RTDI Measures for the period 2000-2006

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)

Science Foundation Ireland was established in 2000 with the long-term objective to create a highly visible critical mass of world-class research excellence in the strategic areas relevant to economic development, particularly Biotechnology (BioT) and Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs).

The Foundation was initially set up as a sub-committee of Forfás and in July 2003, SFI was established on a statutory basis under the Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) Act, 2003.

The overall mission of SFI is to build and strengthen scientific and engineering research and its infrastructure in the areas of greatest strategic value and benefit to Ireland's long term competitiveness and development - i.e. BioT and ICTs. In addition, through the Research Frontiers Programme (RFP), SFI invests in a broad range of disciplines in Science, Mathematics and Engineering in the third-level sector.

Through strategic investments in the people, ideas and partnerships essential to outstanding research in strategic areas, SFI is helping build in Ireland research of globally recognised excellence and nationally significant importance.

SFI makes grants based upon the merit review of distinguished scientists under the following programmes:

• SFI Principal Investigator Programme Grants to support individual scientists and research teams. SFI Fellows will be investigators of particularly distinguished international reputations.

• SFI Fellows-Research Professorships to assist the third-level sector in attracting outstanding scientists to Irish higher education institutions from outside the State.

• SFI Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology: Campus-Industry Partnership (CSET) Grants to link academic and industrial researchers together on high-end research programmes.

• The E.T.S. Walton Visitor Awards to support leading scientists who visit Ireland for research for up to one year.

• Research Frontiers Programme (formerly the Basic Research Grants Programme) to support all areas of high-quality, novel exploratory research in the third-level sector.

• President of Ireland Young Research Awards (PIYRA) to attract to Ireland and support Irish researchers within five years of completing their Ph.D.

• The Science Teacher Assistant Researchers (STARs) supplements, to support second-level teachers in conducting research in Irish laboratories during summers.

• Industry Supplements Programme to fund collaborative projects with industry that are directly related to and enhance existing SFI peer-reviewed programmes.

• Undergraduate Research Experience & Knowledge Award (UREKA) supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).

• Women in Science & Engineering Research -The SFI Planning Grant & Institute Development Award, The SFI Principal Investigator Career Advancement Award and The SFI Junior Scholarship three programmes to address the under-representation of Women in Irish Science and Engineering Research.

• SFI Mathematics Initiative to encourage mathematical research that has a potential impact on enterprise, industry, science, engineering and mathematical education.

• SFI Workshop and Conference Grants to support significant international scientific meetings in Ireland.
• Strategic Research Clusters (SRC) awards support to the creation of clusters internationally competitive researchers from academia and industry, particularly Irish-based industry.
• The International Research Partnership (IRP) mechanism supports bi-lateral collaborations with countries with which Ireland has an understanding in order to facilitate research collaborations.

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