Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates to apply for the 2023 intake of the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme to study in Ireland.
The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is an established national initiative, funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and managed by the Council.
With over €20,500 per annum benefits, the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is unique in the Irish research landscape and complements other channels for funded postgraduate education in the Irish ecosystem.
About Ireland
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.
Geopolitically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. As of 2022, the population of the entire island is just over 7 million, with 5.1 million living in the Republic of Ireland and 1.9 million in Northern Ireland, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain.
Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Summary
- Host Country: Ireland
- Category: Masters | PhD Scholarships
- Eligible Countries: All International countries
- Reward: Full Scholarship | €27,500 Per annum Stipend & Research Assistance
- Deadline: Annually
Scholarship Details:
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, with the exception of those funded by our strategic funding partners.
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 recognized that advancing fundamental understanding is achieved by integrating information, techniques, tools, and perspectives from two or more disciplines.
Scholarship Requirements:
Applicants for the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme must fulfill the following criteria:
Have a first-class or upper second-class honors bachelor’s, or the equivalent, degree. If undergraduate examination results are not known at the time of application, the Council may make a provisional offer of a scholarship on the condition that the scholar’s bachelor’s, or the equivalent degree result is a first-class or upper second-class honors.
If a scholar does not have a first-class or upper second-class honors bachelor’s, or the equivalent, degree, they must possess a master’s degree. The Council’s determination of an applicant’s eligibility on these criteria is final;
Must not have had two previous unsuccessful applications to the program, including strategic partner themes. This includes applications since 2010 to the EMBARK Scheme previously run by the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, and the Government of Ireland Scholarship Scheme previously run by the Irish Council for Humanities and Social Sciences;
In the case of applications for a research master’s scholarship, applicants must not currently hold, or have previously held, a Council Postgraduate Scholarship;
In the case of applications for a doctoral degree scholarship, applicants must not currently hold, or have previously held, any Council Postgraduate Scholarship other than those which would enable them to obtain a research master’s degree.
- Applicants will fall under one of two categories based on nationality and residency. For category one, applicants must meet BOTH of the following criteria:
- be a national of a European Union member state, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland
AND - have been ordinarily resident in a European Union member state, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland for a continuous period of three of the five years preceding 1 October 2021.
- be a national of a European Union member state, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland
- Category 2, any application not qualified in category one
Scholarship Reward
The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship offers
- a stipend of €18,500 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.
Durations
An applicant who is a new entrant to the postgraduate degree for which they are seeking funding is eligible to apply for funding for the full duration of the degree as outlined below:
- Research master’s degree – 1 year
- Structured research master’s degree - 2 years
- Traditional doctoral degree - 3 years
- Structured doctoral degree - 4 years
Method of Application
Potential applicants should read the call documentation carefully to ascertain whether or not they are eligible to apply.
Indicative versions of the applicant and supervisor forms are provided for information purposes only. All participants must create and submit their forms via the online system.