In the 1940s, the USA began recruiting the best scientists they could attract from Europe. Oppenheimer’s Trinity test in New Mexico was undeniable proof of science’s essential role in competitiveness and defence. Since the second World War, the USA has viewed science as an existential priority. They understood that their position was predicated on being at the frontier of key emerging technologies – a view which has been vindicated by the space race, the internet, mRNA vaccines and artificial intelligence.
The results are clear. By 1920, Germany had accrued more Nobel Prizes than any other country. But since 1945, the USA has won more Nobel Prizes in the sciences (physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine), than any other country, by an enormous margin. The USA is credited with 310 Nobel laureates in science, with the UK in second place at 89 and Germany at 71. Of those who did their work in the USA, over a third were scientists who migrated to America. Competitive science requires competitive individuals who know no borders, and raise the standard of research in their environment.
Minister for Higher Education and Research James Lawless recently outlined a bold vision to attract top US-based academics to Ireland through our new national funding agency, Research Ireland. This ambition signals a real desire for Ireland to become an international leader in science and innovation. But excellent science requires two things: talent and money.
Europe has no choice but to view research and innovation as fundamental to our competitiveness and security
Research is expensive, and the US government has invested nearly $200 billion a year into research and development, including about $50 billion to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the world’s leading funder of all biomedical research. The USA has also reaped the economic benefits. A recent analysis shows those grants supported 407,782 jobs and $95 billion in new economic activity in 2024. That translates to a return on investment of $2.56 for every $1 in grant funding.
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Now the world is shifting. The Trump administration is engaged in a co-ordinated attack on science; by drastically cutting government research support, directly attacking universities, marginalising international scientists and students, and dismissing scientific facts. The long-term outcomes are unclear, but many US-based academics are looking for alternatives. In a recent poll by Nature, more than 1,200 scientists – three quarters of all respondents – said they were considering leaving the US, with most looking to Europe or Canada.
The scientific world is also shifting, and we may soon be approaching an Oppenheimer moment in artificial intelligence at a time where European security is under threat from Russia. Europe has no choice but to view research and innovation as fundamental to our competitiveness and security.
Ireland has plenty to offer the scientific world. Our assets include a liberal university environment, a large number of professional researchers and crucially a constant stream of bright, adaptable and hard-working research students. Ireland also has a strong scientific diaspora, of which many individuals are luminaries of their fields. However, Ireland did not manage to benefit from the wave of academics who left the UK after Brexit. And that’s at least partly connected to what’s missing: a predictable supply of competitive, indigenous research funding.
Ireland cannot compete with the USA – but Europe can, and Ireland has the opportunity to lead a new generation of European research by acting quickly
Recruitment of international scientists needs to be coupled with a revitalisation of our domestic research base and university infrastructure. Research funding, previously through Science Foundation Ireland, led to Ireland’s scientific renaissance of the late 1990s and early 2000s. But we never quite emerged as a European leader due to the financial crisis of 2008. In 2023, an open letter by 2,000 members of the academic community noted that “Ireland is at real risk of being overtaken by other EU member states as they invest more in their research and innovation systems”. This is an understatement. Eurostat data shows that Ireland’s research expenditure as a proportion of GDP lags well behind Italy, Spain and Poland. We spend under 1.2 per cent of GDP on research, substantially behind the EU average of 2.3 per cent.
A similar picture is seen with the more accurate metric of research expenditure per inhabitant, where Ireland contributes under €200 per person per year, well below the European average of €275 per person, and just behind Italy at €230. In contrast, Denmark spends €555 per person per year, on par with the USA.
The solution is obvious. While visiting Dublin in March 2025, the president of the EU’s premier funding agency the European Research Council (ERC), Maria Leptin, recommended to the Taoiseach that the Government should triple the budget of Research Ireland to a total of €1 billion per year. Such an investment would rapidly transform Ireland into a European leader in science and research, and create a world-leading research environment that would benefit our own graduates and attract international scientists. This would force us to improve the living standards and support for PhD students, particularly in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Ireland cannot compete with the USA – but Europe can, and Ireland has the opportunity to lead a new generation of European research by acting quickly. This would attract further European investment, for example the ERC has created a €500 million package for recruiting top international researchers to EU member states.
[ ‘Don’t come to Ireland’: PhD researchers offer advice to US colleaguesOpens in new window ]
What are we missing out on by not increasing our research funding to internationally competitive standards? Apart from boosting the quality of our universities, we are losing out on economic returns such as the vibrant biotechnology and applied science clusters that naturally build up around centres of research excellence such as Basle, Zurich, Vienna, Cambridge, and Copenhagen. Domestically, we should aspire to the best outcomes seen in smaller European countries. Fintan O’Toole recently observed that Denmark is a global hub for clinical research and Ireland isn’t. With proper investment in science, the halo effect on industry could help Ireland transition from a manufacturer of other people’s drugs to a hub of innovation where new drugs and treatments can be invented, tested and owned.
Science and research represent a public good that allows us to nurture the potential of our young people. When I lecture at Trinity I am often asked by eager students about how to plan for a research career. They are usually disappointed when I say they should plan to move abroad. We have the opportunity and means to change that.
Tomás Ryan is professor in Neuroscience at the school of Biochemistry & Immunology at Trinity College Dublin
