IRCSET Funding Cuts Ahead?

IRCSET FUNDING CRISIS?

Two weeks ago postgraduate and post doctoral students in receipt of funding from the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) received an email forewarning of large future cuts in the council’s spending. This decision has implications for students currently funded by IRCSET, all potential IRCSET scholars and research itself in the University of Limerick as IRCSET is one of the largest funders of research students in the university. IRCSET funds research in areas such as maths, chemistry, physics, computer science, molecular biology and earth science. It was established in 2001, and current members of the Board include Prof. Julian Ross of the Chemical and Environmental Science department (CES).

There is NO threat, however, to currently funded students as confirmed by the Dean of the Graduate School, Prof. John Breen. All IRCSET funded students are on a semi-contract which ultimately means they cannot have their scholarship removed, however any requirements for extra seed funding from IRCSET and extensions will virtually unattainable.

The McCarthy report or as it is better known An Bord Snip Nua has called for a 15% reduction in the science, innovation and technology sector. If the recommendations are fully implemented this means there will be no funding extensions for those whose scholarships end in 2010, and there will also be no new awards to undergraduate and potential post-doctoral students wishing to apply for this award next year.

The students that have the potential to suffer most from these spending cut back are the future research postgraduates. It is widely acknowledged that the number of research scholarships available in Ireland will either dramatically decrease or else the stipend ( the monthly allowance that each postgraduate research gets to live on) will decrease. For example, current PhD students receiving an IRCSET scholarship receive a yearly tax free stipend of €16,000. This is considered in many circles as too high particularly in regards to what levels stipends were previously at 12 years ago, and current economic conditions in Ireland. Pre-celtic tiger times there were no stipends, and when research stipends were initially introduced they were around €6,000. In a short space of time they jumped from €6,000 to €12,000 and then to €16,000. Some research PhD scholarships advertised in 2008 had stipend levels of €18,000-€20,000. Unless the Irish economy dramatically improves in the next year, very few stipends of this level will be available this year.

Despite government calls for the development of an “information” society, their future actions if dictated by the McCarthy report will dramatically hinder this.