1. Irish Research Staff Association (IRSA)
Researcher prospects in Ireland and
Perspectives on I2020
Irish Research Staff Association (IRSA)
Dr Gordon Dalton
Senior Research Fellow
MaREI ERI, UCC
Chair of IRSA, vice chair UCCRSA
Chair ICoRSA

2. History IRSA was established on September, 2007.
Launched at Royal Irish Academy, Nov 2008.

3. IRSA TCD UCD QUB UCC NUIG DCU
IRSA is an umbrella organisation of Ireland’s university research staff associations
IRSA
TCD
UCD
QUB
UCC
NUIG
DCU

4. IRSA Strategic Goals Represent Irish researcher interests
Career development
Sustainable career paths
Enhance public image of researchers in Ireland.
Represent Irish Researchers internationally
Member of ICoRSA

5. Research Career Structure
Working Group on Researcher Careers (HERG)

6. Pyramid reality in Ireland
10% senior researchers
90% researchers as junior postdocs
All research funding, junior+senior
Soft funded
Fixed term contracts
Impacts for postdocs = system exit
Industry positions: few
Emigrate : brain drain

7. Researcher career phases and mobility
Early career researcher
Post doc phase
High mobility
Mature career researcher
Research fellow
Establishment phase
Research team
Family

8. Researcher issues All researchers on contract. No permanency
Doubtful career progression as researcher.
Career framework limitations
Accessing funding
Where to go on contract end.
Bridging funding

9. New career frameworks – UCD&UCC
Postdocs are in 6 year period of
“Training and development”.
Quasy “interns”
No CID entitlement
Automatic exit unless they derive their own funds.
3 year training at one grade
Forced progression to next grade
No funding =exit
No promotion.
No recognition or status: = low moral

10. New career frameworks – UCD&UCC
IRSA letter to Charter and Code “period of training”
EC asked for university positions
EC issued statement not supporting new initiative by universities
No change since
UCC and UCD Charter and code external review in 2017

11. Current funding scene in Ireland
Postdocs –
many SFI and IRC grants
1-3 year grants
Exit postdoc system after 6 years
Research fellows –
National
10 SFI SIRG awards per year
1-2 President PIYRA awards
International- gold dust awards
H2020
ERC
Marie Curie

12. I2020 I2020 values research and innovation
Promotes increase in PhD and postdoc numbers - doubling
€1 invested in research =
€4.5 output - from
The Economic Impact of Irish Higher Education Institutions – Preliminary results

13. Teaching Many researchers want to teach Good for CV
Experience required to move to lecturing
Now not paid
Exploitation

14. Redundancy – on exit
2 weeks statutory, in comparison to 6 weeks academic
3 weeks extra if agree not to work in public service for 2 years
emigrate

15. ICoRSA

16. COST Action aims
Aim:
Produce sustainable careers for European researchers, achieving higher quality of lifeEnable
Career paths that maximise the research potential of research staff
Maximise the investment made by national and international funds in research sector research, by maximising researcher output.
Objective:
Assess various career path options examining practices from a host of European countries.
Assess best practice career options
Examine career options that maximise research output production
Make recommendations to EU on best career paths options via white papers and journal publications.

17. ICoRSA COST action Network called “Precarious Research”
Country
Total 1
Belgium 7 2
Ireland 6 3 UK 5 4
Germany
France
Romania
Ukraine 8
Croatia 9
Cyprus 10
Greece 11
Hungary 12
Portugal 13
Spain
Total persons 35
Stakeholder type
Total 1
Funding Body - international 2
Recruitment 3
Research council 4
Union 5
Union - international 6
Union - national 7
Industry 8
Trade Associations 9
Policy Europe 10
Funding Body - national 11
RSA- national 12
International RSA
Total of persons 35
Gender
Total F 17 M 18 35

18. ICoRSA – H2020 “Gendering” Coordinated by ICoRSA €3M 2 years,
13 partners
Including UNESCO and Marie Curie Fellow
Carrier progress for researchers through the gender lens
On ‘reserve’ status

19. Recommendations 1 - International models
Long term fixed contracts – 7 years
Charles Parson
Beaufort
US model – tenure tracks
For established researchers
Permanent careers at senior level
Google, Ernst Young etc
Permanent careers
Promotes mobility
Career positions on return

20. Recommendations 2 Double PhD numbers
Recommendations 2 Double PhD numbers?? Where is funding to retain post doctorates
More national funding
More funding targeted at senior level
Targeted as senior researchers: e.g. New Zealand model
Not use Industry as exit until Ireland is truly an industry R&D nation
Build R&D centres, with a degree of autonomy, which is not constrained by university public body system.

21. Recommendations - 3 More Blue Skies research- long term,
Less industry applied research- short term.
All funding to STEM - Humanities suffer
Recognise research as a career
Not an interim phase
Retention of senior experienced staff
Career frameworks
Review existing frameworks
Create National career framework, based on European model

22. Conclusion
Thank you the invitation.