Starting and Consolidator Laureate Awards Programme
CLOSED
Structure of the Stage 3 interview available for each panel in the sidebar. Dates for Stage 3 Interviews:
- Social Sciences – 5th, 6th, 7th of Apr
- Life Sciences – 11th,12th,13th April
- Physical Science and Engineering – 20th, 21st, 22nd April
- Humanities – 26th, 27th, 28th of April
Expression of Interest (EOI)
Expressions of Interest for the upcoming Starting and Consolidator Laureate Awards will now be accepted through the intended host institution. Please complete the EOI form for applicants in the sidebar and send it to the research office or equivalent for sign-off.
The Research Office must sign and submit the EOI form on behalf of applicants on or before 4pm (Irish time), 27 August 2021. Direct submissions by the applicant will not be accepted. Failure to submit an EOI by this deadline will disqualify applicants from submitting a full proposal. This will be strictly enforced.
Overview
The health of the Irish research eco-system depends on a balanced set of funding measures which cultivate excellent research and researchers across all career stages, from postgraduate students to senior professors who are at the forefront of their disciplines internationally. A strong bedrock of basic research is essential to the functioning of our eco-system, providing the environment for world-class education, training and development, for new discoveries and the future application of those discoveries for economic or societal impact.
The Council is inviting applications at the early and mid-career level (Starting and Consolidator). Funding will be awarded on the basis solely of excellence, assessed through a rigorous and independent international peer-review process. Laureates will enhance their track record and international competitiveness. As well as the benefits for the laureate and their team, it is anticipated that the award will enhance the potential for subsequent ERC success as a further career milestone; indeed it will be a requirement of all laureates that they make a follow-on application to the ERC.
The aims and objectives of the Irish Research Council Laureate Awards programme:
- To enhance frontier basic research in Irish research-performing organisations, across all disciplines.
- To support exceptional researchers to develop their track record, appropriate to their discipline and career stage.
- To build the international competitiveness of awardees and Ireland as a whole.
- To leverage greater success for the Irish research system in ERC awards.
- To retain excellent researchers in the Irish system and to catalyse opportunities for talented researchers currently working outside Ireland to relocate to Ireland.
| Award type | Duration | Value | Discipline coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Laureate Award | 2 to 4 years | €250,000 to €400,000 (inclusive of 25% overhead) | ALL disciplines |
| Consolidator Laureate Award | 2 to 4 years | €450,000 to €600,000 (inclusive of 25% overhead) | ALL disciplines |
Eligibility
Potential applicants should read the Call Document to carefully ascertain whether or not they are eligible to apply to the scheme.
Key eligibility criteria include the following:
- PhD eligibility
- Career breaks
- Track record
- Employment status
- Funding history
- Resubmissions
All applicants to the Irish Research Council Laureate Awards programme must meet the following PhD eligibility dates:
| Award type | Applicant | Cut-off dates: |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Laureate Award | Applicant should have been awarded their first PhD* >3 years and <8 years prior to 10 Nov 2021 | 10 Nov 2013 to 10 Nov 2018 (inclusive) |
| Consolidator Laureate Award | Applicant should have been awarded their first PhD* >8 years and < 15 years prior to 10 Nov 2021 | 10 Nov 2006 to 10 Nov 2013 (inclusive) |
* The official date of the PhD is defined as the year in which the PhD was conferred, i.e. the year stated on the official PhD certificate. Please read section 3 of the Call Document for information on the key eligibility criteria for the programme.
Application and evaluation process
A single submission via the Council’s online submission system, followed by a two-step evaluation process. All applications to the programme will be evaluated by an international panel supported by remote peer reviewers, across four panel domains:
- Life Sciences (LS)
- Physical Sciences and Engineering (PE)
- Social Sciences (SS)
- Humanities (H)
Applicants who proceed to Step 3 will participate in an interview.
Call Timeline
| Call process | Date |
|---|---|
| Expression of Interest opening | 4 June 2021 |
| 1st FAQ published | 11 June 2021 |
| Expression of Interest Deadline | 27 Aug 2021 |
| Call open | Wed 01 Sept 2021 |
| FAQ deadline | 03 Nov 2021 |
| Deadline for applications | 10 Nov 2021 at 4pm |
| Outcome of Stage 1 | Feb 2022 |
| Rebuttal phase | End of Feb 2022 (2 weeks) |
| Outcome of stage 2 assessment | April 2022 |
| Applicant interviews | April 2022 |
| Outcome of selection process | May 2022 |
| Award commencement date | 01 Sept 2022 |
*Please note that the timings provided here are indicative and may be subject to change by the Council
Queries
Any queries relating to the Call Document, or the operation of the scheme generally should be submitted to the relevant Research Office/Officer of the HEI or RPO in the first instance. In the interest of transparency and fairness to all applicants, the Council Executive will not discuss queries over the telephone.
A list of all queries, not resolved by the Research Office, should then be submitted as a batch to laureate@research.ie by the designated Research Officer within eligible institutions. The FAQ page on the Council website will be updated on a weekly basis or as necessary (Friday) up until 4pm on 3 November 2021.