Written answers
Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Department of Education and Skills
Departmental Data
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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629. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of PhD researchers funded through Government departments or public bodies or agencies under the auspices of those departments but are outside the SFI/IRC funding schemes; and the number of such students funded by each department. [46166/23]
Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In November 2022, I appointed Dr Andrea Johnson and Mr David Cagney to undertake an independent National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers. This is the first time that State supports for PhD students have been considered holistically in this manner.
The Co-Chairs’ first review report which was published in June 2023 notes that, of the approximately 10,000 PhD students currently enrolled across the higher education sector, half are supported by my Department: 3,000 securing competitively awarded stipends from Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council, with the other 2,000 in receipt of scholarship support from their host higher education institution.
According to the latest Higher Education on Research and Development (HERD) Survey, roughly 4,000 enrol on PhD programmes with the use of private funding sources. The remaining approximately 1,000 PhD enrolments are in receipt of funding from a variety of other public sources such as Departments and Agencies, as well as Horizon Europe (the European Union's main research funding programme).
The numbers supported and the level of funding provided are a matter for those other public funders, and a breakdown of numbers in that regard is not held by my Department.
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