816. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health the funding provided for erectile dysfunction research on an annual basis between 2015 and 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53153/26]

My Department funds health research through the Health Research Board, a state body under the aegis of the Department of Health.

As the lead funding agency for health and social care research, the HRB operates through a combination of project and programme grants, capacity building initiatives, collaborative research networks and infrastructure investment.

The HRB does not typically issue calls restricted to specific disease conditions but considers submissions from the research community in any and all areas of clinical research, population health sciences and health services and policy research. In this way, there are ongoing opportunities, modes and instruments for applicants from all disciplines, career stages and areas of health/diseases to compete for funding, including for research on erectile dysfunction and male sexual dysfunction more broadly.

The total amount of HRB funding for erectile dysfunction research between 2015 – 2025 based on responses to competitive calls, is €2,400, under a Summer Student Scholarship Scheme undertaken in 2018.