ELIGIBILITY:

For the purposes of this call, the Applicant is the individual seeking funding under the UCC Futures Scholars Programme (GoI) and who, if successful, will undertake the proposed doctoral research project. The Applicant is the named candidate for the scholarship and is responsible for preparing the application, with support from the Lead Supervisor, and for providing all information and documentation required to enable the Lead Supervisor to submit the application.

Throughout this call document, the terms Applicant, doctoral candidate, PhD candidate, scholar, and awardee (where an award has been made) may be used interchangeably, as appropriate.

Applicants of all nationalities are eligible to apply. There is no age limit for Applicants. All applications will be evaluated through the same assessment process, with funding decisions based on excellence and strategic alignment, irrespective of nationality, age, background, identity, or personal circumstances of the Applicant.

An Applicant may submit one application only under this call. The programme is open to:

Applicants seeking to commence an eligible doctoral programme at UCC; and

Applicants who have completed no more than the first year of an eligible doctoral programme, subject to the provisions outlined in Section 5.

Applicants must meet the entry requirements for the relevant doctoral programme at UCC:

Satisfy the minimum English language requirements set out in line with the UCC Postgraduate English Language Entry Requirements policy.

Hold, or expect to obtain, a First Class Honours or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1.1 or 2.1), or a Master’s degree (or international equivalent in line with UCC guidelines).

Where an Applicant is completing a qualification at the time of application, all requirements for the award of that qualification must be satisfied no later than 30 September 2027, enabling registration on the doctoral programme from 01 October 2027.

Have identified an eligible UCC Lead Supervisor who agrees to support the application and submit it on their behalf.

Applicants must provide accurate, complete, and verifiable information in relation to all qualifications, academic achievements, and other information included in their application. Applicants must be able to provide satisfactory documentary evidence to support all information provided, including official academic transcripts, evidence of English language proficiency (where applicable), and any other documentation required under this Call.

Successful applicants will be required to submit all required supporting documentation through the institutional admissions platform (UCC Apply). To facilitate timely admission, registration, and onboarding processes, all required documentation must be submitted no later than 01 April 2027.

Failure to provide the required documentation by this deadline, or the submission of information that is inaccurate, misleading, false, or incapable of verification, may result in the application being deemed ineligible, the withdrawal of an offer of funding, delayed registration, or the termination of an award.

BENEFIT:

The value of the scholarship comprises the following budget items:

An annual stipend of €25,000.

A contribution towards tuition fees of up to €5,750 per annum. UCC will waive any non-EU fee component not covered by the scholarship award.

A contribution of at least €5,000 per annum will be provided towards eligible direct research costs associated with the project. Eligible direct research costs may include research consumables, specialist training, conference attendance, fieldwork, travel, and other approved research-related expenses, in accordance with the Research Ireland Grant Conditions (including the General Terms and Conditions and Letters of Offer) and all applicable UCC research post-award management policies.

Subject to funding availability, awardees may apply for additional eligible direct research costs beyond the annual allocation where justified by the needs of the research project. Applications for additional funding will be considered by the UCC Futures Scholars Board, administered by the Doctoral Institute, in accordance with an approved application, review, and governance process.

The scholarship grant must be accepted in full, including all three budget headings listed above. Applicants are not permitted to apply for or accept funding for only one or two of the budget headings. Partial acceptance of the grant is not allowed under any circumstances.