Advancing Humanities and Social Sciences Research in Ireland

5.1.1 SOURCES OF HERD
There are significant changes in the composition of total HERD by source of funds
from 1998 onwards (see Table 2). Investment in higher-education R&D by indirect
government sources (i.e. the allocation to R&D made by universities from the HEA
block grant) increased by approximately 100m. Despite this significant increase
indirect government’s actual percentage share of total HERD remained constant at
42 per cent due to substantial increases in other sources of funding, notably direct
government funding sources.
By 2004 direct government funding accounted for 41 per cent of total HERD an
approximate overall increase of 140m in expenditure from 1998 levels.
Meanwhile, the percentage share of total HERD supplied by EU funding, foreign,
Irish business and ‘other and own’ sources declined substantially.
Table 2—Source of total HERD funds for all fields of science expressed as a percentage share of total
HERD, 1998–2004 (€m constant 2004 prices)
Source of Funding 1998
%
2000
%
2002
%
2004
%
Direct government 24 24 40 41
EU 16 12 7 6
Foreign sources 3 4 2 2
Irish business 7 5 4 3
Other & own 8 13 9 6
Indirect government 42 42 38 42
Total 100 100 100 100
Total HERD (€m) 253.6 276.3 340.9 491.7
Source: Forfás, 2000, 2003, 2004a, 2004b, 2005a.
A similar pattern is reflected in the breakdown of the sources of funding for HSS
HERD (see Table 3 and Chart 2). Indirect government sources of funding are
historically the largest funding source for HSS HERD and while indirect government
expenditure on HSS R&D increased by over 50 per cent (from 53m to 84m), its
percentage share of total HSS HERD remained relatively constant at an average of
nineteen per cent.
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