Reporting Compliance

This policy applies to reporting submissions due from 1st December 2025. 

This policy accompanies the Research Ireland Grant Terms and Conditions and supports clauses 6 and 8 which outline the reporting responsibilities of the Principal Investigator (PI) and Research Body for grants awarded by Research Ireland. For the purposes of this policy, the PI means the grant holder, as per Research Ireland Grant Terms and Conditions.

Attention is also drawn to clause 23 of the Research Ireland Grant Terms and Conditions which details the actions that the Research Ireland CEO may take where they are of the opinion that the conditions of funding have not been complied with, in accordance with the Research and Innovation Act 2024. 

1. This policy applies to Annual, Final and Progress reports under the following programmes:
   • All legacy-SFI programmes excluding the Discover programme, and those where the grant holder does not report to Research Ireland (Royal Society-Research Ireland University Research Fellowship Programme, Research Ireland-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership, ERC Support Programme); 
   • Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Laureate and Pathway Programmes (other legacy-IRC programmes will be brought under this policy on a phased basis); 
   • All grants awarded under new Research Ireland Programme calls since 1st August 2024. 
2. This policy also applies to the annual Research Outputs survey where the grant holder has been requested to complete same and has held an active Research Ireland grant on or after 1st October of the reporting year. As per Clause 7 of Research Ireland Grant Terms and Conditions and relevant guidance under Research Ireland’s policies concerning Change to PI and Maternity, Paternity and Adoptive Leave, the Research Body must notify Research Ireland at the earliest opportunity of any actual or planned extended absence (greater than 3 months) such as extended sick leave, sabbatical, maternity leave etc., or departures concerning a PI or Co-Investigator. In these scenarios, it is recommended that the PI or Co-Investigator contact their programme manager and/or reporting@researchireland.ie as early as possible. In addition, it is the responsibility of the grant holder to ensure that the email address associated with their profile on SESAME is active and monitored. 
3. Points will be applied in accordance with the number of days a submission is made after a deadline has passed. 
4. When 5 points have been accrued, the PI will be excluded from applying to a Research Ireland Funding Programme (as lead applicant or co-applicant) for a period of 5 years (i.e., a sanction).
5. Annual or Final reports will accrue points according to the following:
   • If a submission is made, or a report is outstanding, less than 14 days after the deadline, the PI receives 1 point. 
   • If a submission is made, or a report is outstanding, 14 days or more after the deadline (but less than 30 days after the deadline), the PI receives 2 points. 
   • If a submission is made, or a report is outstanding, 30 days or more after the deadline, the PI receives 3 points. 
6. Research Outputs will accrue points according to the following:
   • If a submission is made less than 14 days after the deadline, the PI will accrue 2 points. 
   • If a PI fails to submit Research Outputs or makes a submission 14 days or more after the deadline, they will accrue 4 points. 
7. Where Research Outputs are submitted by an award administrator (as is the case for some large grants), any points accrued will be transferred to the PI. 
8.  Points will be cumulative. 
9. Where a sanction is applied, the points balance will be expunged, however, points may still be accrued from subsequent late submissions on active grants and/or Research Outputs. 
10. Where multiple sanctions are applied, exclusion periods will run concurrently.
11. Points will continue to accrue until five sequential years with no points applied have passed, upon which any existing points will be expunged. 
12. PIs can inspect their points balance through a ‘Report card’ available on their Researcher Portal in SESAME.
13. Penalty points applied to PIs may be removed in exceptional circumstances. These include:
    • PIs who are diverted from their normal research activities due to an extended local or national emergency (e.g., the researcher is a frontline health care worker during a pandemic); 
    • PIs who are on maternity / paternity / parental leave; 
    • Those who experience a bereavement or who themselves succumb to a serious illness that results in significant absence. 
14. Penalty points applied where deadlines have been missed due to busy schedules or prioritising other activities (work-related or personal) over Research Ireland reporting will not be removed. Research Ireland encourages PIs to contact their Programme Manager and / or reporting@researchireland.ie in advance of any deadline if they are experiencing difficulties. 
15. Where a PI considers that points have been mistakenly applied, Research Ireland encourages them to contact reporting@researchireland.ie in the first instance and present their case for consideration. If the points are deemed by the Programme Manager to have been correctly applied, a more formal appeal may then be submitted (on behalf of the PIs) by the VP/Dean of Research or equivalent for consideration by the Research Ireland CEO. This appeal should be by way of an email to reporting@researchireland.ie detailing:
    • The PIs name; 
    • The penalty points that are being appealed (e.g., penalty points incurred for late submission of Research Outputs 20XX / Annual or Final Report for grant number 22/XXX/9999). 
    • The exceptional circumstances that resulted in the points having been incurred. 
    • Personal documentation such as medical certs should NOT be attached. 
16. The details of points accrued and associated sanctions for each PI will be communicated to the relevant Research Body on an annual basis.