Supports for Dean's Research Initiatives Fund

Support for writing this application:

The Faculty has called on previous winners of the Dean’s Award to be available for some application-writing support. Mentors have been asked to offer two meetings with applicants, plus one review of the draft application. Applicants are asked to make contact with prospective mentors (see list below) early in the process in order to prevent undue pressure close to the submission deadline. Please also be aware that your first choice of mentor may not be available to support you if they have already agreed to support other applicants. Some applicants may already have an established relationship with a mentor via HR's academic mentoring scheme, so please feel free to use their support instead if you wish. We hope to increase the pool of Faculty mentors substantially in the coming years, and are extremely grateful to those who have come forward to offer their help for this call.

Maximizing opportunities for external funding:

Applicants are strongly advised to contact the Research Development Office (RDO) prior to submitting their application for the Dean’s Award. The RDO will advise on the most suitable pathway for future funding. Winners of the Dean's Research Awards will later be linked with a member of staff in Health Sciences who has prior success in securing funding from the same external funder. These mentors will be asked to offer two meetings plus one review of your draft application, when you are at that stage.

Presentation (23 June 2026) - Research Development Office, Health Research Funding Opportunities (presentation opens as a PDF)

Support for developing Public & Patient Involvement (PPI) in your application:

Applicants are asked to complete "Section 1: Introduction to PPI" of the Trinity PPI Ignite Introductory Module, and to confirm on their application form that they have done so. Additional background information specifically relating to PPI in Health Sciences can be found in the Faculty Forum slides and video located here: Faculty Forum - Faculty of Health Sciences - Trinity College Dublin (tcd.ie). Winners of the Dean's Research Awards will later be linked with staff from the Trinity PPI Ignite Office in order to explore the PPI aspect of their project in more detail prior to commencement. Building successful PPI from the outset of your Dean's Award will lead to a better chance of success in securing external, larger scale funding, and the PPI Ignite office will guide you on this journey.

Presentation (23 June 2026) - PPI in Funding Applications (presentation opens as a PDF)