National Funding Calls

To build on the research partnerships supported through Call 1 of the North South Research Programme (NSRP) and develop the ecosystem for research collaboration by higher education institutions across the island, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) have launched Call 2 of the NSRP, centred on Strand II: Emerging Hubs of Excellence which will support academic research teams to collaborate on a shared work programme and Strand III: Partnerships of Scale.  

It is expected that 4 to 5 projects will be offered funding, balanced across STEM and AHSS areas. 

Eligibility criteria 

This call is open to all eligible researchers in any discipline, at early, mid or advanced stages of their careers. Lead Investigators and Consortium Co-Leads identified on proposals must be at a minimum two years post PhD. 

Each application must, at a minimum, have a Lead Investigator who will be employed at the Lead Administrative/Governance Institution in Ireland and one Lead Investigator employed at the Lead Institution in Northern Ireland at the time of award start.   

The application may also include other higher education partners and identified researchers to work as consortium co-leads. External Partners from further education, civic society, enterprise and innovation from Ireland and Northern Ireland are encouraged. 

Funding  

The maximum award value is €4,000,000 for projects of 42-48 months duration. Academic buy-out costs and salary for researchers recruited onto the project may be sought, as well as a maximum of  €80,000 per annum pro rata for a Project Manager for the duration of the project. Fees and stipends for research students are also eligible costs. 

Institutional overheads may be included up to a maximum of 25% of pay costs. A maximum of 50% of any award may be allocated to Northern Ireland partners. 

Application Process 

The first stage entails submission to the HEA of an Expression of Interest and Endorsement Form by the Research Office on behalf of applicants. Following review, the HEA will confirm eligible candidates who may proceed to full application stage.  

The call is presently open for Expressions of Interest. 

Key Dates 

Key Resources 

• Call Document 
• Expression of Interest Form and Endorsement Form 
• NSRP Call 2 – User Guide for Applicants 
• Indicative Application Form 

As part of Met Éireann’s Weather and Climate Research Programme, Met Éireann have launched the Met Éireann Research Call 2024. Proposals under three topics are invited: 

1. Topic 1: The TRANSLATE Programme – this Topic is aimed at standardising and mainstreaming national climate projections for Ireland across timescales and scenarios and developing climate services to enhance Ireland’s resilience to climate change by supporting the Irish adaptation sector’s and decision maker’s climate information requirements. Met Éireann is seeking proposals to address three research themes in this topic: 
2. Sub-topic 1.1: Under-pinning data 
3. Sub-topic 1.2: Understanding risk of climate extremes 
4. Sub-topic 1.3: Climate services 

1. Topic 2: Multi-hazard flood forecasting – this Topic aims at developing an integrated multi-hazard forecasting model that combines coastal and fluvial flood dynamics. By focusing on Ireland’s key estuaries, the topic aims to improve our understanding of the interaction between river discharge, tide and storm surge, providing valuable insights for flood risk management. 

1. Topic 3: Weather radar (Dual-Pol) applications – under this Topic, two research gaps are of interest:  

1. Sub-topic 3.1: Impact of wind turbines on dual-polarisation weather radar data 
2. Sub-topic 3.2: Hail monitoring and alerting 

Further details about the above Topics and sub-topics are available in the Terms and Conditions document. 

Funding 

Eligibility 

The Lead Applicant must be employed by a Higher Education Institution in Ireland and hold a qualification/have relevant experience in the aspect of work proposed (as evidenced by their CV). International collaboration is encouraged, as is support to early career researchers and the recruitment of PhD researchers to carry out part of the research. 

Key Dates 

Key Resources 

• Met Éireann Research Call 2024 Terms and Conditions  
• Met Éireann Research Call 2024 webpage 

The US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership (opens in a new tab) is a unique initiative involving funding agencies across three jurisdictions: United States of America, Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland.

The overall goal of the Partnership is to increase the level of collaborative R&D amongst researchers and industry across the three jurisdictions. This collaboration aims to generate valuable discoveries and innovations which are transferable to the marketplace, or will lead to enhancements in health, disease prevention or healthcare.

The Partnership achieves its goals through tri-partite research projects in which the funding agencies fund the elements of research undertaken in their own jurisdiction. Importantly, the Partnership must add significant value to each research programme above that achievable by the PI in each jurisdiction working alone.

The current focus of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Programme, as agreed by the Partnership Steering Group (opens in a new tab), is on the following seven thematic areas:

• Sensors & Sensor Networks
• Nanoscale Science & Engineering
• Telecommunications
• Energy & Sustainability
• Health
• Cybersecurity (new theme)
• Agriculture

How the Programme Operates

Each US-Ireland R&D Partnership proposal must have a minimum of one applicant from each jurisdiction and significant research participation by all three jurisdictions. The work proposed for each jurisdiction must add significant value, so that the overall programme of research goes beyond what might be achieved by any one PI working alone supported by national funding only.

The applicants from each jurisdiction will write a joint tri-partite proposal in the format required by NSF or NIH. It is the responsibility of the US investigator to submit the tri-partite proposal to the respective agency for review. Proposals are evaluated in accordance with the standard NSF or NIH review criteria of intellectual merit and broader impacts of the proposed effort. The funding agencies on the island of Ireland have agreed to accept the decisions of NSF and NIH with regard to the suitability for funding of individual proposals

Notification of Intent to Submit

In order to participate in a US-Ireland R&D Partnership proposal to the NSF or NIH, NI and RoI eligible applicants must send a mandatory Intention to Submit (ITS) form to the relevant funding agencies, North and South, from the Research Institution Research Offices on behalf of the RoI and NI lead applicant respectively. The information in this form will be used for planning purposes by the agencies. For templates and deadlines please see relevant call documentation.

Draft “Tri-Partite” proposal submission

In advance of submission of the final tri-partite proposal to the NSF or NIH, RoI and NI funding agencies will evaluate the draft proposal and either approve or decline support. Therefore, a draft of the tri-partite proposal for submission to the NSF or NIH must be submitted to the NI and RoI funding agencies in advance of full proposal deadline. For specific timelines and requirements please see relevant call documentation.

Submission of Final Tri-Partite Proposal to NSF

Once eligibility of the proposal has been confirmed by the RoI and NI funding agencies and the draft tri-partite proposal approved, the RoI and NI PIs are permitted to submit the tri-partite proposal to the NSF or NIH via their US partner, as it is the US partner who takes the lead on submission of the full proposal, including all necessary documentation, to the US funding agency via their Research Institution. 

Each of the RoI and NI funding agencies will write a Funding Commitment Letter outlining their level of budget commitment subject to NSF or NIH approval of the tri-jurisdictional proposal. Funding Commitment Letters are sent to the applicant by their funding agency and must be included in the final NSF or NIH submission.

Who can apply?

A US-Ireland R&D Partnership Programme application must have a minimum of one academic applicant from each of the three jurisdictions. Significant participation by researchers in all three jurisdictions must be demonstrated in the application.

Researchers should be at mid-stage or senior stage in their career. For specific eligibility criteria please refer to relevant call documentation.

Express your interest through Pure 

If you are preparing a funding application in adherence with SETU Waterford policy, please log your Expression of Interest via our internal record system Pure to receive guidance and support from the research office, TTO, and research finance team members.  Log in under your profile here, identify the fund opportunity and create your draft application. 

Other guidance/Notes you may like to weave in for guidance on Pure  

• We have a detailed Help & FAQ Guide on the Research Office website on Pure - SETU Waterford Campus | formerly Waterford Institute of Technology (wit.ie)  
• All applicants/PIs will need a Pure Profile to log an application for funding. If you haven't yet set up your Pure profile, please email [email protected] and they will set you up and give some guidance.  
• Please note the system does not submit to the funder/agency it just tracks what stage the proposal is at. The PI/Applicant or the RO must follow the individual guides for submission as provided by the agency/funder or funder.  
• Pure is our tracking and record system internally and has a shared view of application progress, submission, and outcome of awards across key stakeholders in the organization.  

The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a €500 million challenge-based fund established under Project Ireland 2040, managed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and administered by Enterprise Ireland. The fund is open to clients of Enterprise Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, IDA Ireland, and research performing organisations engaged in collaborative industrial research and/or experimental development towards a common objective in one of the six National Research Priority Areas (ICT, health and wellbeing, food, energy, climate, action and sustainability, manufacturing and materials, and services and business processes).  

Projects that will potentially alter markets, the way business operate, or involve the creation of new products or contribute to the emergence of new business models are suitable for DTIF funding. 

Eligibility criteria (non-exhaustive):  

• Project must be seeking a minimum funding of €1.5 million over three years 
• Project must include at least three independent partners seeking DTIF funding, or which at least one must be a SME and one other enterprise partner 
• RPOs can claim up to 100% of eligible costs but no more than 50% of the total DTIF grant aid per project 
• the type of research to be carried out must include ‘industrial research’ or ‘experimental development’ 

Other eligibility criteria also apply, please contact the Technology Transfer Office (email [email protected]) if you wish to clarify the eligibility of a project for funding under the DTIF. 

The call is currently open. An information webinar will be delivered by Enterprise Ireland on Thursday, 25 July at 09:00 Irish time. Applications can be submitted at any time before the deadline specified below. 

Key Dates 

Key Resources 

• Webinar link 
• Guide for applicants 
• Indicative application form 
• Consortium agreement template