IRCHSS is committed to facilitating the integration of Irish researchers in the humanities and social sciences within the European Research Area.  IRCHSS is part of a network of Research Councils across Europe which together form part of the essential matrix through which countries relate to each other and collaborate on the research agenda. The Council has secured an international reputation and an expertise on Europe which is not replicated nationally anywhere else. It enhances access for Irish researchers to European grants and contributes to the competitiveness of bids emanating from Irish applicants.  

IRCHSS is a core member of the two established European networks of Humanities Social Science research councils: NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe) and HERA (the Humanities in the European Research Area). IRCHSS is presently the lead coordinator for the HERA network. Through network membership IRCHSS facilitates researchers’ access to dedicated streams of EU funding which are ring fenced for these particular networks.  Participation in these networks has also been used by the IRCHSS to lobby for development and inclusion of research priorities sought by the Irish research community in EU funding and the Council has established effective communication structures with Irish researches to facilitate this.

Furthermore, through its membership of the European Science Foundation, the Research Council is committed to integrating Irish research in European and international networks of expertise. IRCHSS also liaises with the European Commission on the Framework Programmes 7 and other EU research councils on areas of mutual interest in addition to acting as National Delegate (ND) and the National Contact Point (NCP) for the theme 8 of the Cooperation Programme and for the European Research Council (ERC) covering the domains of socio-economic sciences and humanities. In 2009 IRCHSS was awarded €2.7m in FP7 funding under the FP7 Marie Curie COFUND to implement its CARA scheme. The CARA scheme is attached to the successful IRCHSS Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship and offers twenty five early-career researchers the opportunity to study at an international host institution anywhere in the world, followed by a reintegration phase in an Irish host institution. Since 2009, IRCHSS has awarded twenty-five CARA fellowships.

IRCHSS holds the roles of National Delegate (ND) and National Contact Point (NCP) for theme 8 of the Cooperation Programme under the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) and National Contact Point (NCP) for the European Research Council (ERC), covering the domains of socio-economic sciences and humanities. Mr. Tim Conlon (Acting Director of the IRCHSS) is the National Delegate and Ms. Sorcha Carthy (IRCHSS European Projects Officer) is the NCP. Since the commencement of FP7 in 2007, €6m in EU funding has been leveraged by SSH researchers in Ireland within these two SSH-specific programmes, in addition to the many SSH research participations in the other areas of FP7 such as ICT, Marie Curie and the infrastructures programmes.