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Apply to serve as Ireland Co-Chair to the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Steering Group
From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is seeking applications for the appointment of Ireland Co-Chair to the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Steering Group.
Expressions of interest are now sought from suitably-qualified candidates for consideration for:
- Ireland Co-Chair of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Steering Group
The key role of the Ireland Co-Chair is to give strategic drive and direction to the work of the Partnership with the support of this Department and InterTradeIreland which provides secretariat support to the Steering Group.
Within this role a key aspect is appropriate and timely networking and building of relationships with key players of the Steering Group including, in particular, the Irish members, the Northern Ireland Co-Chair and the US Co-Chair.
The position of Ireland Co-Chair as advertised is unremunerated, with travel and expenses provided by InterTradeIreland. All expenses are paid in accordance with approved public sector rates.
Members are required to devote as much time to duties of the Steering Group as is necessary for the proper and efficient discharge of their duties. A suitable figure with experience in international relationships, in particular the US dimension, and with an understanding and appreciation of the Irish research ecosystem and landscape would be required for the position.
Currently the Steering Group meets once a year, typically in May, and the Co-Chairs meet once again in December, with the latter meeting taking place virtually. Though the annual Steering Group meetings are currently being held virtually, pre-COVID the Steering Group meeting would rotate between the US, Northern Ireland and Ireland each year. The 2022 meeting will take place in Ireland, COVID-19 situation permitting.
The term of office for Ireland co-chair of the partnership will be from the date of appointment for a period of 4 years.
If you are interested in applying for Ireland Co-Chair to the US-Ireland R&D Partnership, complete the application form included in the Candidate Information Booklet below. Submit the completed application form with a cover letter and CV by 3pm on Tuesday, 19 April 2022, to USIRDPartnership@dfheris.gov.ie .
Candidate information booklet: Ireland Co-Chair to US-Ireland R&D Partnership Steering Group
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Please note to ensure fairness and equity of treatment, the department cannot accept applications beyond the specified deadline.
You will receive an acknowledgement on receipt of your application. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 3 days of submitting your application, you should contact USIRDPartnership@dfheris.gov.ie .
Please take care when submitting your expression of interest, as the assessment panel will make its recommendations to the minister based on consideration of the documentation which you submit. It is therefore most important that you make sure your cover letter and CV clearly specify how your background and experience meet the requirements of the positions specified in this campaign. This will help make sure that the assessment panel is as informed as possible about your suitability and the basis of your application.
You must confirm that you do not have any conflicts of interest or legal impediment which would be likely to interfere with your ability to play a full part on the boards. You must also confirm that you can make yourself available to attend meetings and to carry out the duties of the position.
The selection process may include a short-listing process, depending on number of applications received.
In making nominations, and in line with best practice as set out in the 'Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards,' it is open to the minister to consider suitable nominees other than those identified through this process, provided their preferred nominee meets the specified criteria.
The minister will consider the desirability for gender balance on the governing authority, as the minister considers appropriate, and determines from time to time when making appointments.
The US-Ireland R&D Partnership was formally launched in July 2006, having been developed on foot of political commitments made at the US Ireland Business Summit held in Washington in September 2002. It was seen is a real and tangible outcome of the US contribution to bringing peace to the island of Ireland during the peace process.
The Partnership involves the governments of the United States of America, Ireland and Northern Ireland working together to advance scientific progress by awarding grants for research on a competitive basis in the thematic areas of Cybersecurity, Agriculture, Health, Nanoscale Science & Engineering, Sensors & Sensor Networks, Telecommunications and Energy & Sustainability.
Each jurisdiction provides one Co-Chair to the Partnership’s Steering Group. The Steering Group (with specialist sub-groups for the priority areas) is comprised of senior government officials, academics and business interests from the three jurisdictions to guide, monitor and evaluate the collaborative efforts.
Subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 , applications will be treated in strict confidence. All enquiries, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.
Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, may be extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.
The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to protecting your personal data and takes the security of your information very seriously, adhering to the principles of transparency, accountability and security of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Find out more about GDPR.