Making a Real Difference to People’s Lives
The Health Research Board funds research and delivers evidence to advance health and social care with the aim of making a real difference to people’s lives.
They fund research projects and programmes in universities and hospitals to improve health and enhance patient care. They collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders to create a strong, supportive environment for health research in Ireland; building health research career paths and providing infrastructure to ensure innovative practices are developed and put into practice here in Ireland.
Highest Standards of Governance, Quality and Ethics
Through the establishment of the secretariat for the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee in the HRB and National Office for Research Ethics Committees, the HRB works to ensure that funding for health research is delivered to meet the highest standards of governance, quality and ethics
Independent, Credible Evidence
Their Evidence Centre generates independent, credible evidence to inform decisions of policymakers, practitioners and the public across a range of health and social care topics.
And in addition to managing four national health information systems in the areas of disability, drugs and alcohol and inpatient psychiatric care, the HRB is at the forefront of promoting and enabling the use of data to shape health policy, enhance healthcare delivery and drive broader research and innovation initiatives.
Their works spans many areas, all of which put people and their health at the centre of what they do.
The HRB IRROG Grant
In 2022, the HRB awarded a grant of €2,374,676 over a five year period to establish a dedicated national radiation oncology trials cluster. This grant award lead to the formation of IRROG (the Irish Radiation Research Oncology Group).
IRROG unites all research active radiotherapy departments in Ireland. This national network ensures that high-quality clinical trials in radiotherapy are accessible to patients across Ireland.
Research-active hospitals are proven to deliver better outcomes for patients. IRROG’s establishment through this HRB grant enables Ireland’s radiotherapy community to build the critical mass of expertise needed to deliver consistent, safe, and innovative clinical trials nationwide.
A complex, technology-driven treatment
Radiotherapy is a complex, technology-driven treatment that depends on multidisciplinary teamwork, including physicists, doctors, radiation therapists, nurses, and allied health professionals. IRROG unites these experts with specialists in clinical research, trial coordination, data management, and research methodology to ensure that radiotherapy trials of the highest international standard are available to all Irish patients.
IRROG’s activities
- Conducting national and international radiotherapy clinical trials.
- Evaluating new technologies and novel drug–radiotherapy combinations.
- Promoting quality assurance, education, and training.
- Collaborating with national bodies and patient and public involvement groups to ensure research remains relevant and impactful for Irish patients.
IRROG represents a vital piece of Ireland’s cancer research landscape, working alongside the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), National Cancer Clinical Trials Network (NCCTN), Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs), and patient public partnerships to build a stronger, more connected future for cancer research and care in Ireland.