Applications are now open for the 2026 Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme

Ednah Carrick September 12, 2025

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Closing Date: 23 October 2025

Applications are now open for the 2026 Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme

Overview

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 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.

What is offered

These grants will support suitably qualified research master’s and doctoral candidates pursuing, or intending to pursue, full-time research in any discipline. The duration of the Postgraduate Scholarship ranges from one to four years depending on the type of degree being
pursued.

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;
a contribution to fees, including non-European Union fees, paid to the host research
body, up to a maximum of €5,7501; and
eligible direct costs of €3,250 to enable the awardee to carry out the research project.
Please note: The scholarship grant must be accepted in full, including all three budget headings listed above. Applicants are not permitted to apply for or accept funding for only one or two of the budget headings. Partial acceptance of the grant is not allowed under any circumstances.

Eligibility Criteria of The Applicant (Scholar)

The programme is open to Master’s and PhD candidates who will be new entrants to the postgraduate
degree for which they are seeking funding. Applicants who have completed no more than the first
year of their degree might be eligible to apply. The following conditions also apply;

There is no age limit for applicants to be eligible.
All applicants must be affiliated with an Eligible Research Body, who will be responsible for verifying all results from undergraduate or postgraduate degrees named in the application.
All applicants must have a first-class or upper second-class honours bachelor’s, or the equivalent, degree. If the applicant does not have a first class or upper second-class honours bachelor’s, or the equivalent degree, they must possess a master’s degree. Research Ireland’s determination of an applicant’s eligibility on these criteria is final. If undergraduate examination results are not known at the time of application and the application subsequently meets the funding threshold, the final degree result must be confirmed before a Letter of Offer can be issued
Applications will only be accepted in either the Irish or English language.
Applicants must not have had two previous unsuccessful applications to the programme. This applies regardless of whether the applicant has changed their Eligible Research Body or research topic since a previous submission.
Applicants must not be a permanent member of staff in either an Irish or international Research Body.
All applications require a primary supervisor willing to guide the proposed research project. Research Ireland is not in a position to assist applicants in finding a primary
supervisor for their application.
Primary supervisors may not support more than one applicant to the Government
Applicants from any country may hold a Government of Ireland Scholarship however applicants will fall under one of two categories based on nationality and residency