National Funding Opportunities

Cross-disciplinary collaborations that address a clinical need or current knowledge gaps are encouraged. Fighting Blindness is committed to the development of therapies that are accessible to all patients affected by sight loss and the wide spectrum of retinal degenerative disease through the pursuit and enablement of scientific medical research. For this co-funding scheme, original, internationally-competitive proposals are invited that are relevant to the research priorities of Fighting Blindness and align with one or more of the following research areas: Diagnostics /Therapeutics/ Elucidating molecular mechanisms and/or protective pathways in retinal degenerations / Understanding genetic modifiers of retinal disease severity and progression

https://www.fightingblindness.ie/news/hrci-hrb-joint-funding-scheme-2022-call-for-eoi-applications/

Appropriate multi and inter disciplinary involvement in the research team is essential and where relevant, experts in statistics, health economics, health service research, behavioural science, qualitative research methodologies, psychology, sociology etc. should be included as Co-Applicants or as official Collaborators. F

Applicants must have a suitable track record and demonstrate clearly that the research team contains the necessary breadth and depth of expertise in all the methodological areas required in the principal investigators, postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate research Masters and PhD students.

Lead applicants must fulfil the following criteria: - At least one lead applicant must be affiliated with a HRB approved Institution in the Republic of Ireland. Please note, the award must be administered through this HRB approved Institution. - be active in cancer research. - have a suitable mentor (required for lead applicants with fewer than 6 years’ post-graduate research experience or equivalent*). - have a strong commitment to progress patient engagement and involvement.

The maximum funding granted for the Cancer Research Engagement Award is €2,500* over a 12-24 month period. The society will fund at least four awards in 2021. * This funding is intended for engagement activities only. It cannot be used to support a cancer research project.

Applications must be completed and submitted through the Irish Cancer Society Grant Tracker online system

The ILP scheme provides support for high-quality, investigator-led research to create new knowledge that, over time, will help to address the major health challenges in society and have an impact on tomorrow’s health and social care. Applicants must select one of the following three remits, based on which is the best fit for the proposed research: i. Patient-Oriented Research ii. Population Health Research iii. Health Services Research.

https://www.hrb.ie/funding/funding-schemes/all-funding-schemes/grant/investigator-led-projects-1/

Health and Social Care Researchers involved in Patient-orientated or population health or health services research.

See call guidance notes for full lead applicant eligibility criteria.

The ILP scheme will provide funding for projects in POR, PHR and HSR up to a maximum of €370,000 (inclusive of overheads) for 24-48 months.

Applications must be completed and submitted through the HRB online Grant E-Management System (GEMS) (https://grants.hrb.ie)

The Marine Institute is pleased to announce a call for proposals for Post-Doctoral Fellowships of up to 4 years in duration. There are three defined topics and one open topic under four specified research themes of the National Marine R&I Strategy. Proposals are invited from suitable Research Supervisors at Higher Education Institutions or Public Research Bodies in the Republic of Ireland.

https://www.marine.ie/Home/site-area/research-funding/research-funding/marine-institute-post-doctoral-fellowship-call-2021

Proposals are invited from suitable Research Supervisors at Higher Education Institutions or Public Research Bodies in the Republic of Ireland.

The applicant, who will be responsible for supervising the appointed fellow should: • Ideally hold a PhD or equivalent qualification for at least three years (awarded 2018 or prior). • Must be a full-time member of staff (permanent or with a contract that covers the period of the award, which is expected to commence in June 2022 for a max of 48 months) or • A contract researcher with a contract that covers the period of the award, who is recognised as an independent investigator and will have allocated office and research space for which he/she will be fully responsible for at least the duration of the award (2022 to 2026 – see previous).

The maximum grant-aid per award will be 400,000 Euro for 48 months (100,000 Euro per annum)

All applications must be submitted through the Marine Institute's online grant management system (RIMS). * Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in applying and a member of the team will assist you.

The Lister Institute’s competitive research prizes give young scientists the opportunity to develop their potential through flexible funding over a five-year period. The awards are aimed at researchers in the early years of running their own groups, for whom receipt of the prize would make a significant difference to their research work.

https://www.lister-institute.org.uk/what-are-the-research-prizes/

Any tenured or non-tenured biomedical researcher (scientist or clinician) working in an eligible UK or Irish institution. The applicant must, at the time of applying for the award, have a minimum of three or a maximum of ten years’ research experience (Post doc). Prizes are ideal for researchers just starting their own independent research group, or for group leaders looking to research new areas not covered by current awards.

Any tenured or non-tenured researcher (scientist or clinician) working in an eligible UK or Irish institution is allowed to apply; provided that their personal salary is secure, from another source, and guaranteed for a minimum of the first three years of the award. The recipient does not need to be a UK national, but they must have a position in a UK or Republic of Ireland (ROI) institution for at least the first three years of the award. There is no age restriction, but the individual must, at the time of applying for the award, have a minimum of three or a maximum of ten years’ research experience (Post doc) Allowance will be made for career breaks.

The Lister Institute’s research prizes are awarded as lump sums of £250,000 which should be spent within a five-year period. The award must be used in support of the applicants’ research but can be used for equipment, travel, consumables or the salaries of post-doctoral workers, technicians or PhD students etc. Personal salary provision or augmentation is not allowed, but the funds can be used for a replacement lecturers’ salary.

Submissions are made online – details of the online application process can be found on the call webpage. * Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in applying and a member of the team will assist you.

This scheme is for outstanding scientists in the Republic of Ireland who are in the early stages of their research career and have the potential to become leaders in their field. The scheme provides the opportunity to build an independent research career. Those appointed are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities or research bodies at the end of their fellowships.

https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/sfi-royal-society-university/

Eligible Early Career Researchers (3-8 years)Post PhD in all fields of the natural sciences

Be at an early stage of their research career with between three to eight years of actual research experience since their PhD (i.e. date on which the degree was approved by the board of graduate studies) by the closing date of the round. Career breaks will be taken into consideration (see below for more details). Not hold a permanent post in a university or not-for-profit organisation. Not hold or previously have held a nationally competitive fellowship that provides an opportunity to establish an independent research group and therefore independent researcher status (see Scheme Notes for more details)

The scheme provides a salary contribution based on the SFI Research Fellow scale (Level 3), and institutional overheads, at 30% of the value of the award (less equipment). Research expenses (up to €15,000 for the first year and up to €13,000 annually thereafter) will also be provided. Initially, funding is provided for five years with the opportunity to apply for an extension of three additional years.

In order to apply via Flexi Grant the online system, you must register here https://grants.royalsociety.org/

Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Defence invites academic research teams to work with the Irish Defence Forces to develop innovative solutions to challenges across a range of areas that will have beneficial application and strong positive impact potential for Irish society.

https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/future-innovator-defence/

interdisciplinary and collaborative STEM research teams comprising of two researchers who are either at established or postdoctoral career stage.

Applications will be accepted where the Lead Applicant and Co-Applicant satisfy the following eligibility criteria: Be a member of academic staff of an eligible Research Body (permanent or with a contract that covers the period of the award), or Be a contract researcher with a contract that covers the period of the award (contract may be subject to receipt of the award) and Hold a PhD or equivalent.

The SFI-Defence Organisation Innovation Challenge comprises three phases: Concept, Seed and Prize Award. Applications to the programme can request up to €220,000 in total direct costs over a duration of 12- months. Up to €20,000 can be allocated for use during the Concept Phase of the programme (Months 1-3) while the remaining request of up to €200,000 can be allocated to the Seed Phase (Months 4 – 12). It is expected that up to ten teams will be funded through the programme and enter the Concept Phase. At the conclusion of the Concept Phase, up to five teams will progress to the Seed Phase as finalists. At the conclusion of the Seed Phase, one team will be awarded the €1M prize award

Applications must be submitted through SFI’s Grants Management System SESAME. SESAME will be open for applications in late July. 

The SDG Challenge seeks to support diverse, transdisciplinary teams to develop transformative, sustainable solutions that will contribute to addressing development challenges under the UN SDGs in countries where Irish Aid works.

https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/future-innovator-sdg/

collaborative research teams based in eligible research institutions in Ireland and partner countries.

The Team Lead/Co-Lead must: • Be a member of academic staff of an eligible Research Body18 (permanent or with a contract that covers the period of the award), or • Be a contract researcher with a contract that covers the period of the award (contract may be subject to receipt of the award). and • Hold a PhD or equivalent. Please consult the SFI Policy on PhD Equivalence6 for further information. The Partner Country Team Co-Lead must: • Be employed at a HEI or RPO in one of the partner countries eligible under this call (See Section 5). The HEI/RPO in the partner country must be a publicly funded or not-for-profit institution. The RPO must have the capacity and infrastructure to support the research, should be research active and be able to demonstrate the standard of academic rigour required for a significant research project. • Be a member of academic staff or a contract researcher at an eligible HEI/RPO with a contract that covers the period of the award. • Hold a PhD or equivalent. Please consult the SFI Policy on PhD Equivalence for further information.

Funding is available for collaborative research teams based in eligible research institutions in Ireland and partner countries. Successful teams will be awarded up to €300k and will work through a series of phases to develop their idea. An overall prize award of €1M will be available to the team that demonstrates the highest potential for transformative impact.

Applications must be submitted through SFI’s Grants Management System SESAME. SESAME will be open for applications in late July. 

This programme will specifically support collaborative research, innovation and development between individuals, research teams (in and between disciplines) as well as between higher education institutions on the island, up to and including support for all-island partnerships of scale focusing on shared challenges such as, for example, those identified within Horizon Europe’s mission-based approach and the United Nation’s identified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

https://hea.ie/funding-calls/north-south-research-programme/

Eligible Researchers post PhD, all disciplines (disciplines in science, medicine, engineering, technology, arts and humanities including areas of creative practice and social science)

There must be a minimum of one lead institution/lead investigator/team lead from both Ireland and Northern Ireland associated with each proposal. The lead individual investigators and team lead/s must be, at a minimum, two years post PhD At the time of the initiation of an award, the lead individual investigator/ team lead in the lead institution in Ireland must be employed by the lead institution in Ireland with a contract of sufficient duration to cover the complete timescale of a funded project

Projects can vary in size from up to €100,000 to €4,000,000 and will be considered in light of overall funding requests and the final amount of funding available. Partnerships of scale may seek up to €4,000,000 for projects with a minimum of three years duration and a maximum of four years duration. Partnerships seeking funding for smaller projects may seek up to €200,000 for projects with a minimum duration of one year and a maximum duration of two years. A maximum of 50% of any award may be allocated to NI partners

All applications must be submitted before 4 pm on 18th October 2021 through the online system which opens on 6th September 2021.

This programme support suitably qualified research master’s and doctoral candidates pursuing, or intending to pursue, full-time research in any discipline. The Government of Ireland programmes are unique in the Irish research landscape. Among their features are: ▪ individual, prestigious awards for excellent research in the name of the applicant; ▪ the opportunity for awardees to direct their own research project at the earlycareer stage, working with a supervisor or mentor as relevant; ▪ 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, with the exception of those awards funded by our strategic funding partners

https://research.ie/funding/goipg/

suitably qualified research master’s and doctoral candidates pursuing, or intending to pursue, full-time research in any discipline.

All applicants must have a first class or upper second-class honours bachelor’s, or the equivalent, degree. If the applicant does not have a first class or upper second-class honours bachelor’s, or the equivalent, degree, they must possess a master’s degree. Applicants must not have had two previous unsuccessful applications to the relevant programme.

The value of the scholarship will be up to a maximum of €27,500 per annum in any approved year and will consist of the following: stipend (€18,500) per annum, research fees (up to €5,750 per annum) and eligible direct research expenses of (€3,250.)

All applications should be submitted via the online system by the deadline of exactly 16:00 (Irish time) on 21 October 2021.

These programmes support suitably qualified postdoctoral candidates pursuing, or intending to pursue, full-time research in any discipline. The Government of Ireland programmes are unique in the Irish research landscape. Among their features are: ▪ individual, prestigious awards for excellent research in the name of the applicant; ▪ the opportunity for awardees to direct their own research project at the earlycareer stage, working with a supervisor or mentor as relevant; ▪ 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, with the exception of those awards funded by our strategic funding partners

https://research.ie/funding/goipd/?f=postdoctoral

suitably qualified postdoctoral candidates pursuing, or intending to pursue, full-time research in any discipline.

• Applicants must have been awarded their doctoral degree within the five-year period before 31May 2022. Or have been certified as having fulfilled within the five-year period before 31 May 2022 all the requirements for the award of a doctoral degree, including the submission of the hardbound corrected thesis, but have not yet graduated. • An applicant’s period of eligibility may be extended as a result of any properly documented eligible career break, provided the grounds for the extension started before the call deadline. • Applicants must not have had two previous unsuccessful applications to the relevant programme • All applicants must have: authored or co-authored at least one published peer-reviewed research publication; or have demonstrable equivalent intellectual property output; or provide a copy of the table of contents and one chapter from their doctoral thesis. • All applications require an academic mentor willing to guide the proposed research project and two referees who know the applicant sufficiently well to provide a reference. • Applicants must not have been employed as a postdoctoral researcher for more than five years as at 31 May 2022.

These awards can be either one or two years in duration and will consist of the following: a salary of €38,632 in the first year of the award and €39,186 in the second year of the award; employer’s PRSI contribution; and eligible direct research expenses of €5,000 per annum.

All applications should be submitted via the online system by the deadline of exactly 16:00 (Irish time) on 21 October 2021.

The programme provides a flexible mechanism for academic researchers to build strategic collaborations with key stakeholders such as industry, other funding agencies, charities, philanthropic organisations, higher education institutes, or a combination of these. It aims to support stand-alone research initiatives of scale with strong potential for delivering economic and societal impact to Ireland where significant co-funding is available. The co-funding partner(s) commits to providing a minimum of 50% of the project costs, with the rest provided by SFI.

https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/sfi-strategic-partnership/

Academic and contract researchers to build strategic collaborations with key stakeholders such as industry, other funding agencies, charities, philanthropic organisations, higher education institutes, or a combination of these.

Please refer to the call document which specifies eligibility criteria including employment status, PhD duration, senior publications and supervisory experience.

The SFI budget for the Strategic Partnership must be a minimum of €400,000, meaning the total award size (SFI and co-funding partner budget) is a minimum of €800,000 (direct costs). There is no maximum request level. The co-funding partner(s) must commit to providing a minimum of 50% of the direct project costs in cash.

Interested parties are requested to complete an Expression of Interest (EoI), as outlined in the call document. Potential applicants to the programme should contact SFI ([email protected]) to discuss their proposed programme of research and any queries they may have. The EoI application template will be made available to the Lead Applicant on SESAME (SFI’s online grants and awards management system) following these discussions.

Under the US-Ireland R&D Partnership programme, a ‘single-proposal, single-review’ mechanism is facilitated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) who accept submissions from tri-jurisdictional (USA, NI and RoI) teams to a number of their existing funding programmes.  The overall goal of the Partnership is to increase the level of collaborative R&D amongst researchers and industry professionals across the three jurisdictions.    The aim is to have valuable discoveries and innovations which are transferable to the marketplace, or will lead to enhancements in health, disease prevention or healthcare. The proposal must be aligned to : Sensors and Sensor Networks, Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Telecommunications or Energy & Sustainability.

https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/us-ireland-rd-partnership/

Principle Investigators, Mid-Career Research Staff and Academic Staff (see eligibility criteria).

To be deemed eligible for funding, a minimum of one applicant from each jurisdiction – NI, US, and RoI ‐ must be named on the proposal. Each funding agency has its own set of eligibility criteria based on the applicant’s track record. 1. The lead applicant (and co‐applicant/s) must be:   (i) A member of the academic staff of an eligible Research Body (permanent or with a contract that covers the period of the award), or   (ii) A contract researcher with a contract that covers the period of the award, or (iii) An individual who will be recognised by the Research Body upon receipt of the US‐Ireland R&D partnership programme award as a member of the academic staff or as a contract researcher as defined above. The applicant does not necessarily need to be employed by the Research Body at the time of proposal submission.   2. The applicant must hold, or have held an SFI research award (*) as either lead Principal Investigator (PI) or co‐PI. Or If the applicant is not an SFI awardee, s/he is expected to have demonstrated research independence through securing at least one independent research grant as lead investigator or as co‐investigator. 3. The applicant and any co‐applicant(s) must have held a Ph.D. or equivalent qualification for at least five years by the proposal deadline. See https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/us-ireland-rd-partnership/US-Ireland-Call_NSF-fixed-links.pdf

RoI applicants can apply to SFI for direct costs of up to €350k for a 3‐5 year duration. In addition to the direct costs, SFI also makes an indirect, or overhead, contribution to the host Research Body, which is reflected as a percentage of the direct costs (excluding equipment).   

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EoI) To gauge whether the proposed collaboration fits within the scope of the US-Ireland C2C agreement, partners are asked to send a short summary of the proposed collaboration to their funding agency See https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/us-ireland-rd-partnership/

The US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership is an innovative and pioneering initiative involving funding agencies across three jurisdictions - USA, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Partnership achieves its goals through tri-partite research projects confined to 6 Program Area Priorities in which the funding agencies grant-aid the elements of research undertaken in their own jurisdiction.

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a074b-call-information-us-ireland-research-and-development-partnership/

A minimum of one PI based in a Research Body situated in each jurisdiction – US, RoI and NI – must be named on the proposal. The PI in both NI and RoI must be a permanent member of the lead institutions staff.

Grant applications will only be accepted from eligible Research bodies. Eligible Research Bodies in Republic of Ireland are those institutions which fall within the meaning of Section One of the HEA Act, 1971 (e.g. Universities & Institutes of Technology), plus Teagasc, the Marine Institute, Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and Birdwatch Ireland and The National Botanic Gardens (Ireland). Eligible Research Bodies in Northern Ireland are the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute, (AFBI), Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and the Ulster University (UU). RoI and NI applicants must submit pre-proposals to their respective funders (DAFM or DAERA as appropriate) no later than 17:00 IST, one month in advance of the AFRI deadline.

Applicants from the RoI can apply to the AFRI RFA under the US-Irl R&D Partnership for funding from DAFM for total costs of a research project up to €350,000 for up to five years in duration. Please note the maximum duration must align with AFRI RFA requirement for the respective programme area.

It is the responsibility of the US PI to submit the tri-partite proposal to NIFA using the required Grants.gov online portal and according to the required format by the stated submission deadline for the respective research priority area. RoI and NI applicants must submit pre-proposals to their respective funders (DAFM or DAERA as appropriate) no later than 17:00 IST, one month in advance of the AFRI deadline.