Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide specific details of his plans to increase supports available to PhD or early post-doctoral students to encourage emerging researchers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26186/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Government policy, as set out in Impact 2030, Ireland’s national strategy for research and innovation, identifies Talent as one of its five key pillars. Pillar 4 of Impact 2030 outlines my Department’s strategic approach to continuing to support researchers throughout their career, including emerging researchers from students to early post-doctoral researchers. It also outlines our plans to continue strengthening linkages between the R&I system and teaching and learning by supporting emerging researchers and offering them the opportunity to experience the world of research, for example, by accessing the latest facilities and technologies.

It clearly articulates our commitment to invest in research talent and provide researchers with the right opportunities, skills and career support to enable them to realise their potential. Our commitment includes ensuring researchers are equipped with transversal, as well research-specific, skills which empowers them to pursue disciplinary and transdisciplinary research, and so engage and partner with enterprise, the public sector and civil society. I am also committed to supporting them so that they are fully connected to and part of the European Research Area and the global research community.

In addition, my Department continues to support a diversity of career opportunities for our emerging researchers. This includes supporting Research Ireland programmes such as the ‘Industry RD&I Fellowship/Enterprise’ Scheme which supports academia-industry interactions to address industry-informed challenges; the ‘Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme’, which provides outstanding students with the opportunity to direct their own research at the early-career stage; and the ‘Pathway Programme’, which supports talented postdoctoral researchers from all research disciplines to transition to be independent research leaders.

Of course, a most important change has been the increase in the stipend level for Research Ireland supported PhD students, which is set at €25,000 per annum. This represents an increase of over 31% from the previous level of €19,000 in a short space of time.