under the jurisdiction of the NIFA in the US.
For further details of pre-approval and submission procedures, please see the guidelines on the website of the relevant funding agency.
US Ireland R&D Partnership - Centre to Centre Agreement
Under the associated US-Ireland R&D Partnership Centre to Centre agreement, the NSF and its partner organisations Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and DfE have developed a mechanism to link SFI-funded Research centres, NSF-funded engineering research centres (ERCs) and researchers in academic research centres in Northern Ireland.
This opportunity, building upon previous individual investigator driven collaborations between US researchers and colleagues in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, seeks to build centre-based research collaborations.
As Northern Ireland does not have large scale research centres like the NSF and SFI Research Centres, the Department will assess Northern Ireland applications on a case by case basis. Depending on the volume of applications received, the Department may have to prioritise which applications can be supported based on the greatest potential benefits to the NI economy, and may restrict the number of awards to one centre to centre award at a time.
How to apply
Downloadable forms and FAQs are available at:
Further information
In the first instance, prospective NI applicants should contact the respective research office at Queen’s University Belfast or Ulster University.
Department for the Economy
Higher Education Research and Knowledge Exchange branch
Email: usireland@economy-ni.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)28 90257637
Horizon Europe
Background information on the Horizon Europe programme.
Contents
- What is Horizon Europe?
- UK association to Horizon Europe
- Framework Programme 10 (FP10)
- Is there help available for potential Horizon Europe applicants?
- Useful links
What is Horizon Europe?
Horizon Europe is the largest collaborative research and innovation (R&I) programme in the world with €95.5bn funding available over the programme from 2021-2027. It provides funding support to researchers and innovators ranging from individuals to large scale businesses.
As part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and EU, it was decided in December 2020 that the UK would associate to the Horizon Europe Programme, subject to formalisation of the association agreement and adoption of the protocols agreed under the EU-UK TCA. Association gives UK and Northern Ireland (NI) scientists, researchers and businesses access to funding under the programme on equivalent terms as organisations in EU countries.
Horizon Europe retains the same focus on excellent research of its predecessor, Horizon 2020. Funding calls are based on three main areas:
- excellent science
- global challenges and European industrial competitiveness
- Innovative Europe
The Horizon Europe Work Programme for the period 2025 outlines the objectives and specific topic areas that will receive a total of €7.3bn in funding and NI scientists, researchers and businesses are strongly encouraged to form collaborative partnerships with international counterparts and to bid into Horizon Europe.
UK association to Horizon Europe
On 4 December 2023, the UK and EU signed the bespoke new agreement at an EU-UK Specialised Committee for participation in Union Programmes (SCPUP) finalising the UKs association to Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes.
A UK-EU agreement explainer - gov.uk website for UK Horizon Europe applicants and grant holders has been published by the UK government providing further detail on eligibility, what association status means, work programme detail and what is included.
The European Commission has also published a comprehensive Q&A on UK association to Horizon Europe
1st January 2025 marked the one-year anniversary of the UKs association to the Horizon Europe programme and the UK government announced a raft of plans to drive up participation in Horizon Europe by researchers, innovators and businesses across the UK
Further details on Horizon Europe are available on the UK government and UKRI websites:
The most recent Northern Ireland (NI) Performance statistics (July 2025) indicate that researchers, scientists and businesses in Northern Ireland have had 91 projects mainlisted, securing total funding of €37.1 million.
Framework Programme 10 (FP10)
On 16th July 2025, the European Commission unveiled its proposal for Framework Programme 10 (FP10). This programme, once again named Horizon Europe, is set to run from 2028 to 2034. It aims to build upon the achievements and successes of the current research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, which spans from 2021 to 2027.
For more details, you can visit the official announcement Horizon Europe 2028-2034.
Is there help available for potential Horizon Europe applicants?
Northern Ireland Contact Point (NICP) Network
The NICP network is a resource available to all potential applicants from Northern Ireland who are interested in engaging with Horizon Europe. Northern Ireland-based Contact Points (NICPs) can provide support in the form of:
- organising relevant events/workshops
- assistance with identifying areas of relevance within the competitive Horizon Europe calls
- help in identifying collaborative partners for applications
- engaging with National Contact Points
- practical advice and support with the process itself.
Further information and key points, events and news for the NI research community is available on the Horizon Europe NI website and through the NI Contact Points
Useful links
- Horizon Europe NI
- Horizon Europe | European Commission (europa.eu) Funding and Tenders Portal
- European Commission’s research and innovation portal
- IntertradeIreland’s website for Horizon Europe | InterTradeIreland
- Invest NI’s website for Horizon Europe | nibusinessinfo.co.uk Capital (HERC) fund.
Higher Education Research Capital (HERC) fund
The Higher Education Research Capital (HERC) fund is comprised of matched funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and the Department for the Economy (NI).
HERC aims to:
- contribute to the long-term financial sustainability of a Higher Education Institution's (HEI’s) research activities and the supporting physical infrastructure
- promote world-leading research capability in all disciplines with the capacity to respond to developing national/regional priorities
| Total NI HERC funding 2023-25 | 23/24 | 24/25 | 25/26 |
| Total | £3.9m | £4.4m | £4.6m |
UK higher education Research Culture and research-related concordats
The Department recognises that a positive Research Culture is key to sustaining and empowering our research community to carry out the excellent research and world class innovation necessary to drive our long-term economic growth and raise standards for our wider community.
Contents
- Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
- Concordat to Support Research Integrity
- Raising Concerns on Research Misconduct
- Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research
- Concordat for Environmental Sustainability in Research & Innovation Sector
- NI Research Professionals Network
We strongly endorse the need to cultivate and promote a supportive and inclusive research culture in the higher education institutions (HEIs) and other research performing organisations, and we are signatories to the:
- Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers;
- Concordat for Research Integrity;
- Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research
and a supporter of the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability in Research & Innovation Sector.
These Concordats outline key expectations and responsibilities of both funders of research and those working in research performing organisations.
Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
This Concordat aims to increase the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in the UK and to improve the quantity, quality and impact of research for the benefit of UK society and the economy. It sets out three clear principles of environment and culture, employment, and professional development. The principles are underpinned by obligations for the four key stakeholder groups: funders, research performing institutions, researchers, and managers of researchers, to realise the aims of the Concordat.
As a signatory of the Concordat the Department has publicly committed to implement the Concordat principles, and reviews its compliance and submits an annual report on how we, as a funding organisation, endeavour to support positive and inclusive research environments in the Northern Ireland HEIs. Any further actions identified are published as an action plan.
Concordat to Support Research Integrity
This Concordat is a national framework for good research conduct and its governance and asks universities, funders, research institutes and individual researchers to commit to ensuring their work is underpinned by the highest standards of integrity.
The concordat outlines five important commitments that those engaged in research can make to help ensure that the highest standards of rigour and integrity are maintained. It also makes a clear statement about the responsibilities of researchers, employers and funders in ensuring that research is conducted according to appropriate ethical, legal and professional frameworks, obligations and standards.
Raising Concerns on Research Misconduct
Research misconduct constitutes the behaviours and deliberate actions that fall short of the principles in commitment one of the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, occurring at any point in the research lifecycle. This includes behaviours associated with the ideation of research proposals, reviewing the work of others, and the reporting of research findings.
Research misconduct can take many forms, including:
• fabrication: making up results, other outputs (for example, artefacts) or aspects of research, including documentation and participant consent, and presenting and/or recording them as if they were real
• falsification: inappropriately manipulating and/or selecting research processes, materials, equipment, data, imagery and/or consents
• plagiarism: using other people’s ideas, intellectual property or work (written or otherwise) without acknowledgement or permission
• failure to meet: legal, ethical and professional obligations, for example:
- not observing legal, ethical and other requirements for human research participants, animal subjects, or human organs or tissue used in research, or for the protection of the environment
- breach of duty of care for humans involved in research whether deliberately, recklessly or by gross negligence, including failure to obtain appropriate informed consent
- misuse of personal data, including inappropriate disclosures of the identity of research participants and other breaches of confidentiality
- improper conduct in peer review of research proposals, results or manuscripts submitted for publication. This includes failure to disclose conflicts of interest; inadequate disclosure of clearly limited competence; misappropriation of the content of material; and breach of confidentiality or abuse of material provided in confidence for the purposes of peer review
• misrepresentation of:
- data, including suppression of relevant results/data or knowingly, recklessly or by gross negligence presenting a flawed interpretation of data
- involvement, including inappropriate claims to authorship or attribution of work and denial of authorship/attribution to persons who have made an appropriate contribution
- interests, including failure to declare competing interests of researchers or funders of a study
- qualifications, experience and/or credentials
- publication history, through undisclosed duplication of publication, including undisclosed duplicate submission of manuscripts for publication
Improper dealing with allegations of misconduct includes the inappropriate censoring of parties through the use of legal instruments, such as non-disclosure agreements. Honest errors and differences in, for example, research methodology or interpretations, do not constitute research misconduct
Concerns on research misconduct should be raised in the first place with the HEIs who also have policies and processes in place in order to foster a supportive whistleblowing environment.
If this would be difficult for any reason, concerns on research misconduct may be raised with the DfE Speak-Up Champion or Fraud and Raising Concerns Branch using the contact details below.
raising.concerns@economy-ni.gov.uk
Further details on how the Department will deal with your concern and more advice and guidance on raising a concern is available at
Raising Concerns guidance | Department for the Economy (economy-ni.gov.uk)
Further information
The senior role responsible for oversight of research integrity is the Director for Higher Education.
The first point of contact for research integrity matters is DfE HE Research Policy Branch: Research.Branch@economy-ni.gov.uk
Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research
This Concordat outlines the expectations and responsibilities of research funders, such as the Department, with respect to public engagement, to help embed public engagement in universities and research institutes. This will enhance the future of research and benefit the UK society and economy.
Concordat for Environmental Sustainability in Research & Innovation Sector
This Concordat aims to ensure research and innovation continues to play a critical part in understanding how our planet is changing, while helping the sector to act responsibly to protect and promote our environment.
The Department, as a supporter of the Concordat, agrees with the aims and many of the priority areas included in the Concordat.
The Department also actively participates in the Research Professionals Network in NI. This network, led by Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with Ulster University, complements existing UK and all-Ireland networks with the aim of bringing together research and innovation professionals in Northern Ireland to make connections and build networks, offering opportunities to enhance collaboration and partnership, and collectively discuss and address shared challenges for the research and innovation ecosystem in Northern Ireland.
DfE officials are represented on the Steering Board and the Advisory Group of the wider Research Culture NI initiative, of which the Network is a part, alongside key stakeholders from academia, government, research performing organisations, industry and other groups. The initiative aims to foster collaboration across the research and innovation community, building a cohesive, inclusive and vibrant research and innovation ecosystem in Northern Ireland.