HRB Impact Award 2027

Award aim and objectives

The overarching aim of the award is to recognise previously or currently HRB-funded Principal Investigators who have made a highly significant contribution to policy, society or the economy beyond academic impact.

The objectives of the award are:

• To recognise and celebrate the wider benefits and achievements of HRB funded researchers beyond academic impact.
• To showcase both the achievements and practices of individuals (and their teams) that resulted in this impact so they can serve as a role model for the wider HRB community to maximise the impact of their research.

Award details

• The HRB will award one Impact Award in the 2027 round.
• The HRB Impact award is a monetary prize of €50,000 which will be granted to the recipient’s chosen HRB approved host institution in support of their work.
• The recipient will be announced at the Impact Award 2027 Celebration Event which is expected to be held on 3 March 2027; however, this date remains subject to change. Should the date be amended, the HRB will notify nominators in due course.

Nominations

• The application process is nomination-based.
• Nominators for the award cannot nominate themselves.
• Nominations must be submitted to the HRB via the approved signatory in an HRB-approved host institution.
• There is no limit to the number of nominations that can be made by any one host institution, but an individual can be nominated only once per round and duplicate nominations for the same individual across institutions are not permitted.
• Each nomination must include details of a na med nominator as they will serve as the primary point of contact for the HRB during the application and review process.
• As part of the nomination process, the nominator must submit three testimonials from individuals who can attest, through professional or personal experience, to the impact of the nominee’s research.
• Nominees must agree to their nomination being submitted to the HRB and that, if successful, they will be responsible for the management of the award via a designated host institution, by providing an acceptance letter as part of this application.
• Nominees can be nominated only once per round and duplicate nominations for the same individual across institutions are not permitted.
• Individuals who were nominated unsuccessfully in previous rounds may be nominated again.

Nominees must be an investigator:

• Who held or holds a HRB grant(s) as principal investigator.
  • The HRB funding may have been awarded at any time during the nominee’s career but must be directly linked to the area of research that has resulted in the impact on people’s health, patient care, health policy, or practice that is the basis for their nomination.
  • Nominees must be working/have worked on the island of Ireland when pursuing the research related to the nomination.
• Who is based in an academic or healthcare or related setting.
• Whose research activities have had a significant and demonstrable impact in line with the scope outlined in the Impact Award 2027 Guidance Notes.
• Who has a contractual relationship with a HRB-recognised host institution for the purposes of administration of the Impact Award, if successful.

Please note:

• This award to date has recognised investigators who had reached senior principal investigator status due to the time needed for impacts to manifest.
• HRB staff or Board members are not eligible.

• All nominations must to be completed and submitted through the HRB online Grant E-Management System (GEMS) (grants.hrb.ie).
• GEMS will close automatically at the deadline. No nominations received after the deadline will be considered.
• Each nomination must be reviewed and approved by the signatory approver at the research office (or equivalent) in the host institution before it is submitted to the HRB.
• Nominators should ensure that they give the signatory approver sufficient time before the scheme closing date to review the nominations and approve it on GEMS. Please note that many host institutions specify internal deadlines for this process.
• Please read the Guidance Notes for all details required in the application.

https://grants.hrb.ie

Dr Marta Pisarska

Email: impact@hrb.ie