Member Support
We support a vibrant, ambitious and informed community of health research charities. Our members invested more than €15 million in health research in 2019 (for context, that is one third of the annual HRB budget) and every extended family in Ireland is connected to at least one of these organisations. Beyond financial investment, they ensure the relevance of research to the communities they represent, communicate its findings and insist that it has impact for people.
Together these charities provide a beautiful example of what research means to people and families and how the impact of research reaches every village in Ireland. Perhaps our most important role is to bring them together, to share experiences, discuss challenges and learn from each other.
HRCI have developed a guide for our members – it’s designed with new members in mind but should be useful for everyone. It describes our strategic aims, the work we do, our organisational structure, Board of Directors and staff. It also explains the acronyms you may come across as a HRCI member.
In addition to providing opportunities for members to network, we offer support through:
- Hosting talks to inform members on key topics
- Offering workshops and seminars on topics of relevance to members
- Hosting a Shared Learning Group on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
- Providing updates on relevant news
- Providing templates and guides to support the members in their activities
Intellectual Property
Each one of our member organisations engages in research with the purpose of achieving health benefits for patients and the public. With the end goal in sight, funding research is only the start of this process.
Innovative technologies invariably need large amounts of funding in order to be brought to market. This requires them to be commercialised – a process which usually starts with the generation of intellectual property which may be then bought or licensed. We work with funders and technology transfer offices to ensure that what is important to our members is reflected in contracts and agreements relating to intellectual property and knowledge transfer.
The recommendations linked to below provide guidance on the appropriate way to protect, manage and exploit intellectual property and to publicise research findings, generated in the course of a charity-funded research project.
Please note: The recommendations are intended as a guide only and are not a substitute for legal advice. Please note that HRCI cannot take responsibility for any actions taken in reference to this document.
HRCI Recommendations on Intellectual Property & Knowledge Transfer For Charity-Funded Research
See our membership section for more info.
