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 Research Ireland.
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. 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 recognised that advancing fundamental understanding is achieved by integrating information, techniques, tools and perspectives from two or more disciplines.
The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is highly competitive, with an average success rate of 18% over the past five years. Successful awardees under the programme are recognised as demonstrating world-class potential as future research leaders.
Research Ireland Enterprise Fellowship Programs 2026 Details:
| Fellowship coverage: | Fully Funded |
| Eligible nationality: | All Nationalities |
| Award country: | Ireland |
| Last Date: | 23rd October 2025 |
Benifiet
The value of the scholarship will be up to a maximum of €34,000 per annum in any approved year and will consist of the following:
- a stipend of €25,000 per annum
- a contribution to fees, including non-EU fees, up to a maximum of €5,750 per annum [In cases where the grant recipient is a non-EU national, they may request an additional €4,000 per annum over-and-above the standard fee contribution. Any remaining differential in fees must be paid by the grant recipient and/or the Research Body.]
- eligible direct costs of €3,250 per annum
Key dates
- Call open: 11th September 2025, 12:00 Irish local time
- FAQ deadline: 16th October 2025, 16:00 Irish local time
- Applicant deadline: 23rd October 2025, 16:00 Irish local time
- Supervisor, mentor deadline: 6th November 2025, 16:00 Irish local time
- Research office endorsement deadline: 13th November 2025, 16:00 Irish local time
- Call outcome: End of April 2026
- Award start date: 1st September 2026
Please note that the timings provided here are indicative and may be subject to change.
Eligibility Criteria:
The programme will now be open to new entrants to a Master’s or PhD programme or to registered students in the first year of the degree for which they are seeking funding, aligning with a full-degree funding model.
Academic Supervisors may act as Primary Supervisor for no more than one applicant to the programme. There is no restriction on the number of applications where a supervisor may serve as secondary or co-supervisor.
How to apply
An online grants management system is used to submit applications, and
Applications must be submitted through the SmartSimple platform.
