Some €28 million in funding has been announced for postgraduate and postdoctoral research projects through the Irish Research Council (IRC).
The IRC’s Government of Ireland programmes will fund 330 awards in total, including 254 postgraduate scholarships and 76 postdoctoral fellowships.
Among the awardees of the postgraduate scholarship are Trinity students, Vincent Thorne and Cian Fogarty. Thorne will investigate the relationship between increased bicycle supply and urban pollution. Fogarty’s research will look at the role of solar thermal technology in decarbonising residential heating.
In a press statement, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said: “I am particularly pleased to see the record number of awards being made this year under the two programmes combined. The programmes are unique in the Irish research landscape, supporting excellent individual postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers to develop innovative and creative ideas across the sciences, humanities and the arts.”
“Now more than ever, the benefits of investing in research and innovation are clear, and this starts with fuelling the pipeline of excellent early-career researchers”, he said.
“Support for basic research and investment in cutting-edge expertise across different disciplines is vital for Ireland, and this will be key to ensuring that we can overcome national and global challenges now and in the future.”
Other projects funded will look at the design of 3D printed scaffolds in assisting spinal cord regeneration and the personality traits of young people that make them susceptible to being influenced by social media.
Director of the Irish Research Council Peter Brown welcomed the funding. In a press statement, he said: “The programmes provide the foundation for the development of cutting-edge skills and expertise and awardees will become future research leaders across academia and beyond, including industry and the public sector.”
“The scope of awards across and between disciplines supports the balanced development of our research system and ensures that we are best positioned for the challenges of an uncertain future”, he said.
“Thanks to the increased funding announced by Minister Harris in January this year, the new awardees will receive funding for postgraduate stipends and postdoctoral salaries that are in-line with national norms. This is vital to ensure our early-career researchers are adequately supported and there is a level playing field in our research system.”
In May of this year, Harris announced another €23 million in funding for 40 postdoctoral researchers, with a particular focus on addressing gender imbalances in academia.
The investment, which is a joint initiative between Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the IRC, will see 40 early-career researchers, across all disciplines, receive awards of up to €550,000 over a four-year period to develop their research.
