Applications are now open for the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Public Service Fellowship programme. The programme offers academic researchers a unique opportunity to be seconded to Government departments and agencies to work on collaborative research projects. The aim is to foster innovation within the public sector by supporting collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development and implementation of data-driven and evidence-based approaches.
“The Public Service Fellowship brings researchers into Government departments and agencies,” says SFI director of Science for Society Ruth Freeman. “Many, many researchers would love the opportunity to apply their skills for the public good. They want to use their skills to help solve problems but don’t know how to go about it. What can they do? Write to their local TD? And if a Government department got them, they probably wouldn’t know what to do with them. The programme is a bridge to bring researchers and Government bodies together.”
That mutual understanding is critically important. “People looking from the outside in can see possible solutions to the really significant range of issues that the public service deals with,” says Dr Freeman. “But they need to be able to walk in the shoes of the people working in the public sector to understand the barriers and problems they are facing in implementing change. Change is not a solution wrapped up nicely in a bow, change involves people, and solutions need to take account of that to be truly valuable. It’s a two-sided process that requires expertise from both sides.”
The programme builds on a pilot run in 2020 when 12 researchers were funded to conduct projects in Government departments and agencies, and in the Library and Research Service of the Oireachtas. Projects included studies into the economic, social and ethical implications of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), the potential impact of new technology on the legal services market, and the social and ethical implications of e-health technology.
“We got a really strong response to the pilot,” says Dr Freeman. “We had a lot of engagement with Government departments and agencies for this programme. Each department thought about areas where it would be good to have an expert come in to help with aspects of their work.”
The result is 42 different projects for potential fellows to apply for. All of the projects relate to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem), but some will be suited to researchers who are not specialising in these areas. For example, behavioural science, innovation and education are among the disciplines that are needed with particular skills to be applied to Stem topics.
“The projects will help the most recent information and research to reach the heart of government in challenging areas such as the role of artificial intelligence in the Irish public service, policy for dealing with antimicrobial resistance, a range of aspects of climate action, as well as projects helping to derive actionable information and knowledge from large national datasets,” adds Dr Freeman.
The aim is to address existing issues as well as future challenges. “Horizon scanning is an important aspect,” says Dr Freeman. “While they are dealing with the needs of today, government departments are also conscious of the need to look to the future in areas like digital transformation, the green transition and so on. So much of our lives are impacted by public services and it’s great to see the appetite to bring expertise on board to help guide them in developing solutions for the future as well as in dealing with the issues of today.”
Applicants need to be PhD qualified and be employed at an eligible research body. “It’s really about getting the best fit between the project and the researcher,” Dr Freeman adds. “While they need to be PhD qualified, we are hoping to get applicants at a wide range of career stages from those just starting out right up to senior professor level.”
The programme also offers considerable flexibility. “Most Government departments can facilitate remote working now,” she notes. “If a researcher based in the University of Galway wants to work with a Government department for a year, interrupting their career to move to Dublin might be too disruptive. The projects can now be carried out part-time or even fully remotely.”
The closing date for application is October 5th and the aim is to have the first projects up and running early in 2024. “Researchers will get funded for their time and the costs of undertaking the project,” says Dr Freeman. “Projects will typically last for a year but can be longer if carried out part-time. There is flexibility built in. We anticipate a very strong response. Every time put a new call out to researchers in Ireland for work with societal benefit the response has been excellent.”
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