The Irish Research eLibrary (IReL) has been designated as the new host of the National Open Research Forum (NORF). The transition follows a formal mandate from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), reflecting IReL’s role in providing open scholarship infrastructure and services across Ireland’s higher education and research system.
NORF leads the implementation of Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research 2022–2030 within the framework of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. Since 2020, NORF has been housed under the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) at the Royal Irish Academy, where it strengthened national coordination and advanced Ireland’s open research agenda.
The governance transfer is intended to support a coherent and sustainable open research ecosystem, ensuring continued benefits for researchers, institutions, and the public.
Susan Reilly, Director of IReL, emphasized that the organization is committed to advancing NORF’s work. She acknowledged the leadership provided by DRI and indicated that IReL aims to build on this foundation to strengthen national alignment and support the research community.
IReL will collaborate with DRI to complete the transition of responsibilities, with full operational capacity expected by the end of 2026.
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