Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship Programme

The IRC Postgraduate Scholarship Programme for 2024 has been announced. 

The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is highly competitive, with an average success rate of 18% over the past five years. Researchers in the department have had better success with students who contacted them early, giving them plenty of time to write a solid application.  

What the fellowship offers

The value of the scholarship will be up to a maximum of €31,000 per annum in any approved year and will consist of the following:

• a stipend of €22,000 per annum;
• a contribution to fees, including non-EU fees, up to a maximum of €5,750 per annum; and
• eligible direct research expenses of €3,250 per annum.

What the Department offers

We can help you develop your application. We have provided below a list of possible research topics that our staff would be interested in studying. If you are considering an application, please contact at your earliest convenience the supervisor listed for projects that may interest you. You are also welcome to develop your own research topic based on the general reasearch interests of staff in the department and/or recent publications by our staff. (You will find here a list of recent publications) 

Dr Órla Barry

Project:Harnessing the power of epigenetics to augment chemotherapy/immunotherapy in both oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma

Oesophageal cancer is a complex disease with limited treatment options, patients diagnosed with this cancer have an extremely poor prognosis (five-year survival rates remain less than 20%). In an effort to advance novel treatment strategies, our research offers an innovative approach identifying the role(s) of epigenetic alterations in treatment response to chemotherapy/immunotherapy. A range of cell and molecular biology techniques along with patient explants are used to help identify more effective and personalised treatment strategies for oesophageal cancer patients.  

 Dr Barry Boland 

Project: Investigating the role of zinc as a regulator of calpain activity: Relevance to Alzheimer’s disease

Elevated cytosolic calcium ion levels ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) are an early pathological indicator of neurons impacted by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A persistent rise in [Ca²⁺]_cyt activates Ca²⁺-dependent proteases, known as calpains, which can cause neurodegeneration by cleaving essential neuronal proteins. Previous research conducted in the Boland lab identified calpain-mediated cleavage of tau proteins at early stages of AD, using post-mortem human brain tissue. Additionally, they discovered that treating rat primary cortical neurons with zinc reduced calpain-mediated tau cleavage under conditions of elevated [Ca²⁺]_cyt. These findings reinforce the “calcium hypothesis” of AD, and suggest zinc may provide neuroprotection against excessive calpain-mediated damage. In this project, the PhD student will be trained in a range of lab techniques that include cell biology, biochemistry and pharmacology, along with data analysis and presentation skills. We aim to determine if zinc inhibits calpain activity directly or indirectly, through signalling mechanisms. Findings from this study may lead to the identification of new drug targets for Alzheimer’s disease.

Before you contact a prospective supervisor, please carefully ascertain whether you are eligible to apply for the scholarship (the eligibility criteria are listed on page 5 of the call document).

Applicants from any country may hold a Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship, however applicants will fall under one of two categories based on nationality and residency:

Category 1: Applicants must meet BOTH of the following criteria: 

• be a national of a European Union member state (including the Republic of Ireland) OR Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or the United Kingdom or Ukraine.
• have been ordinarily resident in a European Union member state (including the Republic of Ireland) OR Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or the United Kingdom or Ukraine for a continuous period of three of the five years preceding 1 September 2025.

Category 2: Applicants who do NOT meet BOTH criteria above.  

What you should offer

This call is highly competitive, particularly if you fall under Category 2 above (for which the success rate is only 3%). The qualities of the applicant account for 40% of the evaluation. When contacting a possible supervisor, please highlight why you consider that the following criteria in your application will enable you to score a high applicant mark:

• Track record and research potential
• Quality
• Significance and relevance of your key achievements
• Personal statement
• Match between your profile and the proposed research project
• Evidence of independent thinking

Key dates

You can find further information and application forms on the Irish Research Council website.