The IUA welcomes today’s announcement by Minister Simon Harris TD, of an investment of €3.2m in 2021 to address the funding gap for Irish Research Council (IRC) postgraduate students and post-doctoral researchers. IRC postgraduate students will now receive a stipend similar to that offered by other national funders. For IRC postdoctoral researchers, this now brings their salaries in line with those agreed under the National Researcher Career Framework, recently published by the IUA. This disparity in remuneration has been a long-standing issue at the fore of discussions between the IUA and Government for many years and we are delighted to see it resolved. Developing the pipeline of research talent is crucial if Ireland is to realise its ambitions under the new Programme for Government and Project Ireland 2040.
Commenting on the survey Dr Lisa Keating, Director of Research and Innovation at IUA said, “It is so important to treat people equitably across our research ecosystem. This important move by the Minister will make the IRC scholarships and fellowships more attractive to talent both at home and abroad and will strengthen Ireland’s position as an island of talent, innovation and inclusion. The early career researchers that IRC supports across all disciplines are the future of our research eco-system and the future of an Ireland we all aspire to.”
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For more information contact:
Lia O’Sullivan, Head of Communications, IUA 085 7141414