Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology
Data
Established	June 2001
Members
Country	Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Headquarters	Dublin
Abbreviation	IRCSET

Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology or simply IRCSET is an independent and autonomous research

Research

Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

 funding and monitoring body established in June 2001 by the Minister for Education and Science to promote science

Science

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

 and engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 research in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. IRCSET is one of the two research councils in Ireland through which Irish government provides its state-funded scholarships to a limited number of researchers each year who are designated as Government of Ireland Scholar. IRCSET through its main program The Embark Initiative mainly aims to encourage doctoral and masters level researchers to initiate and continue their research work in Irish Higher Educational Institutes. In addition to doctoral and masters level funding, IRCSET also provides support and financial assistance to post-doctoral researchers as well.

The Embark Initiative

The Embark Initiative is the main program managed by IRCSET. Thus the words Embark Initiative and IRCSET are synonymous. It may also be referred to as the IRCSET - Embark Initiative or the Embark Initiative, operated by the IRCSET. In July 2007 the Embark Initiative scheme supported fifty masters and doctoral researchers which cost €3.6 million. In 2008 a call worth €11.8 million supported 165 researchers. A person who is awarded this scholarship is officially designated as a Government of Ireland Scholar.

Mission

Funded by the State under the National Development Plan, the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) operates research funding initiatives which support talented researchers in their early stage career formation across Masters, Doctoral and Postdoctoral levels in the sciences, engineering and technology. They are also designed to ensure that Ireland will become an internationally attractive location for high-level research. The emphasis of its funding programmes is on exploratory research aimed at yielding new concepts, findings and innovations within Ireland. The main scheme which IRCSET operates is called The Embark Initiative.
IRCSET also operates an Enterprise Partnership Scheme where it co-funds researchers in co-operation with leading industry partners.

Since its inception in 2002, the Council has thus far allocated €60 million to support the career formation of over 1,000 researchers in Ireland. Funding is made available through a series of competitive calls for applicants. Selection for funding is based on merit and the decision process is overseen by independent assessment panels.

The IRCSET chairperson is Professor Jane Grimson, of Trinity College Dublin.

Timeline

• 2001: Established in June of this year by the Minister for Education and Science in Ireland
  Ireland
  Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
  
  . Launched the basic research grant scheme, jointly with Enterprise Ireland
  Enterprise Ireland
  Enterprise Ireland is the Irish leading state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned business deliver new export sales. The core mission of Enterprise Ireland is to accelerate the development of Irish enterprises capable of achieving strong positions in global markets resulting...
  
  in December
• 2002: Launched the postgraduate research scholarship awards
• 2003: Launched the postdoctoral fellowship awards
• 2006: Launched the Graduate Research Education Programme exploratory grant awards
• 2007: Launched the call for funding for the Graduate Research Education Programme

The Embark Initiative is part of Ireland's drive to encourage 4th level or postgraduate research in Ireland. The aim is to promote Ireland as an international centre of excellence and achievement in research by encouraging students and researchers to pursue a full-time career in their research area.