Postgrads embark on research with €3.6m funding


20 Sep 2007

Yesterday, 49 Doctoral and Masters level researchers in the areas of technology, science and engineering received offers for funding under the second round of the Embark Initiative’s Postgraduate Research Scholarship Scheme 2007.

It has emerged that 42 places have been offered to successful EU candidates while seven were awarded to non-EU researchers.

The Embark Initiative is the main scheme operated by IRCSET (Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology), which, since its inception in 2002 has channeled €60m into fostering the careers of over 1,000 researchers in Ireland.

IRCSET also has plans to offer Enterprise Partnership Scholarships within the next few weeks, which is designed to compliment the Embark Initiative by offering co-funded research scholarships with companies such as Intel, BT and IBM.

The chair of IRCSET Professor Jane Grimson noted that the standard of applicants this year was extremely high, adding that this was crucial as IRCSET strives to support Ireland’s best researchers for economic growth.

“It’s vital that we retain the talent and creativity of Ireland’s research community and do not lose out to other international learning centres,” she said.

“This round of funding will contribute to the ongoing development of a supportive infrastructure underpinning Irish-based research that will attract and encourage researchers to remain in Ireland within their chosen fields.”

By Marie Boran