Irish Research Council 2013/2014

Realt Dearg Sec

Ravelleman wrote: »

I have yet to be contacted by anyone about my award. Anyone else in the same boat? From what I understand my university does know about it. The IRC have yet to email me though.

No word from the IRC yet, but was talking to a few people and it's the same. UCC told me yesterday that the IRC will be sending out mails on how to accept the award soon (although why it's taking so long is not clear to me, surely it's a generic mail that they send to everyone, and they already knew how people would be accepting the thing...incidentally why mail the colleges to tell them to tell us that it would be clarified soon, why not just mail us to tell us the same thing?)

Duddy

NUIM sent this: a quote from IRC themselves:)

The letter will be sent by email, and all documentation to be signed by all relevant parties can be in the first instance submitted with electronic signatures, with the hardcopy to follow. This is to facilitate those applicants overseas or travelling at this time.

Apparently they'll be out by the end of this week!

Ravelleman

Duddy wrote: »

Apparently they'll be out by the end of this week!

Oh, the anticipation. When I sign my electronic signature, wearing my digital suit, I'll finally know it's all real.

cailleach an airgid

Oh good, I was just starting to get worried that funding had been pulled from the scheme or they were only messing about my conditional award (you know how the anxious brain creates all sorts of mad scenarios!).

Ostrom

Got the same from NUI Maynooth, notification by the end of this week. I'm afraid to acknowledge/celebrate until then

Piglet85

Ah lads, this is getting ridiculous. I'm so anxious about hearing from them as there's a tiny technicality relating to my situation which I'm afraid may prevent the IRC from cementing my offer, so I've been on tenterhooks since the offers came out. Got nothing done the last couple of days 'cause all I'm doing is refreshing my email constantly, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they don't actually email today at all. In which case it'd be Tuesday at the earliest before we here. Really wish they'd just put us all out of our misery so we can go and enjoy the bank holiday weekend (or spend it drowning our sorrows in my case perhaps!).

Realt Dearg Sec

Piglet85 wrote: »

Ah lads, this is getting ridiculous. I'm so anxious about hearing from them as there's a tiny technicality relating to my situation which I'm afraid may prevent the IRC from cementing my offer, so I've been on tenterhooks since the offers came out. Got nothing done the last couple of days 'cause all I'm doing is refreshing my email constantly, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they don't actually email today at all. In which case it'd be Tuesday at the earliest before we here. Really wish they'd just put us all out of our misery so we can go and enjoy the bank holiday weekend (or spend it drowning our sorrows in my case perhaps!).

Seriously I know you're uneasy (seems to be a lot of folks who are) but they can't make an offer like that and then take it back on a technicality surely? What sort of technicality could it be, really, that wouldn't have been picked up until after they had offered it to you? Seriously, you've gotten your reward for a huge amount of hard work, I wouldn't let a damn thing stand between you and your bank holiday.

But yeah it's getting farcical in terms of the delay.

Piglet85

I dunno, I think they could. I imagine that's the whole idea of the "conditional" in conditional award, i.e., it's subject to withdrawal if they find a reason when they're checking out everything before offering you the contract. I'd say it happens very rarely, but I can't relax 100% until I know for sure, as I have a couple of friends who already have the scholarship and have told me stories about mix-ups/mistakes that they've experienced, albeit in relation to other things!

Realt Dearg Sec

Piglet85 wrote: »

I dunno, I think they could. I imagine that's the whole idea of the "conditional" in conditional award, i.e., it's subject to withdrawal if they find a reason when they're checking out everything before offering you the contract. I'd say it happens very rarely, but I can't relax 100% until I know for sure, as I have a couple of friends who already have the scholarship and have told me stories about mix-ups/mistakes that they've experienced, albeit in relation to other things!

Unless you lied about your academic history or something like that, you'll be fine.

Piglet85

Haha, God no, it's nothing serious, and I pointed it out in my application so should be fine, but I was just so stunned to be offered the award regardless that I'm terrified to celebrate until I know for absolute definite, in case they missed it somehow! I suppose you're right, though. It would be very mean to withdraw it at this stage. Just wish they'd stop keeping us in the dark so much!

Realt Dearg Sec

Piglet85 wrote: »

Haha, God no, it's nothing serious, and I pointed it out in my application so should be fine, but I was just so stunned to be offered the award regardless that I'm terrified to celebrate until I know for absolute definite, in case they missed it somehow! I suppose you're right, though. It would be very mean to withdraw it at this stage. Just wish they'd stop keeping us in the dark so much!

It would probably be illegal for them to withdraw it at this stage, the only way they can withdraw it is if your application wasn't made in good faith. If you clarified things IN the application then they can't withdraw it now, or you'd be well within your rights to sue them (since you would have been making arrangements based on the offer etc). Calling it a conditional award wouldn't absolve them of liability. So relax! You're in!

Ravelleman

I don't think they're in the game of taking scholarships away from people unless there's something seriously wrong. We'll all be grand - it's out of our hands for the moment.

Realt Dearg Sec

Was just talking to a department head in UCC, and mentioned that we still had no word. She contacted the IRC and they told her it'll be next week.

No rush anyway lads...

Piglet85

Ffs...Not that I'm surprised! :rolleyes: Thanks for the update though, at least I can stop checking my mail incessantly now.

BumblebeeGirl

Just got this from my college:

We received this from the IRC today at lunchtime:

Letters of offer for the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme and Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme will start to be sent today. These will be sent to conditional awardees by email and as each email is specific to the awardee the emails will be sent over the course of the forthcoming days rather than as a group email. The research office of each institution will receive a spread sheet detailing their awardees and amounts approved for each, as well as a template copy of the letter of offer and awardee acceptance form.

They confirmed that this refers to EPS and ELEVATE schemes also.

Duddy

Thanks Bumblebee! Do you think we know more than the colleges at this stage with our pooled information resource? :P

I presume the amounts approved refers to the expenses applied for?

ProfanityURL

I see some people have heard from their university research offices. Has anyone heard anything from UL so far, as I have not and am therefore hoping no one else has yet either!

I'm also wondering does anyone know how we get our money each month. If I intend to start on 1st September then when can I expect to get paid?

Jester252

Just got it today. Delighted

k_tos

ProfanityURL wrote: »

I see some people have heard from their university research offices. Has anyone heard anything from UL so far, as I have not and am therefore hoping no one else has yet either!

I'm also wondering does anyone know how we get our money each month. If I intend to start on 1st September then when can I expect to get paid?

Pretty certain it's end of Ocotber and by cheque? Which means if its lodged last week Oct, will still take time to clear through the bank

MuireannO

UCD sent an email saying all the emails will be sent out today. As the clock ticks towards five, I keep refreshing my email inbox, and checking my application to see it doesn't disappear. The amount of productivity I've lost over this!

k_tos

Nothing yet for me (UCC). The effect of this thread always makes me apprehensive! That and gmail isn't entirely reliable when you need it to be..

Realt Dearg Sec

MuireannO wrote: »

UCD sent an email saying all the emails will be sent out today. As the clock ticks towards five, I keep refreshing my email inbox, and checking my application to see it doesn't disappear. The amount of productivity I've lost over this!

The text of the mail sent to the colleges was put up here by someone else. They are not sending them all out today, so whoever sent you that in UCD is wrong. Each mail is specific to the student/postdoc because of the particular expense requests you've made etc. So relax. Or more importantly: they aren't going to take the scholarship from you, so stop using it as an excuse not to work!!:P

Realt Dearg Sec

k_tos wrote: »

Nothing yet for me (UCC). The effect of this thread always makes me apprehensive! That and gmail isn't entirely reliable when you need it to be..

I've no word yet either (UCC as well). Be grand sure.

MuireannO

We got another email from the UCD research office today, which said it was today for the emails.
But you're definitely right and I should probably do some work!

k_tos

Well at least there's enough confusion and enough of us that haven't received anything yet to confirm that things on their side (IRC) aren't finalised yet.

When you're the one person on here that hasn't received anything, I suppose then its time to start making equiries- loudly.

Realt Dearg Sec

MuireannO wrote: »

We got another email from the UCD research office today, which said it was today for the emails.

Fair enough. It's just that the deadlines the IRC give themselves clearly have little value.

Piglet85

Received mine at 16:50, phew! It included a standard form letter about how to accept, an award acceptance form which includes details of how much you've been awarded, and then just a copy of the T&Cs again. So all appears to be in order!

k_tos

Got mine too.

Only formality of substance seems to be the transcripts of results- all else is just amount you're getting and signatures by deadline

Ravelleman

Mine went into my spam folder. For shame.

thewhitepele

Only after finding mine in my spam folder now. Feckin' Gmail!