Prior to their amalgamation to form Research Ireland, both Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Irish Research Council (IRC) offered a suite of enterprise-facing fellowship programmes to support collaboration between researchers and enterprise. These programmes are to be consolidated into a single, streamlined offering, but while Research Ireland works towards that goal, both the original SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme and the IRC Enterprise Fellowship Scheme (Postdoctoral) will run for one last time. Applications are now open with a closing date of July 15th.
“Research excellence and talent are cornerstones of Research Ireland,” said Siobhan Roche, director of research for the economy at Research Ireland. “We are committed to the development of the talent and skills needed to meet the demand from the public and private sectors. This includes ensuring that Research Ireland has a range of funding opportunities for researchers to progress into further research and non-research roles.”
Dr Roche points out that it is important to provide opportunities for academic researchers, particularly those at an earlier stage of their careers. With broader career pathways, they will be better placed to realise their full potential while also providing opportunities for a wide array of organisations to benefit from the cutting-edge research taking place in higher education institutions.
The SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship Programme supports academic researchers at faculty, postdoctoral and late-stage PhD level wishing to spend time based in industry worldwide. Fellowships can be between one and 24 months in duration and can be taken on a full- or part-time basis.
The IRC Enterprise Fellowship Scheme supports suitably qualified postdoctoral fellows or late-stage PhD students pursuing, or intending to pursue, full-time research for a period of 12 or 24 months based in an eligible research body while partnering with enterprise.
“The programmes enable researchers to connect with beneficiaries and potential users of their research,” says Ms Roche. “This includes companies of all sizes as well as charities and other non-governmental organisations.”
They gain real-world insights that can help shape their research through engagement with potential end users
— Siobhan Roche
State agencies and public bodies can participate in the IRC scheme.
“The programmes support the exchange of knowledge and expertise between academia and enterprise partners,” she adds. “And they play an important role in bridging the gap between academic research and practical application in the private and public sectors, helping to translate the research into new products and services.”
Benefits to researchers include exposure to industry practices such as product development, project management, and commercialisation strategies. “This makes them more versatile and employable,” Ms Roche points out. “They gain real-world insights that can help shape their research through engagement with potential end users. The programmes also create opportunities for researchers to transition into enterprise roles or bring valuable insights back to academia, enriching both sectors.”
Dr Petra Jagušt, an Irish Cancer Society research fellow at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, was awarded an SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship in 2022. She worked with Remedy Biologics Ltd, a Dublin-based start-up, on the project Breast Cancer Immune Ecosystem-derived T Cell Therapy (SENSE). This project contributed significantly to the validation of RemedyBio’s single-cell platform by identifying its full potential and expanding the knowledge of cancer cell-TIL interactions in various solid cancers.
“The SFI RD&I Fellowship was incredibly beneficial for my career, particularly in helping me secure my current position,” says Dr Jagušt. “The hard and soft skills I acquired at RemedyBio have been invaluable in my current research. For example, my work has greatly benefited from my improved microscopy skills and my research is now more detail-focused thanks to enhanced project management abilities. I’ve become adept at setting well-defined short-term goals and recognising the importance of celebrating small achievements.”
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For the enterprise partners, the fellowships help to build long-term collaborative, co-funded research partnerships. “It’s a perfect way for an enterprise to start engaging in academic collaborations and build trusted partnerships,” says Ms Roche. “It can enable them to address skills gaps for strategic research projects and to derisk the research through a co-funded partnership approach. They also benefit from cutting-edge academic expertise and fresh perspectives, often accelerating innovation cycles and solving technical challenges more efficiently.”
There is also the added bonus of access to higher education institute’s partners labs and R&D facilities where the research takes place in the academic setting.
The application process is quite straightforward, according to Ms Roche. Researchers submit proposals with the support of their host institution and an enterprise partner. “The projects are effectively co-developed with the enterprise partner,” she points out.
“Enterprises wishing to take part can contact the research offices in the higher education institutions to ask if any researchers are interested in working with them. They can also contact Research Ireland and we’ll help in any way we can.
“These programmes are a key priority for Research Ireland as they strengthen collaboration between the research and innovation system, businesses, and NGOs – driving meaningful impact, fostering innovation and supporting a high-quality pipeline of talent to meet the evolving needs of industry and society across Ireland.”
For more information, visit researchireland.ie
