Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is to invest €18m a year in a new programme that will create 150 extra research posts in Irish Higher Education Institutes (HEIs).
Entitled the SFI Stokes Chair and Lectureship Programme, the initiative is aimed at recruiting senior world-class academics as well as entry-level academics and senior postdoctoral researchers.
Under the National Development Plan 2007-2013 the Government is investing €8.2bn in scientific research over the next seven years.
Between now and 2010 SFI said it plans to fund at least 150 Stokes posts, comprising 100 lectureships involving early career-level academics and 50 chairs that involve professorship-level posts.
“The Stokes Programme will allow more flexible and proactive recruiting by HEIs of key personnel at junior and senior levels,” said Dr Gary Crawley, a director at SFI.
“It should allow departments to strategically plan their staffing, to integrate quality staff into the current base of permanent staff and to add to their net pool of expertise,” Crawley added.
Direct funding will be €180,000 for Stokes chairs and €90,000 for Stokes lectureships.
By John Kennedy
