Irish Research Council 2014/2015

Ravelleman

SNiB wrote: »

Also - when you select 'Yes' where it asks if you have "already commenced the course of research for which you are applying" - it brings up a new section "Please outline the source and duration of your funding (start/finish dates), and outline the progress made to date and include completed tasks, chapters etc." - do you think they mean to actually attach the chapters etc. as word files? I hope not!

It's badly written. Just provide an outline. If people included actual chapters the IRC would implode.

LegofLamb

Hi guys.

I'm applying for the 2 year postdoc funding. Does anyone know the numbers for postdocs? Or are they just in the 1100 applicants / 254 successful band from previous years?

I really really want this to get started on the next book!

nialljf

I remember a postdoc saying it was more competitive than the postgrad scheme. Not sure of the statistics though.

Just one week until UCC's internal deadline for applicants. Have other research offices set internal deadlines?

lauras91

NUIM have also set this day next week as the internal deadline. This is going to be a stressful week, but got word this morning that both people I wanted as referees are happy to do so - good start! Good luck everyone with the writing!

TCD internal deadline is Sunday...best get to work!

OpenYourEyes

Anyone know about a UCD internal deadline?

Guillelligan

Last year there were about 1800 applicants for 50 awards...It's tough.

ArtOfEscape

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Anyone know about a UCD internal deadline?

Have just emailed about this, will post here if I get a response.

Guillelligan

Guillelligan wrote: »

Last year there were about 1800 applicants for 50 awards...It's tough.

For postgrad or postdoc award?

ArtOfEscape

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Anyone know about a UCD internal deadline?

Just heard back - no internal UCD deadline as there are too many applications to provide a review service, as you might imagine! There is a PDF help pack available and there will be a workshop, no details on that yet.

Edited to update: Workshop is on 21st January, email irc@ucd.ie

OpenYourEyes

ArtOfEscape wrote: »

Just heard back - no internal UCD deadline as there are too many applications to provide a review service, as you might imagine! There is a PDF help pack available and there will be a workshop, no details on that yet.

Thanks for that!

I've seen online that theres a workshop about the gender aspect, but that's all I've seen - hopefully theres a more general one than that to come

nialljf

Just received details on a Sex/Gender Dimension Statement workshop in Ballsbridge. I have attached the document.

lauras91

anyone else noticed the change to 'Relationship of the project to existing research' section.. It says on the online system 'description of the relationship of the project to existing state of the art' - what? It still says after 'suggest how the project will make a new contribution to knowledge'. Confused!

What exactly is being asked here? My supervisor says it's how it relates to existing research/theories and how it will add to this....

Ravelleman

lauras91 wrote: »

My supervisor says it's how it relates to existing research/theories and how it will add to this....

This.

LegofLamb

Am I right in surmising that there is no IRCHSS this year and just the IRC postdoctoral fellowship?

Ravelleman

LegofLamb wrote: »

Am I right in surmising that there is no IRCHSS this year and just the IRC postdoctoral fellowship?

The IRC incorporates what was once the IRCHSS.

ringthebells

Anyone else doing this for the second time round and suffering hard? Was stupidly near to the cut-off point in last year's application and not enjoying the rewriting process

Best of luck to everyone enduring this for the next few weeks!

At the talk the IRC staff gave they said to make sure if a section doesn't apply to us to write N/A rather than leaving it blank as it shows we were aware of the question and didn't just forget to fill it out.

I assume we're not expected to do this for the academic qualifications section, i.e I don't have a masters but it should be fairly obvious that I didn't just forget to fill it out, especially when I say I'm only graduating from my undergrad this year? :P

andweneverdid

ringthebells wrote: »

Anyone else doing this for the second time round and suffering hard? Was stupidly near to the cut-off point in last year's application and not enjoying the rewriting process

Best of luck to everyone enduring this for the next few weeks!

Ya I am! I don't think I came stupidly close, although I wouldn't know because I lost that feedback form!

My application is fairly different though due to the word limits and change in research focus. How are you approaching the 'modifications to proposal made' section? I'm talking about how my research focus changed rather than the actual proposal, because the latter would just be "every single word has changed".

nialljf

Anyone have access to personal statements and career training and dvelopment statements from successful applications? Real headaches those bits.

ringthebells

andweneverdid wrote: »

How are you approaching the 'modifications to proposal made' section? I'm talking about how my research focus changed rather than the actual proposal, because the latter would just be "every single word has changed".

I'm pretty much the same... bit baffled by it to be honest. So far I have sections like 'research focus narrowed', 'research process began', 'disseminated my research', 'undertook training/postgraduate modules' but you're right, none of those really apply to the form itself. I've asked my supervisor what he thinks about this section - I'll post in here when I get his opinion.

irishdude11

Is it possible to submit an application both for the standard IRCSET postgraduate funding and the IRCSET enterprise partnership funding?

irishdude11

irishdude11 wrote: »

Is it possible to submit an application both for the standard IRCSET postgraduate funding and the IRCSET enterprise partnership funding?

As far as I know you can only submit an application to one scheme, but if you were to choose one I'd pick the Enterprise scheme (assuming you have found a good enterprise partner) as it has a slightly better success rate. You should contact your research office to clarify.

Yarghhh

nialljf wrote: »

Anyone have access to personal statements and career training and dvelopment statements from successful applications? Real headaches those bits.

I would but mine contains too much personal information to give to anyone outside of my group really.

Personal Statement: When I was writing mine I found looking looking online at personal statements techniques for acceptance to american colleges helpful as there is a lot of info online. It helped me focus on what to put in mine.

The training development plan: My take on it was to write it as how this PhD fitted into my long term career plans and what extra things I could involve myself outside of the research to make that career path easier/more likely.

nialljf

Fair enough, Yargh. Thanks for the advice.

Leighn

Where are you all finding the online application? I can only see an indicative one with the 200 word counts.

fifa3000

Leighn wrote: »

Where are you all finding the online application? I can only see an indicative one with the 200 word counts.

You register here and this brings you to the online system https://irishresearch.smartsimple.ie/s_signup.jsp?token=XVtQC1oGYFpfRxNZXxVSSlBSZg%3D%3D.

IRC have provided a guide for applicants on how to use this on the postgrad page. (http://www.research.ie/sites/default/files/pg_2014__guide_for_applicants_updated_2013_01_15.pdf)

Ravelleman

Leighn wrote: »

Where are you all finding the online application? I can only see an indicative one with the 200 word counts.

On the big tab that says 'Online Award Application', surely.

candle_wax

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Let us know if you find out please!
I was going to go with an academic and work/research reference too.

The session we had wasn't with an official IRC rep, it was a former rep, so it was just their "opinion" on what we should do rather than the official line

They suggested the IRC was trying to move away from solely academic focus (in terms of career development, etc) and said it would (probably) be perfectly fine to have a non-academic employer reference.

I'm going with that anyway. By BA and MA are from the same university I'm doing the PhD in, so I think someone from outside the bubble is needed for me anyway... Apparently refs from the same university you're currently studying in aren't looked on very favourably (but I've no idea how true that is?)

nialljf

Career Training and Development Plan: "Detail how the scholarship will enhance your career in the non-academic sectors."

What are they looking for if one intends to stay in the academic sector?