Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme
Closed
11 Sept 2025 / 20 Feb 2026
Important Dates
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 Government of Ireland 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.
A number of government departments and agencies partner with Research Ireland to support the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme as a mechanism to deliver on shared national objectives. Research Ireland’s strategic funding partners for 2026 are:
The programme will now be open to new entrants to a Master’s or PhD programme or to registered students in the first year of the degree for which they are seeking funding, aligning with a full-degree funding model.
Academic Supervisors may act as Primary Supervisor for no more than one applicant to the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship programme. There is no restriction on the number of applications where a supervisor may serve as secondary or co-supervisor.
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 per annum
- a contribution to fees, including non-EU fees, up to a maximum of €5,750 per annum [In cases where the grant recipient is a non-EU national, they may request an additional €4,000 per annum over-and-above the standard fee contribution. Any remaining differential in fees must be paid by the grant recipient and/or the Research Body.]
- eligible direct costs of €3,250 per annum
Co-Funded By
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.
