State supports for PhD researchers

• Part of the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers
• Co-Chairs: Dr Andrea C Johnson and David Cagney

This public consultation is an opportunity for all stakeholders and interested parties to provide their views on State supports for PhD researchers. This input will form an important part of the deliberations by the Co-Chairs of the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers.

National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers

In the context of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris announced a national review of State supports for PhD researchers. The scope of the review includes:

• current PhD researcher supports including financial supports (stipends, SUSI supports and others)
• the adequacy, consistency and equity of current arrangements across research funders and higher education institutions, including equity and welfare considerations
• the status of PhD researchers (student, employee) including a review of international comparators and models
• the impact on the funding of research programmes of any adjustments to current supports
• graduate outcomes for PhD graduates including return on investment/benefits to the researcher
• visa requirements and duration for non-EU students

Independent co-chairs

The Minister appointed Dr Andrea C Johnson and David Cagney as independent co-chairs of the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers.

Dr Andrea C Johnson

Dr Andrea C Johnson is the Chairperson of Women in Technology and Science Ireland (WITS), which has as its five-year strategic plan to advance the retention of women throughout their STEM careers by researching, developing and sharing insights and best practice. Dr Johnson is also Vice President of Technology at Workhuman, an Irish technology unicorn, and has a PhD in Computer Science.

David Cagney

David Cagney recently retired as Chief Human Resource Officer for the Civil Service, a role he was appointed to in September 2015. Prior to joining the Civil Service, he held the position of Director of Human Resources at the Dublin Institute of Technology and previously worked in a variety of other HR roles. He also served as a Vice Chairman of the Employment Appeals Tribunal from 2007 to 2010.

Methodology

The co-chairs are engaging with relevant stakeholders, including PhD researchers, host institutions, research funders, employers and relevant Government departments such as:

• Health
• Agriculture, Food and Marine
• Justice

This engagement includes this public consultation and a workshop with representatives of student groups. The co-chairs also reviewed international comparators and models.

The consultation will be open until 10am on Monday, 13 March 2023. Any submissions received after this date may not be considered and early engagement is encouraged .

To make a submission, please read the consultation document at the end of this page and follow the steps provided in the document.

Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy was launched on 18 May 2022 following extensive stakeholder consultation. The domestic and international context has fundamentally changed since previous research and innovation (R&I) strategies and Impact 2030 reflects that.

This Government strategy leverages Ireland’s performance to date to advance the strategic development of our R&I system and to put R&I at the heart of Ireland’s response to critical social, economic and environmental challenges including: climate change and the need to transition to a climate-neutral society; the pressure on the public health system due to a growing and aging population; the need for greater and sustainable housing; economic transformation fuelled by technological and other change; greater international competition and geopolitical instability; increased mobility of talent; and the need to build societal resilience against the threat of shocks.

Impact 2030 addresses these and other challenges through 30 flagship initiatives under the following five pillars:

• Maximising the Impact of R&I on our Economy, Society and the Environment
• Impact of R&I Structures on Excellence and Outcomes
• Innovation Driving Enterprise Success
• Talent at the Heart of the R&I Ecosystem
• All-Island, EU and Global Connectivity

Under pillar 4, the Government will support all students to gain the skills and experience that will enable them to engage with, and respond to, the latest R&I developments. The Government will promote a consistent research student experience and we will work to ensure that the research community is reflective of society and provides opportunities for all. The Government will ensure that researchers have the right skills development and career opportunities so that they can make their maximum contribution, whether in academia, industry, the public sector or elsewhere. Career pathways will be improved, starting with the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers.

In November 2022, Dr Andrea C Johnson and David Cagney were appointed as co-chairs for this national review. The co-chairs reviewed international comparators and models and are engaging with relevant stakeholders, including through this public consultation.

The co-chairs will report to Minister Harris by the end of March 2023, detailing the current situation and offering short- and long-term recommendations. The Minister will consider the co-chairs’ report and may bring forward proposals before the end of June 2023, depending on any recommendations made.

By making a submission to this consultation, you are confirming your acceptance of the below terms.

Freedom of information

Responses to this consultation are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is providing the Secretariat for this independent review and parties should also note that responses to the consultation may be published on the Department’s website.

Data protection

Any personal information submitted to the Department will be treated strictly in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/67 and the Data Protection Act 2018. Read the Department’s data protection policy.

Purpose

Your data is processed to form an important part of the deliberations by the co-chairs of the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers.

Legal basis

Processing your data is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, namely the independent National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers.

Categories of data subject

This is a public consultation: anyone may make a submission, either in a personal or representative capacity.

Categories of personal data

• Name
• Email address

Further processing

Where the Department intends to further process your data for a purpose other than the purposes listed above, the Department will provide you prior to that further processing with information on that other purpose and with any relevant further information on the processing activity and your data protection rights.

Recipients of the data

Data sharing

Data will be shared with the Co-Chairs of the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers because they have been appointed by Minister Harris to conduct an independent review to inform policy development.

Data processor

Minister Harris has appointed two independent Co-Chairs to independently review the collected data and report their results as part of this processing activity.

Storage period

The data processed will be retained until such time as the independent review is completed.

Third country

None of your data will be transferred to a country outside of the European Economic Area, which is:

• the EU
• Norway
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein

Data subject rights

Please follow the Data protection notice for information on your right to access your data.

You may also exercise your right to correct your data, seek to restrict how it may be processed or object to how it may be processed. Your data will not be used for automated decision-making or profiling. Please see more on your GDPR rights.

While you have a right to have your data deleted, the Department may not be able to agree to your request if it is less than the duration of the storage period indicated. The Department may not be able to agree to your request for deletion also where your data is subject to the National Archives Act 1986 and no order has been made to dispose of the this category of data under that Act. See guidance from the National Archives.

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner. See dataprotection.ie for more.

Contact details

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is the data controller for the processing of your data. If you have any query in respect of this you may contact the Secretariat at the details below:

The Department’s Data Protection Officer may be contacted at the details below: