Some €4.7m in funding has been awarded to 55 talented researchers by the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET).
The researchers are planning to complete postdoctoral-level research over the next two years. The funding, released under the Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme, part of IRCSET’s Embark Initiative, covers postdoctoral research in the fields of science, engineering and technology.
The Embark Initiative is designed to empower researchers at an early stage of their research career to build on their PhD work and contribute their skills to, as well as benefit from, established research teams in Ireland.
IRCSET also announced it is to make a number of further offers of postdoctoral research funding under its Enterprise Partnership Scheme where it co-funds researchers with a range of industrial research partners.
The 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 was open to applicants worldwide who must carry out their work in Ireland.
Professor Jane Grimson, chair of IRCSET, commented: “The Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme is now in its fifth year. In conjunction with other programmes, this forms a key element of equipping our economy with the required research infrastructure for the future. The scheme allows talented researchers to develop their careers in Ireland, contributing to and gaining from the experience of established research teams. It also facilitates international mobility within the research community by attracting researchers from other countries to Ireland.”
The chosen researchers will each receive funding for two years of €33,000 (plus a contribution to the employer to provide pension and social provisions) available in the first and second year, plus expenses of up to €5,000 each year.
By Niall Byrne
