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Call for Applications for a Trinity Research Doctorate Award supporting Group-based Research Projects 2024-25

The call is open for new Trinity Research Doctorate Awards 2024-25

1. Introduction

Applications are now sought for 12 new Trinity Research Doctorate awards to support three group-based research initiatives. This initiative aims to foster innovative curiosity-driven cross-disciplinary research bringing together researchers at all career levels in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM, and Health Sciences, and facilitate the exchange of expertise and knowledge among all members of each project. Each application will be expected to identify how the research will enhance our local and global social and sustainability ambitions (often referred to in Trinity as our social foundations and our ecological ceiling) eg, through the research focus, the research process, those involved in the research. Applications can be aligned with EU Horizon Europe’s Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness pillars although this is not a requirement.

The multi-/interdisciplinary PI/Co-PI team (four or more) must represent at least three different Schools from across at least two Faculties. It is planned that the three successful projects will be led by a PI from each of the three Faculties (i.e., one team led by a PI from AHSS, one by a PI from STEM and one by a PI from Health Sciences).

The call will be open to academic staff from Assistant Professor to full Professor (‘Professor of’) grades and each team will be expected to demonstrate balance across career stage, disciplinary background, and gender. These awards will fund three group-based research initiatives/projects, each to recruit four full-time postgraduate doctoral researchers to work on an impactful project. Each doctoral researcher will receive an annual stipend of €25,000 and the award will cover tuition fees (EU and nonEU) (excluding fees charged for student levies and charges). No additional funding is available to cover research or travel costs and students are liable for non-tuition fee-related charges (e.g., SLC charge, IRP costs).

In line with College regulations, a Thesis Committee will be required to be put in place for all students. Awards will be made on a competitive basis and continuation of funding is contingent on satisfactory student progress, which must be reviewed and reported annually. Those in receipt of the award (student + supervisor) will be required to participate in the pilot Supervisor-Student Agreement protocol, and supervisors will be expected to engage with supervision enhancement opportunities over the course of the four years.

2. Call Details

• The award will fund three collaborative group-based research projects each to a maximum of €400k (stipends) plus tuition fees (EU/nonEU).
• The project should start by September, 2024 and must be completed within a period of 5 years.
• Each project must be led by an experienced PI.
• In addition to the lead-PI at least three co-PIs should be named on each proposal.
• All named PIs and Co-PIs must be permanent or tenure track Trinity Professors, Associate Professors, or Assistant Professors eligible under calendar regulations to supervise PhD students.
• The research team must be constructed to represent a balance in career stage and gender. Teams are strongly encouraged to ensure that at least one member is Assistant Professor with limited experience as a primary supervisor for a PhD student.
• Additional collaborators, where they are identified, may be from outside Trinity.
• Including the lead, the multi-/interdisciplinary PI/Co-PI team (four) must represent at least three different schools from across at least two Faculties. PIs can be named on a maximum of three applications and can be named as the Lead-PI of one application only.
• The PI/Co-PI team must be constructed so as to offer a balanced, inclusive, solution-oriented approach to the research project identified.
• Joint-supervision of the PhD students is encouraged. A description of the proposed co-supervision model and the supervision development plan for co-PIs who have limited experience of PhD supervision will be expected.

3. Making an Application

All lead-PIs are required to submit a Declaration of Intent Form in advance of submitting a full application. The purpose of the Declaration of Intent is to provide summary information which can be used to inform the composition and selection of the evaluation panel. It will not form part of the final evaluation scores and the information provided may be subject to revision. Current recipients of a Trinity Research Doctorate Award funding them as a principal supervisor are not eligible to apply in 2024-25.

4. Evaluation Scheme for Applications

The purpose of the scheme is fourfold. First, it is aimed at rewarding and encouraging excellence of research; second, it strives to foster excellent and innovative cross-disciplinary research partnerships and build capacity; third it is aimed at ensuring that Trinity can attract the very best PhD students; and fourth, it seeks to enhance our local and global social and sustainability ambitions delivering multi-disciplinary solutions (often referred to in Trinity as our social foundations and our ecological ceiling). The evaluation scheme for applications, detailed below, reflects these broad policy concerns. As will be outlined in the online application form, applicants for a Trinity Research Doctorate Award supporting Group-Based Research Projects will be asked to submit the following:

i. A detailed statement of the proposal in question (max 1,500 words). In this section, applicants should outline their proposal in more detail in the style appropriate to their interdisciplinary proposal. The evaluation panels are particularly concerned with (a) the innovative nature of the proposal and its overall significance in addressing complex questions and challenges requiring multi-/interdisciplinary solutions, and (b) the potential for research outputs and impact arising from the proposal. Note: It will be a requirement to evidence consideration has been given to the project’s contribution towards enhancing our local and global social and sustainability ambitions. Due to character restrictions in MS Forms, please upload your proposal in a .pdf format not exceeding 1,500 words. Please include the title of the project proposal and name of the lead PI in the header or footer of the document.

ii. A lay abstract of the proposal in question (max 400 words). Applicants should be conscious that it is entirely possible that their proposal will be reviewed at all stages by someone who is not located in their disciplines or familiar with their field of research. If the proposal moves to the second stage of evaluation listed below, it will be reviewed by academics from all three faculties. The lay abstract should ensure that the proposal is comprehensible and accessible to people who have no knowledge of the relevant fields and evidence consideration has been given to the project’s contribution towards enhancing our local and global social and sustainability ambitions.

iii. A statement (max 800 words) of the the multi-/interdisciplinary approaches within the research proposal and how these will interact in a balanced, inclusive way to address the identified research goal including the integration of the gender dimension in the multi-/interdisciplinary R&I content. One of the policy imperatives behind this award scheme is to support and build capacity for interdisciplinary research required to address complex questions and challenges. The ideal is that these awards can facilitate Trinity academic staff to experience multi-/interdisciplinary research and participate in consortia to win further externally secured funding of scale, such as Horizon Europe. Thus, applicants are asked to outline in this section the reasons why their proposal would be appropriate recipients of an award given this policy imperative. Due to character restrictions in MS Forms, please upload your response in a .pdf format not exceeding 800 words. Please include the title of the project proposal and name of the lead PI in the header or footer of the document.

iv. The role of and impact for the students (max 400 words) In this section, applicants should focus on the way students funded under this award will be involved in the multi-/interdisciplinary project and the extent to which such involvement will be of benefit to them beyond merely funding to support their PhD study. The proposal should also present the plan to address the additional needs for students working in interdisciplinary.

v. A statement of current and future (over the next five years) research funding for which the research project is or will be in receipt (max 200 words). This information is sought for two reasons. First, reviewers may consider it as one of the many relevant factors in assessing the degree of impact that an award may have on an applicant’s career. Second, some projects will involve significant infrastructural or consumable costs that cannot be covered under the scheme, and it is important, in deciding on such an application, that the evaluation panel is confident that this additional funding is in place.

5. Evaluation Criteria

The applications will be scored out of a total of 100 marks and allocated across four categories as follows:

i. 30 marks for the quality of research design, methodology and feasibility.

ii. 30 marks for research impact including overall significance, degree of innovation of the project, and engagement. It will be a requirement to evidence consideration has been given to the project’s contribution towards enhancing our local and global social and sustainability ambitions, coupled with a considered communication and dissemination strategy (internal and external to TCD) which includes participation by the PhD students.

iii. 20 marks for the ability and track-record of the PI/Co-PI team to address the research proposal as presented, noting that a balanced approach to the team construction is expected, and plans to build capacity and interdisciplinarity. There will be a requirement for evidence of the inherent multi-/interdisciplinary approaches within the research proposal and how these will interact in a balanced, inclusive way to address the identified research goal including the integration of the gender dimension in the multi-/interdisciplinary R&I content.

iv. 20 marks for evidence related to the impact of an award on each student’s research trajectory and how this will be supported through the interdisciplinary supervision process, showcasing elements of innovation within the doctoral training of the interdisciplinary PhD cohort. Applications should also include a description of the proposed PhD recruitment/joint-supervisory mechanisms, a rationale for suggested supervisory pairings and a supervision development plan where appropriate. The evaluation panel will be attentive to the proposed spread of student registrations across Schools in evaluating applications.

6. Evaluation Process

The evaluation process operates on a two-stage basis.

1. In the first stage, each completed application will be reviewed by at least one external assessor who has a balanced span of expertise relevant to the research proposal and who will advise on applications to be shortlisted to proceed to the second stage. External assessors will be identified based on each Declaration of Intent submitted, in consultation with Heads of School.
2. In the second stage, shortlisted applications will be evaluated by a panel chaired by the Dean of Graduate Studies including the Dean of Research, the Faculty Deans among others and an external assessor appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The decisions as to which applications will receive the Trinity Research Doctorate Awards is at the sole discretion of this committee whose decision on the matter is final.

All lead-PI applicants will be contacted by the Dean of Graduate Studies at the end of the evaluation process and will receive written feedback in relation to their application.

7. Timelines

An online information session hosted by the Dean of Graduate Studies will be held at 12 noon on Monday, 4th December 2023.

Completed Declaration of Intent forms should be submitted by Wednesday, 13th December 2023 to pgrenewal@tcd.ie. Applications must be completed online, and submitted no later than Thursday, 1st February 2024. Late applications will not be considered. It is expected that the results of the evaluation process will be known by Friday, 19th April 2024. Applicants will be contacted thereafter, and the list of successful applicants will be published on the Graduate Studies Office website.

8. Process Following a Successful Application

Successful applicants may, immediately after being notified of this fact, start to look for PhD students to be funded under their grant. PIs are encouraged to advertise as widely as possible.

Responsibility for the recruitment of the PhD students to a particular project lies with the PIs/Co-PIs on the project (subject to the fact that discretion as to whether to admit any student to the PhD register rests with the relevant department/school and ultimately with the Dean of Graduate Studies). Awards may not be split across students. However, where a student who has been recruited to the project is, for whatever reason, unable to continue to be in receipt of such funding, the Lead-PI may seek permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies to recruit another PhD student. If a PI is unable to continue to work with the student (for example if the PI leaves the university), then the funding will remain with the student and the School may transfer them to a new supervisor.

In the highly unlikely event that a successful team of PIs/Co-PIs is unable to recruit all or any of the PhD students to the project in question then the lead-PI may apply to the Dean of Graduate Studies to defer recruitment for one year. The decision as to whether or not to do so rests with the Dean. For the avoidance of doubt, the operation of the Trinity Research Doctorate Award scheme is distinct from and does not affect any other funding schemes within the university (for example Gratton, Hamilton, Kinsella Challenge-based Awards etc).

9. Obligations of Successful Applicants

Successful applicants will be expected to report annually outlining the progress of the research project and work with TDA and Trinity Communications to support interested alumni and support research student developments within the University. Award recipients (student + PI/supervisor) will be required to participate in the pilot Supervisor-Student Agreement protocol, and all named PIs/Co-PIs will be expected to engage with supervision enhancement opportunities over the course of the four years.

Email Us

Please contact us at pgrenewal@tcd.ie if you have any queries.