Programme objectives 

• To attract excellent researchers to Eligible Research Bodies in Ireland.
• To reinforce the national Research and Innovation ecosystem.
• To support areas of strategic interest and help drive sustainable economic growth in Ireland. 

Programme remit  

The Global Talent Ireland call will consider proposals that demonstrate excellence in any research area that falls within Research Ireland’s legal remit, where Applicants can provide compelling evidence for their potential to contribute to national development. 

This call will support the recruitment of exceptional researchers through two streams: “Rising Stars” and “Research Leaders”: 

• Rising Stars are defined as mid-career researchers who have demonstrated research excellence, independence and leadership, and who have shown exceptional potential to become a research leader of the future 

• Research Leaders are defined as world-leading researchers in their discipline with a demonstrated capacity for strategic and dynamic leadership on the international stage. 

Please see the programme call document for details on eligibility.  

• Expression of Interest template  
• Narrative CV template

• Expression of Interest deadline: 28th August 2025, 13:00 Irish local time 
• Full Proposal deadline: October 2025 (full details upon invitation)

The Expression of Interest (EoI) template is available in the downloads section above.

Each Applicant requires a separate EoI template to be completed. EoIs should be signed by a member of the relevant Research Office staff and submitted by email to globaltalent@researchireland.ie. All EoIs associated with a given Research Body must be submitted in a single email communication, with each EoI attached individually (i.e., not merged). 

Following eligibility checks and potential triage steps, Applicants proceeding to the Full Proposal stage will be invited to apply on SESAME.  

An information webinar will take place on Friday 1st August 2025. A Link to register will be available here ahead of the webinar.

Research Ireland is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). As such, Research Ireland is aligning its review and evaluation processes with DORA principles. To this end, all types of research output are recognised by Research Ireland and we are committed to assessing the quality and impact of research through means other than journal impact factors. Research Ireland has developed a Narrative CV template to assist with compliance to DORA principles. Furthermore, in the spirit of supporting open research and as a signatory of Plan S, Research Ireland will positively consider where there is a commitment to making data and other types of research open and accessible. 

Expression of Interest (EoI) review 

EoIs submitted to Research Ireland by host Research Bodies will not be subjected to external peer review. The information provided in the EoIs is required to assist Research Ireland staff to ascertain interest in the programme call and to help in the management of subsequent stages of the review process. The EoI documents will be reviewed by Research Ireland and an assessment will be made to ensure that the application meets the requirements of this call.  

Applicants and host Research Bodies will be notified as soon as possible regarding approval to move to the Full Proposal stage. Following submission of EoIs, a cross-agency advisory board will be convened to advise on the alignment of proposals with areas of significant strategic interest for Ireland. In the event of a very high volume of applications, Research Ireland may implement a triage step to reduce the number of proposals at the review stage using, for example, input from the cross-agency advisory board regarding national strategic alignment, level of co-funding from the host institution, and gender 

Stage 1 review 

Full Proposals will be reviewed by using external, international peer review. International experts carrying out the Stage 1 review will assess proposals by considering three review criteria, weighted as indicated below:  

1. Quality, significance, and relevance of the recent research record and career achievements of the Applicant, commensurate with career stage (40%).
2. Significance and relevance of the outlined research objectives and their potential to progress the field(s) of research concerned (40%).
3. Quality of the impact statement, considering how the proposed plan may support areas of strategic interest and help drive sustainable economic growth in Ireland (20%).

Stage 2 review 

Successful Applicants in Stage 1 of the review process will be invited to take part in a panel-based interview, in person, with high-level, multidisciplinary experts. Following the interview, the panel will provide an evaluation based on the following three equally weighted criteria:  

1. Likelihood and value to Ireland of the proposed impact of the recruitment and the quality of plans for developing and nurturing talent, including the motivation of the researcher to move to Ireland and their fit within Ireland’s research ecosystem.
2. Strength of the demonstrated commitment from the Research Body, including the financial and infrastructural support offered to the Applicant and alignment with the strategic objectives of the Research Body.
3. Appropriateness of the budget and resources requested and demonstration of value for money.