Industry Fellowship
Open
30 Sept 2026 / 30 Sept 2026
Deadline
Rolling assessments from 19th November 2026
Duration
1-12 months full-time, or up to 24 months part-time
Important Dates
The Industry Fellowship Programme forms part of a broader portfolio of mobility fellowship programmes being developed by Research Ireland to support the movement of researchers across sectors, strengthening collaboration, knowledge exchange and research impact. This portfolio includes programmes such as the Research Ireland Fellowship and the Public Service Fellowship. Specifically, the Industry Fellowship Programme aims to support researcher mobility to enterprise to strengthen knowledge exchange, collaboration and innovation, and to accelerate the application of research for economic impact across Ireland.
The programme provides opportunities for researchers to undertake a Fellowship within a company, working on a co-developed research project that addresses shared challenges and opportunities. By embedding researchers within industry, the programme promotes the exchange of knowledge, skills and expertise between academia and enterprise. Fellows gain valuable industry experience, develop new professional networks and perspectives, and contribute to new research and innovation activities.
The programme is open to late-stage PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and academic staff. Research Ireland aims to support the development of long-term research-industry partnerships and strengthen connections between Ireland’s academic research and enterprise communities. The Industry Fellowship Programme builds on the success of previous enterprise-facing mobility schemes, including the Enterprise Fellowship Placement Stream and the Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme.
We welcome applications from researchers at different career stages, including:
- Category A: Faculty staff seeking dedicated time to undertake a collaborative project with an eligible Industry Partner.
- Category B: Postdoctoral researchers.
- Category C: Late-stage PhD candidates who will have completed their PhD before the Fellowship begins.
Applicants must have the support of both an eligible Irish Research Body and an eligible Industry Partner to undertake the proposed Fellowship.
A list of eligible Research Bodies is available on the Research Ireland website. The Research Body will administer the award and act as the employer of the Fellow throughout the Fellowship.
Each application must include a single nominated Industry Partner. Eligible Industry Partners are companies that can provide an appropriate research environment for an embedded Fellow to undertake the proposed project and have the capacity, expertise and resources to support the collaboration. Industry Partners may be located in Ireland or internationally.
The Industry Fellowship Programme supports researcher mobility into industry through a placement-based model. Fellows are therefore expected to undertake the Fellowship primarily at the Industry Partner’s premises and work closely with the host organisation throughout the placement. Applications where the researcher remains based solely at the Research Body are not supported.
Government departments and agencies, public hospitals, Technology Transfer Offices, Higher Education Institutions and other publicly funded organisations are not eligible to act as Industry Partners under this programme. Applicants interested in collaborating with public sector organisations should instead consider the Research Ireland Public Sector Fellowship Programme.
An Industry Mentor must be identified for each application. The Industry Mentor must be an employee of the nominated Industry Partner with relevant industry experience, appropriate expertise and sufficient industry experience to support both the Fellow and the successful delivery of the project.
The Industry Mentor acts as the Fellow’s primary point of contact within the host organisation and is responsible for providing guidance, mentorship and ongoing supervision throughout the Fellowship.
- Call launch: 30th September 2026
- Applications can be submitted on SESAME from Monday 12th October.
Applications can be submitted at any time, but batches of applications will be assessed at the following assessment deadlines:
- 19th November 2026, 13.00 (Irish local time)
- 31st March 2027, 13.00 (Irish local time)
- 30th September 2027, 13.00 (Irish local time)
- Subsequent dates will be added in due course
An information webinar will be held on Tuesday 13th October at 14.00 (Irish local time)
The Industry Fellowship Programme supports researcher mobility into industry through collaborative placements with eligible Industry Partners. Fellowships may be undertaken on a full-time basis for between 1 and 12 months, or on a part-time basis for up to 24 months. Research Ireland provides up to a maximum of €130,000 in direct costs to support eligible salary or teaching buy-out, travel and training, and open access publishing costs. All awards include a fixed €10,000 travel and training budget for eligible costs, and Industry Partners are expected to contribute (in-kind) to project costs in accordance with applicable State aid requirements. Successful Fellows remain employed by their Research Body throughout the award and are expected to commence their Fellowship within six months of notification of funding.
Further information on Fellowship duration, eligible costs, Industry Partner contributions, State aid requirements and budget rules is available in the Call Document.
An information webinar will be held on Tuesday 13th October at 14.00 (Irish local time)