Commissioning research capability, facilities and specialist analysis
Scientific research is bought in three distinguishable ways and the notices look similar. The first is a commissioned programme: the buyer defines a question and funds a team to investigate it. The second is access to capability -- beam time, vessel time, controlled environment facilities, computing -- where the buyer is purchasing time on an asset it cannot justify owning. The third is routine analytical service, where samples are sent and results returned against a method and a turnaround. Each has different qualification and different economics.
Quality assurance is the recurring requirement. Laboratories are expected to hold accreditation for the specific methods in scope, participate in proficiency testing, maintain traceable calibration and documented chain of custody for samples, and report uncertainty alongside results. For work that may be used in regulation or litigation, those requirements harden further and the reporting format itself becomes specified. An accreditation held for a neighbouring method does not satisfy a requirement written for this one.
Data and publication terms are as commercially significant as the price. Public and donor funders increasingly require research data to be deposited under open conditions with defined metadata, and require resulting publications to be openly accessible, which has cost and timing implications a bid should carry. Ethical approval, biosafety and containment levels, animal research licensing, export and transfer controls on materials, and access and benefit-sharing obligations for genetic resources are conditions precedent with their own lead times, and they are the usual reason an award does not translate into a start.
This section describes how this category is bought generally, across the public buyers that publish it. The figures elsewhere on this page are measured for this market alone.
Who buys scientific research in Ireland?
GlobalGov holds 114 scientific research records from 70 distinct buying organisations in Ireland. The most frequent publishers are Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) (4 records); Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (4 records); Health Service Executive (HSE) (4 records); Leading Healthcare Providers Skillnet (4 records); Marine Institute_1141 (4 records); Tourism Ireland CLG (3 records). Between them the 6 largest account for 20% of everything published, so buying here is spread across many separate authorities.
| Buying organisation | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) | 4 | 3.5% |
| Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine | 4 | 3.5% |
| Health Service Executive (HSE) | 4 | 3.5% |
| Leading Healthcare Providers Skillnet | 4 | 3.5% |
| Marine Institute_1141 | 4 | 3.5% |
| Tourism Ireland CLG | 3 | 2.6% |
What are scientific research contracts worth in Ireland?
97 of the 114 records publish a contract value. The median is $226,800 and the largest single published value is $22.1M. By size, 17 under $100k, 65 between $100k and $1M, 13 between $1M and $10M, 2 above $10M. The remaining 17 publish no value at all, so every figure here describes the priced subset only, and values are as stated by the buyer rather than as finally awarded.
| Contract size | Records | Share of priced |
|---|---|---|
| under $100k | 17 | 18% |
| between $100k and $1M | 65 | 67% |
| between $1M and $10M | 13 | 13% |
| above $10M | 2 | 2.1% |
How long do bidders get to respond to scientific research tenders in Ireland?
Across the 46 Ireland scientific research notices that publish both a publication date and a closing date, the median response window is 35 days. A quarter of them allowed 32 days or fewer and a quarter stayed open for more than 40. Not one of them closed within a fortnight of being published, so the window on this market is consistently workable.
How often are scientific research tenders published in Ireland?
Ireland published 12 notices in this category in the last twelve months. That is 59% fewer than the 29 published in the twelve months before that. Over the last three years there were 67, spread across 44 separate months of activity since 10 February 2021. May is historically the busiest month. No new notice has been published in this category since 26 May 2026, 128 days ago, so treat the figures above as a record of the market rather than as this week's pipeline.
How does Ireland compare with other scientific research markets?
Among the 21 countries where GlobalGov holds a comparable scientific research market, Ireland ranks 12th by number of records. The largest is Germany (1,240 records against 114 here). Within Ireland itself, scientific research is the 38th largest of the 63 procurement categories tracked here.
Where do the Ireland scientific research records on this page come from?
These 114 records are collected from 1 official source: TED (114). GlobalGov is an independent aggregator and is not affiliated with any of them; each record links back to the notice on its issuing portal. The set is rebuilt nightly, and the counts on this page were taken on 2026-10-01.
Most recent Scientific Research tenders in Ireland
None of these are open for bids now — they are the most recent records GlobalGov holds for this market, kept here so the shape of a typical scientific research notice in Ireland is visible. Set an alert to be told when the next one opens.
Ireland – Research laboratory services – Regulatory, Technical and manufacturing support for a diagnostic test
Ireland – Design and execution of research and development – Building Ireland’s Insurance Innovation Sandbox
Ireland – Research and development services and related consultancy services – Forensic Framework Agreement for the provision of services of suitably qualified and experienced professionals to assist in the excavation and recovery of human remains
Other procurement categories in Ireland
Building ConstructionManagement ConsultingSoftware DevelopmentRoad & InfrastructureArchitecture and EngineeringTraining & EducationCivil ConstructionMaintenance & RepairConsultingTransportationHospital ConstructionLegal ServicesVehicles and FleetResearch & DevelopmentTraining and Capacity BuildingVehicle MaintenanceMedical EquipmentFinancial ServicesIT ConsultingHealthcare ServicesEnergyWaste ManagementLaboratory EquipmentCatering ServicesCommunications PrIct EquipmentOffice FurnitureEnvironmental ServicesTelecommunicationsSurvey & MappingFinancial AdvisoryStaffing AugmentationBuilding MaterialsRoads and Highways InfrastructureIt Support & MaintenancePrinting PublishingSecurity ServicesGround TransportWarehousingAgricultural EquipmentSchools and UniversitiesFood Aid and NutritionFreight and LogisticsRenovation RehabilitationSite PreparationEvent ManagementUniforms ClothingCybersecurityPharmaceuticalsAudit and AccountingMail CourierResearch and StudiesFuel SupplyCommunity DevelopmentFacilities and CleaningDatabase ManagementWeapons SystemsCloud ServicesAdult LiteracyOil Gas UpstreamMilitary LogisticsHelpdesk Support
Scientific Research procurement in other markets
Never Miss a Ireland Government Contract
Finding Ireland tenders usually means a local portal, a local registration and someone who reads the language. Get an alert you can read when a new scientific research opportunity is published there.
Start Free Trial