Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship Programme

The IRC Postgraduate Scholarship Programme for 2023 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.  

Strategic funding partners

A number of government departments and agencies partner with the Irish Research Council to support the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme as a mechanism to deliver on shared national objectives. The Irish Research Council’s strategic funding partners for 2024 are:

• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
• Department of Foreign Affairs
• Met Éireann

What we offer

The value of the scholarship will be up to a maximum of €28,000 per annum in any approved year and will consist of the following:

• a stipend of €19,000 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.

If you are considering an application, please contact at your earliest convenience a possible supervisor in the department based on your research interests. You can also find here a list of publications by staff of the department to guide your choice.

Key dates

Important Information

Interested applicants must notify IRCGOIapplications@ucc.ie by 2pm Wednesday 27th September with their intentions to apply, to ensure UCC endorsement of your application and gain access to applicant supports, including a detailed help-pack. 

When emailing please ensure you insert into the email subject line the following information:  IRCGOI Postgrad(your name) (your School AND College) followed by the topic of your email/query. 

*Tyndall applicants are subject to a seperate review/supprt process managed internally by Tyndall and should contact Aidan O'Toole via aidan.otoole@tyndall.ie 

IRC Eligibility Quiz:

Before gaining access to the main Application Form, applicants must first pass the ‘Eligibility Quiz’. It is essential that applicants are aware of the following before starting the quiz:

1. After completion of the quiz form, applicants must click 'Continue to Application' and then 'Save Draft' before closing the eligibility quiz and application window. Failure to do so will stop the applicant from re-submitting the quiz and from opening a new application. The Council will not reset the Eligibility Quiz or Application, and UCC will not be able to appeal.
2. Applicants are now required to state the name of their UCC Supervisor as part of the Quiz. The supervisor name provided must match the name of the supervisor that will be entered into the Application Form at a later stage. If there is any discrepancy between the two names (including a nickname or a spelling error) then the IRC will deem the application ineligible. To avoid this, applicants are strongly advised to contact the Primary Supervisor before completing the Eligibility Quiz, and check what name the Supervisor is registered under on the IRC portal.