Health Research Board Explained

The Health Research Board (HRB) is a government agency responsible for funding, co-ordination, and oversight of medical research in Ireland.

History

In 1986, the Government of Ireland amalgamated the Medical Research Council of Ireland and the Medico-Social Research Board to establish the HRB under the Health (Corporate Bodies) Act 1961 and statutory instrument 279 of 1986.^[1] The HRB's original headquarters was at 73 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. In July 2014, the board relocated to Grattan House, 67-72 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

Chairs of the HRB

• Dr WA Watts 1987 - 1989
• Professor MX FitzGerald 1990 - 1997
• Professor MB Murphy 1997 - 2002
• Professor Hugh R. Brady 2002 - 2003
• Professor D Fitzgerald 2003 - 2007
• Mr Reg Shaw 2007 - 2012
• Dr Declan Bedford 2012 - 2017^[2]
• Professor Jane Grimson 2020 -

Chief Executives of the HRB

• Lt Comdr EJ Furness and Mr J O'Gorman 1987 - 1988 (jointly, in caretaker roles)
• Dr JV O'Gorman 1988 - 1998
• Dr R Barrington 1998 - 2007
• Dr Hamish Sinclair 2007 - 2008 (acting)
• Mr Enda Connolly 2008 - 2014
• Dr Graham Love 2014 - 2017^[3]
• Dr Darrin Morrissey 2018 - 2020
• Dr Mairéad O'Driscoll 2020 - present^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: S.I. No. 279/1986 - The Health Research Board (Establishment) Order, 1986.. irishstatutebook.ie. 3 December 2016.
2. Web site: Statement from Dr Declan Bedford to Joint Oireachtas Committee . https://web.archive.org/web/20220617182201/https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/committee/dail/33/joint_committee_on_transport_and_communications/submissions/2022/2022-05-25_opening-statement-dr-declan-bedford-chair-designate-medical-bureau-of-road-safety_en.pdf . 17 Jun 2022 . 21 November 2024 . data.oireachtas.ie/.
3. Web site: 2017-11-17 . HRB begins its search for new CEO . 2024-11-21 . web.archive.org.
4. Web site: 2024-10-01 . 29 Irish projects awarded €12.9m for healthcare research . 2024-11-21 . web.archive.org.