Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowships

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

This programme aims to support suitably qualified applicants to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at an eligible higher education institution in Ireland for either one or two years. 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.

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 recognised that advancing fundamental understanding is achieved by integrating information, techniques, tools and perspectives from two or more disciplines.

What we offer

• a salary of €42,783 in the first year of the award and €43,371 in the second year of the award*;
• employer’s PRSI contribution; and
• eligible direct research expenses of €5,000 per annum.

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, and mentor forms are provided for information purposes only. All participants must create and submit their forms via the online system.

Key dates

• Call open: 31 August 2023
• FAQ deadline: 16:00 (Irish time) 05 October 2023
• Applicant deadline: 16:00 (Irish time) 12 October 2023
• Supervisor/Mentor deadline: 16:00 (Irish time) 19 October 2023
• Research office endorsement deadline: 16:00 (Irish time) 26 October 2023
• Call outcome: April 2024
• Award start date: 1 September 2024

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 postdoc@research.ie.

* This corresponds with points 1 and 2 respectively on the IUA’s researcher salary scale at the time of call opening but may be subject to change under the current national pay agreement. Any such changes will be applied in line with updates to the IUA’s researcher salary scale.

For reasons of transparency and fairness to all applicants, the IRC will not enter into written or telephone correspondence with any individual about the assessment process or their eligibility to apply.