The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) has announced an international call for applicants to a new €4.8m fellowship scheme that will support the career development of talented postdoctoral researchers in Ireland.
The Embark Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme (2008) will offer individual funding over two years to postdoctoral researchers who plan to complete research in the sciences, engineering or technology.
Candidates from all nations are invited to apply, with as many as 55 individual awards to be offered in 2008. Applications will be assessed independently by an international peer review panel. IRCSET has linked with the Royal Irish Academy to administer the scheme.
The Embark Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme is targeted at developing the country’s international reputation as an important location in which to carry out world-class research, so that Ireland retains and attracts the highest level R&D capabilities for the future. The call is open to applicants worldwide who must carry out their work in Ireland.
IRCSET will also offer postdoctoral fellowships through its Enterprise Partnership Scheme where IRCSET co-funds researchers with industry partners. This offers early-stage postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to further their research while also learning valuable transferable skills and benefiting from working with industry experts.
“In conjunction with other programmes, this forms a key element of Ireland’s strategic agenda to enhance overall research competitiveness,” commented Professor Jane Grimson, chair of IRCSET.
“The IRCSET scheme is multidisciplinary, making it appealing to a wide section of research interests in the science, engineering and technology fields. The fellowship scheme allows talented researchers to develop their careers in Ireland, allowing them to contribute to and gain from the experience of already established research teams. It also attracts researchers from other countries to conduct their work in Ireland, facilitating international mobility within the research community.”
The closing date for applications is 31 January, 2008. An online application system will be available from 7 December on the IRCSET website www.ircset.ie.
By Niall Byrne
