The Discovery Programme

Updated on Nov 04, 2023

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The Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland is an all-Ireland centre for archaeology and heritage research. It was established by the Government in 1991. It is a company limited by g,uarantee funded mainly through the Heritage Council. It is also a charity registered under the Charities Regulatory Authority.

Its primary aim is to benefit the community by the advancement of culture, heritage and sciences, and in particular by:

Enhancing the understanding of Ireland’s past through archaeological and related research in the humanities and sciences;

Establishing and directing research programmes;

Promoting such research; and

Promoting an appreciation of Ireland’s archaeological heritage through education and outreach programmes.

Mission

The Discovery Programme’s mission as expressed in its Strategic Plan 2014-2017 is as follows:

In the past decade advances in information technology and remote sensing techniques have transformed the potential of The Discovery Programme to realize its mission in areas such as

Recording of ancient monuments and objects in 3D formats

Aerial and subsurface geophysical surveys of archaeological landscapes

Online presentation of cultural heritage data

Preservation and dissemination of valuable archaeological archives through digitisation

Corporate structure

The Discovery Programme is a company limited by guarantee. Its constitution was updated to comply with the Companies Act 2014 and with best practice in corporate governance. Its new constitution came into effect in January 2016. The company members are nominated to the company by nominating bodies representing archaeological and heritage bodies and higher-education institutions throughout Ireland:

The Heritage Council

Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

National Museum of Ireland

Transport Infrastructure Ireland

Northern Ireland Environment Agency

National Museums Northern Ireland

Royal Irish Academy

Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland

Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland

National University of Ireland Galway

Queen's University Belfast

Institute of Technology, Sligo

Trinity College, Dublin

University College Cork

University College Dublin

Ulster University

A new directorate was appointed in January 2016. It consists of twelve directors, six elected by the company members, four (including the chair) by the Heritage Council and two external directors (yet to be appointed):

Dr Finbar McCormick, Queen’s University Belfast (chair)

Dr Colin Breen, University of Ulster

Professor Howard Clarke, Royal Irish Academy

Professor Elizabeth FitzPatrick, NUI Galway

Dr Ruth Johnson, Dublin City Archaeologist

Ms Margaret Keane, Dept of Arts, Heritage & Gaeltacht

Ms Beatrice Kelly, Heritage Council

Ms Deirdre O’Hara, Director, National Standards Authority of Ireland

Professor Tadhg O’Keeffe, University College Dublin

Dr Gill Plunkett, Queen’s University Belfast

A major role involves providing training and support to a range of groups including: graduate researchers, secondary schools and local communities with a particular emphasis on the applied use of technology in documenting and understanding our shared cultural heritage.

Funding

The core funding of The Discovery Programme is an annual grant from The Heritage Council that amounted to €750,000 in 2015, a 40% drop from its peak in 2008. In common with all HEIs and cultural institutions, The Discovery Programme is expected to seek funding from other sources. We bridge this gap by sourcing funding for joint projects from the EU, by undertaking outsourced work and from other philanthropic sources interested in education and advanced research.