Ireland Fellows Pilot PhD Programme

The Ireland Fellows Pilot PhD Programme offers selected suitably-qualified PhD students in partner higher education institutions in Vietnam the opportunity to study for one year at a higher education institution in Ireland as part of their PhD programme. The award is fully funded and covers programme fees, flights, and accommodation and living costs for the year in Ireland. The aims of the Programme are to nurture world-class future leaders; to develop in-country capacity to achieve national SDG goals; and to build positive relationships with Ireland. 

Please note that the support provided is for research purposes and will not result in a separate qualification. 

The Ireland Fellows Pilot PhD Programme is being managed and funded by Irish Aid from our HQ in Ireland. It is targeted - for this pilot year - at the Embassy’s university partners under the Vietnam Ireland Bilateral Education Exchange (VIBE) programme. 

Below has been suggested by Irish Aid HQ as the application process for interested candidates: 

1.      The Embassy of Ireland will share the call for applications and details of the Programme with VIBE partners, and you are asked to kindly circulate the information to Departments/academics/PhD students that might already have an existing link with an Irish HEI and potential supervisors in Ireland. 

2.       Academics here on the Vietnam side should connect with partners in Ireland to establish interest in hosting a Vietnamese PhD student in a particular eligible research area.  

3.       Once the connection with Ireland has been established, both the Vietnamese host institution and the Irish supervisor should advise on the quality and suitability of the Vietnamese scholar's research area for the purposes of a meaningful placement experience in the Irish HEI.  This is done through completing a form which the applicant will submit with their application. Two additional academic references should also be submitted. 

4.      The applicant student should then submit their application form and required documents to the Embassy of Ireland, as per the call for applications. 

5.       The Embassy of Ireland will check the eligibility of applicants, and confirm to Irish Aid HQ that the required documentation has been submitted as above, and that the applicant is considered suitable for the Programme by both Vietnamese and Irish institutions. 

6.        Shortlisted eligible applicants will then be invited to interview by the Embassy of Ireland.   

7.       Successful applicants will be notified and supported to prepare to travel to Ireland to take up their placement in the coming academic year (2022-2023). 

The proposed timeline for this process is also set out below: 

·         Applications open on 24 March 2022 

·         Applications close on 14 May 2022 

·         Successful applicants will be notified by end-June 2022 of the outcome. 

·         It is expected that successful applicants would travel to Ireland in Late August or early September 2022 to take up their places. 

At this point, I would be grateful if you could send any initial feedback or observations on the proposed programme and process, particularly the application process.