Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme

The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is an established national initiative, funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and managed by the Council.

The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is unique in the Irish research landscape and complements other channels for funded postgraduate education in the Irish ecosystem. Among its features are:

• individual, prestigious awards for excellent research in the name of the applicant;
• an objective selection process using international, independent expert peer review;
• funding across all disciplines, from archaeology to zoology; and
• awards for bottom-up, non-directed research, with the exception of those funded by our strategic funding partners.

Pioneering proposals addressing new and emerging fields of research or those introducing creative, innovative approaches are welcomed. Proposals of an interdisciplinary nature are also encouraged as it is recognized that advancing fundamental understanding is achieved by integrating information, techniques, tools and perspectives from two or more disciplines.

The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is highly competitive, with an average success rate of 18% over the past five years. Successful awardees under the programme are recognized as demonstrating world-class potential as future research leaders.

Strategic funding partners

A number of government departments and agencies partner with the Irish Research Council to support the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme as a mechanism to deliver on shared national objectives. The Irish Research Council’s strategic funding partners for 2022 are:

• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
• Department of Foreign Affairs
• Met Éireann

Scholarship Benefits 

• a stipend of €18,500 per annum;
• a contribution to fees, including non-EU fees, up to a maximum of €5,750 per annum; and
• eligible direct research expenses of €3,250 per annum.

CHECK ALSO:  THE SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE AWARD (SINGA)

Eligibility: 

 1. Potential applicants should carefully ascertain whether or not they are eligible in advance of applying to either programme. 

2. All applicants will be required to complete and pass an eligibility quiz on the online application system prior to accessing an application form. 

3. There is no age limit for applicants to be eligible for either programme type. 
4. All applicants must be affiliated with an eligible Irish higher education institution or researchperforming organisation. 

5. The Irish Research Council is not in a position to award funding for research activity under any of the following prohibited areas:  

 ▪ human cloning for reproductive purposes;  

 ▪ genetic modification of human beings that could make such changes heritable (with the exception of research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads, which may be funded); or 

   ▪ creation of human embryos solely for the purpose of research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer.  

6. Applications will only be accepted in either the Irish or English language. 

7. Applicants must not have had two previous unsuccessful applications to the relevant programme, including to strategic partner themes. This applies regardless of whether the applicant has changed their host institution or research topic since a previous submission.

You can read more about the eligibility criteria from the official call document 

How to apply

Potential applicants should read the call documentation carefully to ascertain whether or not they are eligible to apply. Indicative versions of the applicant, supervisor and referee forms are provided for information purposes only. All participants must create and submit their forms via the online system.

Important dates

Please note that the timings provided here are indicative and may be subject to change.

If you do not find the answer to your query in the call documentation, you should contact the research office in your proposed institution which will provide information and clarification on the call. Research offices can send any queries they are unable to clarify to [email protected].