HRB Postdoctoral Fellowships – Applying Research into Policy and Practice (ARPP) 2023: (next call envisaged to launch in Q2 2025)

The scheme is targeted at health and social care researchers with a PhD (or PhD equivalency) and between two to six years of active post-doctoral experience, who are interested in advancing applied health and social care research aimed at finding practical solutions to specific problems. This fellowship will provide a unique opportunity to enhance their career ambition towards achieving tenured independent investigator status. Each fellowship will provide salary for the fellow and research-related costs up to a maximum of €50K. It can be undertaken full time for three years or part time up to five years. The HRB envisaged up to eight awards.

Details of this Scheme

The main objectives are :

Support researchers with between two and six years’ prior active post-doctoral experience and who demonstrate that they have the motivation and the potential to advance on an academic track towards independent investigator status.
Support researchers to conduct and manage health and social care research projects that are applied and aimed at finding practical solutions to specific problems or evidence gaps.
Provide funding for the prospective fellow and the proposed project, but also to support them to enhance their development and growth as a researcher and as a research grant manager.
Enable the prospective fellow to gain experience of working with knowledge users in relevant policy and/or practice organisations. The HRB supports the concept of integrated knowledge translation (iKT) throughout the project rather than solely end of grant communication and dissemination. The process of iKT may vary in intensity, complexity and level of engagement depending on the nature of the research and the needs of the particular knowledge user but typically involves collaboration for refinement of research questions, decisions around methodology, data collection or tool development, selection of outcomes measures, interpretation of findings, crafting of the key messages and the dissemination of results.

The call focuses on applied health and social care research projects in areas of importance at local, national or international level (as opposed to fully investigator-led research). Research projects should have a strong potential to make research findings applicable and transferable into improved healthcare and policy. Eligible area of research are clinical, population health, and health services research.

Who can apply?

Lead applicants must:

Possess a PhD degree or demonstrate equivalent research experience as defined in the ‘Towards a European Framework for Research Careers’.
- PhD equivalency is defined as at least four years full time research experience post-primary degree. Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree entitling them to embark on a doctorate (either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited), even if a doctorate was never started or envisaged. Equivalency must be granted before a submission of an application, please contact the HRB to discuss equivalency.
Professional and taught doctorate degrees are not accepted as equivalent to a PhD.
- For the purpose of this call, the date of a PhD is defined as the year that the degree was successfully defended (not the conferred date);
- For individuals, who hold more than one PhD degree, the date of the earliest degree will define the lead Applicant’s eligibility.
Have a minimum of two years active postdoctoral experience prior to the submission of an application). The number of years post PhD is determined by calendar year and therefore, the PhD must have been successfully defended in the year 2020 at the latest. This means, if working full time with no career breaks, Lead Applicants should have started their postdoctoral position no later than January 2021 to qualify as eligible for this round.
Have a maximum of six years active postdoctoral experience prior to the submission of an application. This means, if working full time with no career breaks, Lead Applicants should have started their postdoc no earlier than January 2017.
Apply with the support of an approved HRB Host Institution based in the Republic of Ireland.

Please see Guidance Notes for full details on eligibility criteria.

How to apply

Applications must be completed and submitted through the HRB online Grant E-Management System (GEMS) (https://grants.hrb.ie).

The Postdoctoral Fellowships ARPP scheme will use a one-stage application process consisting of a full application followed by international peer-review and panel interview.

GEMS will close the full application form for this scheme automatically at 13:00 on 02 March 2023.

Prior to final submission to the HRB, all applications must first be reviewed and approved within GEMS by the authorised approver at the Host Institution as listed in the application form. It is critical therefore that applicants leave sufficient time in the process for the Research Office (or equivalent) in their nominated Host Institution to review, seek clarifications and approve applications prior to the final submission date. This may involve being aware of and complying with any internal Host Institution deadlines for review and approval, distinct from the HRB deadline.

Apply for this award