We are an Irish research hub, dedicated to accelerating early-stage biomedical discoveries from universities into therapeutic development and commercial success.

Hosted by Trinity College Dublin, in partnership with RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and University College Dublin (UCD), the Hub is part of Research Ireland’s flagship Accelerating Research to Commercialisation (ARC) Programme. It is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021–2027.

The application deadline closed on March 31, 2026. 

The call aimed to catalyse the commercial exploitation of publicly funded research, translating strong scientific ideas into impactful outcomes such as new products, processes and services, and, where appropriate, patents, licences, assignments and spin-out companies.

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What We Are Looking For

We are seeking ambitious, commercially viable projects that advance the discovery and development of new therapeutics. Strong projects will demonstrate:

• A clear scientific rationale and evidence that the target or approach has therapeutic potential
• A well-defined disease indication and a clear unmet clinical need
• A credible therapeutic strategy or modality (e.g., small molecule, antibody, RNA, gene or cell therapy)
• Early data or a strong plan to generate the key evidence needed to de-risk the project
• Commercial potential, including a pathway to translation and impact
• A sound intellectual property position (or a clear plan to secure IP)

Ideas of Project Scope

• Small molecule
• Biological therapies (cell, nucleic acid, viral, antibody, vaccine, peptides, proteins etc.)
• Biomaterials with therapeutic application.

Project deliverables linked to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The KPIs of the Hub are patents, licences, assignments and spinout companies. Applicants must align with these project objectives.

Out of Scope

• The ARC Hub for Therapeutics is looking for mature assets - funding is not intended to support basic research and thus requires some level of prior development; at a minimum, TLR3 (experimental proof of concept).
• Projects focused on in vitro diagnostics, point-of-care devices and medical devices.

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Assessment Criteria & Review Process
All submissions will first be assessed by the Hub Leadership Team based on:

• Excellent Science
• Fit with the ARC Hub for Therapeutics fund
• Commercial potential
• A clear and realistic project plan

Shortlisted projects will also be reviewed by the Hub's Advisory Committee.

Phase II - Eligibility and Translational Research Project Application Process

The Expression of Interest (EOI) stage consists of a short application form and is intended to assess alignment with the scope and objectives of the call,  as well as confirm eligibility before applicants are invited to submit a full proposal. Applications are welcome from researchers based at institutions in Ireland. Only selected projects from the EOI stage will be invited to proceed to the full application stage.

If you would like to learn more about the Translational Research Project guidance, further details on the Hub's original call are available here: https://www.sfi.ie/funding/award-management/arc-hubs-award-management/. Please note that the timeline and details for the full application stage are not yet available.

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Webinars – Information Sessions
Join one of our webinars for a walkthrough of the call, eligibility, what to include in the EOI,and a live Q&A

Webinar Recording(s)

Phase II: Full Application

Timeline and Process to be released later