Dr John O'Neill

John is Head of the Research Policy and Innovation Unit in the Department of Health which was established to ensure that the crucial contribution of research and innovation to wider health system improvement is more fully exploited, with the goal of improving and modernising health service delivery.

Specific responsibilities include, supporting a research led approach in the HSE; providing strategic direction and corporate governance of the Health Research Board (HRB); connecting health research and innovation more widely across government for more impactful outcomes.

John’s team are also supporting Ireland’s proactive participation in Horizon Europe as part of their wider international engagement on key priority areas across health and social care research. Advancing the Clinical Trials landscape in Ireland and implementing the National Strategy on Genetics and Genomics are among the key current areas of focus for the team.

Prior to joining the Department, John was Head of Research for the Institute for Public Administration and previously was head of unit for priority policy areas across several government Departments including Climate, Transport, Housing and Environment.