SFI Public Service Fellowship Programme

The SFI Public Service Fellowship is an initiative from SFI that offers researchers a unique opportunity to be temporarily seconded to Government Departments and Agencies (Host Organisations) to work on specific projects where they can add value resulting in mutually beneficial outcomes.  

The 2023 SFI Public Service Fellowship call is partnering with 18 Government Departments and Agencies, with 42 projects (requiring both STEM and non-STEM expertise) available for application.

All projects offer blended working arrangements and locations include Dublin, Cork, Kildare, Offaly and Mayo. 

Our co-funding partners for the 2023 call are the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey Ireland, and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

The work of the Public Service is critical to the successful economic and social well-being of Irish society, through its delivery of public services as well as developing and implementing policy. STEM has an important role to play in helping the Government to address significant national and global challenges including climate change, health and wellbeing, food security and digital transformation. These challenges span government departments, academic disciplines and national boundaries. In line with Impact 2030, Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, and with the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) strategy Shaping Our Future, SFI believes that there is a significant opportunity to promote innovation and advance evidence-based approaches within the Public Sector through meaningful engagement with the academic research community in Ireland. Furthermore, the 2022 Creating our Future Expert Committee report highlights that research-based evidence should be embedded in policy development at a local, regional, and national level in Ireland, and its recommendations include 4.2.3 Create the architecture to support the research-policy interface. 

In this context, SFI and the Host Organisations have undertaken to collaborate on the SFI-Public Service Fellowship Programme aimed at supporting researchers based at eligible Irish Research Bodies to apply their skills to address public sector matters. Under this collaboration, a researcher will undertake temporary placement at the office of the Host Organisation for a duration of up to 1 year full time or 2 years part-time. 

Who can apply?

Depending on the individual scope, projects will require the expertise of researchers working in a relevant STEM or STEM-related area, or will require the expertise and skills of AHSS researchers to be applied to projects underpinning STEM policy, innovation, legislation etc.

Full details on programme eligibility are available in Public Service Fellowship Call Document 2023. In summary, applications will be accepted where the Applicant satisfies the following eligibility criteria: 

• PhD Qualification:  Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent qualification at the time of application.  
• Employment Status:  All applicants must be a permanent member of the academic staff (“Faculty Researcher”) of an Eligible Research Body (with a contract at the time of application), or a current contract postdoctoral researcher (“Postdoctoral Researcher”) based in an Eligible Research Body at the submission deadline. 
• Under review: Applicants who are currently under review for other SFI Programmes are not eligible to apply to the SFI Public Service Fellowship.
• Individuals Holding Existing Fellowship Awards: Specific criteria apply for individuals holding Fellowship awards. For more information, please refer to the Public Service Fellowship Call Document 2023.

For any project-related queries, please contact SFI at psfellowship@sfi.ie.

Information Webinar

You can find more information on the Public Service Fellowship Programme on the webinar below.

If you have any additional queries please email: psfellowship@sfi.ie.