National Funding
The Marine Institute provides funding for marine research in a range of areas including the Cullen Fellowship, Ship-time Programme and the Networking & Travel Initiative. The Marine Institute also provides funding for marine research including Project-Based awards such as
- applied research projects
- demonstration projects
- desk/feasibility studies
and Research Awards such as
- strategic research appointments,
- research capacity/competency building,
- post-doctoral fellowships,
- PhD scholarships.
Information on other national and international funding calls relevant to marine research is available on the current funding opportunities page. Key Marine Institute marine research programmes include:
Cullen Fellowship Programme
The annual call under the Cullen Fellowship Programme provides Fellowships to postgraduates to work on projects relevant to the Marine Institute whilst studying for a higher degree. The Fellowships may be offered in all areas of Marine Institute research activity – food safety, marine technology, oceanography fisheries, shipping, statistics, marine economics, aquaculture and genetics.
The objectives of the Cullen Fellowship Programme are:
- To provide research training opportunities for scientists in marine and related disciplines leading to the acquisition of a higher degree,
- To facilitate liaison between the Marine Institute’s applied research programme and the more basic or fundamental investigations in the third-level sector, particularly in ‘new science’ areas,
- to increase the Marine Institute's research capacity.
During 2018 the Marine Institute funded 5 PhD Fellowships under the Cullen Fellowship Programme bringing a total 26 projects funded to date with a combined value of €2,011,000.
| Lead Organisation | Project Title | Grant-Aid € |
| NUI Galway | Culture optimisation, and bioactivity of selected toxic Irish microalgae | 69000 |
| Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology | Evaluate the disease status of velvet crab, brown crab, lobster & shrimp | 72000 |
| Trinity College Dublin | Vulnerability of life stages of marine calcifiers to changes in ocean chemistry | 72000 |
| Cork Institute of Technology | Next generation sequencing to determine the occurrence of Norovirus Genotypes | 69000 |
| NUI Galway | A regional and rural analysis of Ireland’s Ocean and Coastal Economies | 46000 |
Ship-Time Programme
The Marine Institute provides annual grant-aid to researchers to access ship-time to facilitate research projects/programmes and further develop the national potential to carry out world-class multidisciplinary marine research. The Ship-Time Programme also includes grant-aid to Higher Education Institutions within the island of Ireland, to provide dedicated undergraduate and/or postgraduate training programmes onboard the vessels under the Dedicated Training Programme. The Ship-Time Programme is awarded through a competitive open call on an annual basis. In 2018 the Marine Institute awarded a total of €2,640,600 in shiptime funding. Further information on the Ship-Time Programme can be found on the Shiptime overview page.
Networking & Travel Initiative
The Marine Institute provide travel grants to promote appropriate networking activities that support the Irish marine research community. Grant support is provided in the following categories:
- Hosting Workshops and Conferences
- Researcher Travel Awards
- Other Marine Networking Initiatives
The Networking Initiative remains open on a rolling basis with evaluations taking place each month. In 2018, the Marine Institute awarded €97,822 in grant-aid funding under the Marine Institute’s Networking & Travel Awards.
| Funding Type | Awards | Grant-Aid € |
| Hosting Workshops and Conferences | 10 | 17,102 |
| Researcher Travel Award | 100 | 75,227 |
| Other Networking Initiatives | 7 | 5,493 |