Applicants are advised to take care in noting which section of the scheme (e.g. humanities/social sciences or sciences) to which their application is to be assigned as their applications will be assessed on this basis.

Applicants are required to register their interest to receive an application link, and then submit a detailed application form online, along with the following supporting material:
• Those applying under the science section of the scheme must attach a letter of invitation from the institutions(s) or research group(s) they are intending to visit or a note explaining the present situation vis-à-vis the invitation.
• Those applying under the humanities section of the scheme must attach a letter of invitation from the institutions(s) or research group(s) they are intending to visit, except in cases where the planned visit is to a research library or archival institution. In such cases a short note providing a general overview of the library or archival institution is required along with details of plans for access.
• All applicants associated with a HEI must accompany their application with a signed letter of support from the head of their department or institution. If the research visit is to take place in term time, then confirmation should be included in the letter that leave of absence will be granted for this period.
• Applications from independent scholars are welcome. If an applicant is not currently working under contract to an academic institution, they must give details of their current employment or status and include a letter of support from a relevant Academic researcher who is independent of the project and with whom they have worked.
• The letter of support is an opportunity to show the support of an applicant’s institution or general recognition of the significance of the proposed research. The RIA encourages applicants to use this opportunity. An application will be made ineligible if relevant letters of support for the collaboration are not provided.

Instructions for completing the online Application:

Please note: Verification of the official date of an applicant’s PhD award by the awarding research body must be available upon request.

Applicant contact details and academic training:

Section A must be completed by the applicant.

  • All correspondence will be sent only to the named individual at the email address specified on the form. The applicant is responsible for notifying the other parties where appropriate. If there is a change of email address, contact details or transfer of research to another institution the RIA must be informed immediately to update your record.
  • Current Position:
    Please supply details of the current employment position or situation of the applicant including a brief summary of academic training and career, listing principal previous appointments and other professional qualifications and distinctions.
  • Please indicate the subject area of the proposal.
  • Please state the specific discipline or subject area of the research proposal.
  • Please indicate the title of the proposed research subject.
  • Outline of research proposal (maximum 1000 words): Applicants are advised to provide adequate detail on the research proposal in the space allocated as this will aid a fully informed and comprehensive assessment.

 

The proposal should:

• clearly specify the context, and research objectives of the proposed research activity
• clearly describe the methodology to be used, in the case of primary research or the reason for the international visit to access equipment / training
• set out a realistic research programme, describing the activities that will take place, and explaining how the applicant will contribute to the achievement of the research objectives.

  • Applicants are asked to outline their broader research only insofar as is required for context and that the information provided should be focused on the application in question.
  • Applicants should give a complete account of their proposed collaborative research and not rely on special prior knowledge on the part of assessors as assessors may not be specialists in the particular field proposed.
  • It is essential that applicants clearly state the reasons why the funding is necessary and justify the duration. The applicant should briefly explain why alternative access to the required material is not appropriate.
  • Grants are intended only for the planning and conduct of primary research activity. They are not available to cover the costs of spending time at another institution for purposes such as the writing up of primary research or to support participation or attendance at international scholarly conferences.
  • Please provide a concise list of the intended outcomes from the proposed research activity.
  • Please identify the principal anticipated outcome of the research activity.
  • The RIA attaches importance to the dissemination of research: each applicant is asked to outline the intended outcomes and proposals for dissemination to a scholarly audience as well as to the general public, and assessors will take into account whether or not plans for publication or other dissemination have been developed.
  • In assessing value for money, the assessors may consider the intended outcome as compared with the amount of money sought, although it is fully appreciated that some modes of research are more expensive than others and proposals will not be evaluated based on cost alone.
  • Please provide the name and address of the institution(s) the applicant intends to visit and their locations.

The RIA monitors this information collectively to gain insight into the reach of the scheme.

  • Please outline the rationale for travel, including a concise statement of proposed research activity.

While visits to more than one country or partner are possible within the scheme a clear rationale for any such proposal should be presented. As the scheme is operative on an all-island basis, travel between Ireland and Northern Ireland is not considered international travel for the purposes of this scheme. However, travel from Northern Ireland to Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland to Great Britain is eligible.

  • Please state contacts already made with the proposed partner organisation(s) (including institution/library/archive) and the reason for your choice.
  • Please provide the names of individuals you intend to visit.
  • Please state the duration of the proposed visit.

A good estimate is sufficient, but evidence of forward planning will be viewed favourably

  • Please attach letter of invitation/explanatory note (in pdf format) from the partner organisation (including institution/library/archive) as per the guidance above
  • Please provide details of other support given or applied for in connection with the current proposal.

The RIA has no objection to its grants being held in conjunction with awards from other bodies, provided that there is no duplication of expenditure. Applicants must clarify why they need additional RIA funding. Applicants are requested to keep the RIA informed of the outcomes of any other funding applications for the same project.

  • In cases where simultaneous applications to the RIA and other funding agencies covering the same elements of a project are both successful, the applicant will be asked to choose which award to accept. Only if there is no duplication and no unnecessary inflation of a project will an applicant be permitted to retain both awards (subsequent requests to alter the plan of research simply to allow the applicant to retain both awards are unlikely to be considered favourably).
  • Particulars of any travel budget available to you in their i.e. a ring-fenced travel fund)

 

  • What previous awards/ fellowships, if any, has the applicant received from the Royal Irish RIA (within the last five years)?
  • Applicants may hold a maximum of two RIA awards in any five-year period.
  • List all recent publications (in the past five years) relevant to the application.

The applicant’s principal publications should be listed (maximum of six) and/or the most relevant to the research proposed, particularly if a new field of enquiry is proposed.

Please do not submit CVs of the applicant as they will not be considered.

  • Applicants should prepare accurate costings for the proposed research. Costs should be clearly itemised and justified in terms of the research programme. If the RIA is being asked to support only a proportion of the total costs, please list all the expenses connected with the particular phase of research for which support is sought as assessors will wish to gauge the scale of the whole project. In this case, please indicate which costs are being sought from the RIA. It is advised that travel costs should be fully itemised, that the length of time for which subsistence is sought should be justified in the application, and that the daily subsistence amount should be explained.
  • The only expenses payable are the costs directly related to the research being carried out, up to a maximum of €2,500. See here for further details including details on subsistence.

• Institutional authorisation is required to validate the application. Authorisation is required even if the applicant anticipates travelling outside of term time. Applications that are not validated by this letter will not be accepted. Independent scholars who do not have institutional affiliation and authorisation must supply an explanatory note outlining this.

• Letter of Invitation or Letter showing access to library/archive is required to validate the application.

Research Ethics

  • Applicants are required to confirm that they have secured approval for the proposed research from their respective institution’s Research Ethics Committee (or its equivalent) or that, in the case of independent researchers that they have followed the guidelines above and can provide details if required.
  • Please note that submitting the application form constitutes confirmation that the information provided is complete and accurate at the time of submission and acceptance of all terms, conditions and notices contained in the Guidelines for Applicants. Subsequent discovery of any deliberate falsehood will automatically render the application null and void. If an award has been made, the RIA may require a full refund.
  • It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the application is received by the close of business on the closing date as stated on the application form. Late or incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible and returned to the applicant. No exceptions can be made to this rule.