Prof. John Walsh, iCRAG Director, is currently partaking in the Scientist-Minister pairing scheme. The scheme is a collaborative project between the Royal Irish Academy and the Houses of the Oireachtas, with funding support from the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland.

During the scheme, which runs from May to November 2015, Prof. Walsh is paired with Minister Joe McHugh, Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with Special Responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources. This collaboration aims to brief elected representatives on the world class research that is currently taking place in Ireland.

It is hoped that this Pairing Scheme will strengthen the role of evidence based research and enrich debate in public policy formation, It will act as a platform for future projects by highlighting the importance of academic research to key issues of concern for the public of Ireland.