Research Newsletter - Issue 102: Funding Opportunities

TORA deadline:  18th March 2025

Call deadline:  26th March 2025

The overall objective of this action is to create European partnerships of education institutions and training providers to set up Erasmus+ Teacher Academies that will develop a European and international outlook in teacher education.

These Academies aim to develop teacher education in line with the EU’s priorities in education policy and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the European Education Area. 

The action focuses on networking, mobility, and innovative methods, and will also embrace multilingualism, language awareness, and cultural diversity topics.

Maximum EU grant per project: €1.5M (funding rate 80%)

Available budget: €25.5M

More Information:  Detailed information about the Call is in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2025 here and on the EC application portal here.

Contact: Dr Sophie Ball, Erasmus+ Development Officer

Call deadline:  19th March 2025, 1:00pm

Research Ireland have launched their Innovate for Ireland Programme.  DCU academic researchers can apply to conduct advanced, multidisciplinary PhD research to address global sustainability challenges. 

Note:  Expression of Interest (EOI) deadline has now passed. If the EOI had not been submitted by the call deadline, you cannot apply to this year’s call under the funders rules for this call.

Information relating to this call can be found here.  Applications should be submitted on SESAME.  If you have any queries, please liaise with your Faculty RDO or by contacting the call manager, Dr Martin O’Donoghue.

TORA deadline:  3rd April 2025

Call deadline:  11th April 2025

Naughton Fellowships Faculty Research Accelerator Program will support collaborative research and foster deeper and stronger ties between both participating institutions/countries at the highest level of excellence in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as cognitive science).  Review criteria for this call includes research excellence, scope of the cross-institutional participation, participation of graduate students or postdoctoral trainees, and the potential for sustained collaboration

Award: $120,000

Contact:  research@dcu.ie

TORA deadline:  3rd April 2025

Call deadline:  10th April 2025

Research Ireland EPS Postgraduate Scheme is expected to open on 26th February. This co-funding scheme provides Ph.D. researchers with the opportunity to pursue research in collaboration with enterprise, while based at an eligible higher education institution.

Co-funding: The enterprise partner is expected to commit €11,300 annually towards the cost of funding the Ph.D. researcher. An enterprise partner can be a company, registered charity, social,

cultural or not-for-profit civic organisation, state-owned enterprise or an eligible public body that will co-fund the researcher for the duration of the award. The enterprise partner can be based nationally or internationally.

Award: Stipend €25k, annual fee €5,750, annual research expenses €3,250.

Call outcome: June 2025

Contact:  Jonny Hobson (Graduate Studies Office) via jonny.hobson@dcu.ie   

TORA deadline:  17th April 2025

Call deadline:  28th April 2025

Each year, the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS) provides Seed Funding to support a number of collaborative research projects and professional activities in teacher education in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  To date over 150 research, conference and exchange projects have been funded. Information about funded projects that are now complete can be found here.  The sums allocated are usually in the region of £3,000 – £6,000 (approx. €3,550 – €7,150). 

DCU is a full member of SCoTENS.  The SCoTENS committee is keen to receive proposals from people who have not been partners in SCoTENS-funded projects in the last five years or are new applicants.

Please ensure you read the additional funding criteria before submitting your application: SCoTENS Seed Funding Guidance 2025

For more information on the call, please contact the DCU Research Development and Support contact Christina Rushe: christina.rushe@dcu.ie

TORA deadline:  29th April 2025

Call deadline:  6th May 2025 

The Ulysses scheme is aimed at fostering new collaborations between Ireland- and France-based researchers by providing seed funding for reciprocal travel visits. The scheme thus facilitates the exchange of innovative ideas and approaches across all disciplines. Funding is provided over the course of 2 calendar years, with €5,000 awarded to both Ireland- and France-based research partners.

This year, selected research projects will also be supported by the following strategic partners:

1. Electricity transmission system operator EirGrid will partner with France-based Réseau de Transport d’Électricité to support suitably aligned research projects in the area of renewable energies and smart grids.

2. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, will provide support to research projects exploring topics relating to sustainable energies.

Please note all applications to the Ulysses call are required to be submitted via the Research Office. The deadline for submitting the applications on TORA is the 29th April 2025. 

For more information on the call please contact the DCU Research Development and Support contact Christina Rushe:  christina.rushe@dcu.ie

TORA deadline: 13th May 2025

Call deadline: 21st May 2025

EIC Pathfinder Open Program provides funding for projects in any field of science or technology, based on high-risk/high-gain science-towards-technology breakthrough interdisciplinary research. 

An overview of this funding opportunity is presented below.

• 2025 budget: €142 million

• Max grant (per proposal): €3 million

• Funding rate: 100%

• Consortia: 3 partners from 3 eligible countries

• TR level: 1-4

• Call result: October 2025

Contact:  Dr Ecaterina McDonagh via ecaterina.mcdonagh@dcu.ie

TORA deadline:  19th May 2025

Call deadline:  27th May 2025

Forward-Looking Projects are large-scale projects that aim to develop, test, or assess innovative policy approaches that are linked to key European priorities and that have the potential of becoming mainstream.  The overall objectives are to improve education and training systems, and bring a substantial innovative effect in terms of methods and practices to all types of learning.

To address this objective, the call is composed of eight separate topics under four areas of education: School, Adult, VET, and Digital.

Maximum EU grant per project:  €1M (funding rate 80%)

Available budget:  €32M

More information is in the Call fiche here, on the EC application portal here, and in recorded presentations by the EACEA here.

Contact:  Dr Sophie Ball, Erasmus+ Development Officer

TORA deadline:  23rd May 2025

Call deadline:  30th May 2025

The Health Research Board has launched their call for a Collaborative Research Network for Mental Health.

The aim of the Collaborative Research Network in Mental Health is to bring together all relevant stakeholders to promote and advance research in mental health and ensure its application to policy and practice, informed by the National Mental Health Research Strategy.

This network will serve the mental health research community on an all-island basis, with an identity independent of any single institution.  The HRB will provide funding up to a maximum of €1,000,000 (inclusive of overheads) over 60 months for the network.

Only one network for mental health research will be funded.  Therefore, the HRB requests that the mental health research community comes together to submit a single application.

Detailed guidance notes on the application process and the scope of the network are available on the HRB website.

DCU Research Development and Support Contact: Dr. Helen Burke (helen.burke@dcu.ie)

TORA deadline:  3rd June 2025

Call deadline:  11th June 2025

CoVEs are established to provide initial training of young people and for continuing up-skilling and re-skilling of adults.  CoVes are intended to innovate teaching and learning methods; to bring together businesses, social partners, universities and other organisations; and to create synergy between partners from all over the world in the creation of skills ecosystems.

Maximum EU grant per project:  €4M (funding rate 80%)

Available budget:  €60M

Detailed information about the Call is in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2025 here, on the EC application portal here, and in recorded presentations by the EACEA here

Contact: Dr Sophie Ball, Erasmus+ Development Officer

TORA deadline:  TBC

Call deadline:  TBC - likely end of May 2025

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the 'DAFM Thematic Research Call 2025’. This initiative underscores DAFM's commitment to advancing research and innovation within Ireland's agri-food, forest, and bioeconomy sectors.

Aim and Scope of the 2025 Call

Aligned with the strategic objectives outlined in, inter alia, Food Vision 2030 and IMPACT 2030, the 2025 Call will seek to fund pioneering research projects that will:

• Ensure the production of safe, healthy, and sustainable food

• Support sustainable farming and forest practices that enhance climate resilience, promote biodiversity and improve water quality

• Advance sustainable agriculture and land practices recognising their interconnected benefits and improve Animal health and welfare

• Foster developments in the bioeconomy and agri-digitalisation

The Call will encourage transdisciplinary research, the nurturing of research talent, and the creation of new scientific knowledge to support innovation and sustainability across the sector.

Funding and Eligibility

The 2025 Thematic Call will follow a similar format of recent DAFM Thematic Calls whereby there will be two tranches of awards – one in the Call year, and a second in the subsequent year (subject to budgetary and Ministerial approval).

As a guide, it is currently envisaged that there will be an indicative budget of approximately €15 million for the first tranche of awards in 2025, and a similar indicative budget for the second tranche of awards in 2026. Please note that these are indicative amounts only and are subject to change (up or down).

There are three funding instruments: Standard (up to €750k), Large (up to €1.5 million) and strategic (up to €3 million), with a duration of four to five years.

Eligible research-performing organisations in Ireland are invited to submit proposals.

In line with ongoing North-South cooperation on agri-food research and innovation, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland will collaborate on this Call, providing funding for specific themes/sub-themes to enable eligible research organisations in Northern Ireland to partner with counterparts in Ireland.

Application Process and Timeline

The Call is scheduled to open in late March or early April 2025, with detailed information on thematic areas, eligibility criteria, application procedures, and evaluation metrics to be provided in the official Call Specification and Guidelines for Applicants documents upon launch. Applications will be processed through SmartSimple.

An information webinar for prospective applicants will be held shortly after the Call's opening to provide further insights and answer queries – details will be published with the Call documents.

It is intended that there will be an eight-week application window.

It is envisaged that the first tranche of awards will be announced in November or early December 2025, and the second tranche will be announced in late Q1 2026.

Researchers and institutions are encouraged to prepare for this opportunity by identifying potential collaborative partners and refining research concepts that align with the Call's objectives.

For updates and more information, please visit the DAFM research funding page here.

For further information or queries, please contact research@agriculture.gov.ie.

DCU Research Development and Support Contact: Dr Helen Burke (helen.burke@dcu.ie)

TORA deadline: 1 week before the submission

Call deadline: Rolling, but please note that due to amalgamation of IRC and SFI, we are expecting significant changes to this call later in 2025.   If you are planning to apply please prioritise your submission.

Research Ireland (RI) Frontiers for the Future Programme Awards stream provides opportunities for independent investigators to conduct highly innovative, collaborative research with the potential to deliver impact.  RI will accept applications that are aligned to one or more of the 14 priority areas that fall within six broad Enterprise themes (ICT; Health; Food; Energy climate action and sustainability; Manufacturing and materials; and Services and business processes).

Eligibility: Applicants must have held a PhD or equivalent qualification for at least three years by proposal submission and a contract for the full duration of the award.  Applicants are required to have demonstrated that they have been a senior author on at least three international peer-reviewed articles.

Award: €600k-€1.5 million (direct costs)

Duration: 48-60 months

This programme provides opportunities to address gender imbalance and to provide support for Emerging Investigators that may be returning to research after a period of leave.

Awards stream applicants need to ensure that their application adheres to the policy guidelines in the 2024 call document on the website.

Contact:  Dr Martin O'Donoghue via martin.odonoghue@dcu.ie