Ireland aiming to attract US professionals
The Government has approved the initiation of a talent acquisition programme to attract international researchers to Ireland in response to US policy changes which have “increased mobility among high-performing scientists”.
The Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, in conjunction with Research Ireland, is tasked with delivering the programme. The programme will focus on research projects across energy security, healthcare, life sciences, digital technologies and AI, food security, cyber security, semiconductors, and quantum technologies.
Funding cuts and clampdowns on immigration have created instability in the US scientific community, presenting an opportunity for Ireland to position itself as an attractive place for scientists to conduct research. Since January 2025, ‘Department’ of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formerly led by Elon Musk, has implemented cuts on health research by universities and government. The New York Times reports that DOGE banned researchers from the National Institute of Health (NIH) from publishing their scientific results in academic journals.
In March 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents began arresting student protestors expressing pro-Palestinian views and detaining them in remote migrant facilities. The clampdown expanded in April 2025 as the Government began to terminate thousands of students’ legal residency at institutions in the US. More than 1,000 international students or recent graduates have had their visas revoked or legal statuses change. Some researchers abroad have refused to return to the US, creating further instability in US colleges.
Ireland aims to take advantage of the opportunity presented to Ireland by this uncertainty in the US through the programme. The Department asserts: “Ireland’s highly responsive skills system, spanning Higher and Further Education will be central to the response. The department is already mobilising supports for reskilling and upskilling through Springboard+, micro-credentials, and apprenticeships.”
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD says: “This announcement continues to advance the priority of building Ireland’s knowledge-driven economy, which is strongly underpinned by a renewed commitment in the Programme for Government to enhance Ireland’s research and innovation system.
“In a time of uncertainty for the scientific community, Ireland remains firmly committed to investing in scientific excellence and upholding the core values of academic integrity and independence.
“We are committed to supporting Irish researchers at home and also to welcoming exceptional global talent who might now be questioning where they’ll be able to further their work.”
