Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year Awards

A new national research agency, Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland, has been established by the government. The agency will amalgamate the work of the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland. The full operation of Taighde Éireann will be enabled over the coming period.

Our call for nominations for the 2024 Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year awards opened on 22nd July. Now in their eighth year, these awards will commend the very best of our awardees and alumni who are making highly significant and valuable contributions to knowledge, society, culture, and innovation.

The awards will also celebrate the mentors, supervisors, research officers, and technical support staff across the Irish higher education and research system (whether funded by the IRC or not). The Research Ally Prizes honour their role in supporting and sustaining the research community, and how they help to foster a positive academic culture based on equality, inclusivity, and respect.

Nominations are invited under four categories, with guidance on submitting an application available at the top right hand side of this page.

Category one — Researcher of the Year

One award will be made to a well-established and highly accomplished researcher currently working in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) or a Research Performing Organisation (RPO), who is, or has previously been, a named awardee of the IRC*, and who has made an exceptional contribution to research in their field.

Read about the 2023 Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year, Professor Carel le Roux (UCD), here. 

*This includes the IRC’s predecessors, namely the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET).*

Nomination Form for Category 1

Category two — Early-Career Researcher of the Year

One award will be made to an early-career researcher currently working in research in a HEI or an RPO, who is, or previously has been, a named awardee of the IRC, and who has demonstrated an exceptional level of achievement in their field at this stage in their career.

Nomination Form for Category 2

Category three — Impact Award

One award will be made to a current or former IRC-funded researcher, working within or outside a HEI/RPO, whose work has made a significant impact beyond academia. Eligible nominees need not currently be working specifically in a research-driven role.

Nomination Form for Category 3

Category four — Research Ally Prizes

These prizes will be awarded to mentors, supervisors, research officers, and technical support staff in the Irish higher education system who have played a vital role in supporting the academic research community across all career-levels. Postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and academic staff are welcome to nominate the mentors, supervisors, research officers and technical support staff who have helped them in their research and careers. Nominators do not need to be based in academia at the time of their nomination and do not need to have been previously funded by the IRC.

Nomination form for Category 4

Award Presentation

Category 1 – 3 awardees will be presented with a commemorative trophy in late 2024. Category 4 awardees will receive an official certificate of commendation in late 2024. The winners will also be profiled through an online communications campaign.

Nomination forms and Guidance with further information about the nomination process are available for download from this page.

If you do not find the answer to your query in the call documentation, you should contact the research office in your host institution, which will provide information and clarification on the call. Research offices can send any queries they are unable to clarify to rotya@research.ie.

Key Dates