Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College and University College Dublin have joined in a unique new collaborative research partnership.
It will improve the quality of scientific research conducted here and allow it to compete at an international level, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has stated.
Mr Ahern was speaking yesterday in Dublin at a reception in Iveagh House where the three university presidents signed the new research agreement.
It will formalise and expand research activities already under way and will push collaborative research "to a new level", Mr Ahern said at the launch, which was also attended by the North's employment and learning minister Maria Eagle MP.
It was a "classic example" of the type of cross-Border initiative the Government wanted to develop, Mr Ahern said.
"It will give us an edge to be able to compete internationally," he said.
As part of the new "strategic partnership" the three universities will combine research strengths in key areas including biomedical sciences.
The initial focus will be on experimental cancer medicine; infection and immunity; the arts and human sciences, including socioeconomic and Irish studies; and the physical sciences.
In addition, Trinity College and Queen's University will also collaborate on creative writing; high-performance computing; drug design; medicinal chemistry; cancer research; and cell biology.
UCD president Dr Hugh Brady said the accord was "about building on the well-established relationships and about growing them".
He called for a new funding body to support research on both sides of the Border.