Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin is finally to announce details of a €510 million programme for research funding today, after university presidents expressed "grave concern" about the long delay.
In an unprecedented move, the seven university presidents this month signed a letter complaining about the delay in announcing funding for the Strategic Innovation Fund.
Over €136 million in funding from Cycle II of the programme was expected to be allocated some months ago.
In their letter, the presidents complain that the delay has "serious consequences for us" and "runs the risk of causing a substantial loss" of EU funding.
The presidents are furious because universities were put under intense pressure to make their applications for funding before last October's deadline.
In their letter to Ms Hanafin they explain how "the universities worked assiduously to comply with the deadlines for submissions and evaluations of proposals in the expectation that projects would be up and running in early 2008.
Despite several approaches to your department we have been unable to secure even an indication of when the results of the call will be announced and financial allocations made."
The letter from the Irish Universities Association, which represents the college heads, says the delay means "that staff required to implement the projects cannot be hired because of the financial uncertainty".
The presidents also explain how project teams, assembled under Cycle I of the project, are left in "a position of instability and doubt as to their future". They call on the Minister to address these concerns by making the relevant announcements "as a matter of urgency".
The €510 million fund is designed to assist collaboration between higher education institutions and improvement in teaching and learning.
It also rewards colleges for managerial reforms, promotes access initiatives and lifelong learning and supports the development of fourth level or postgraduate education.
A Department of Education spokesperson said each proposal made by the universities had to be carefully examined by an independent review panel before funding could be approved.
