Continuing Work/Research

Continuing Work / Research

See also Volunteering & Donations on this site.

Continuing work for the University

The date of first appointment as an employee of the University, or of the Public Service, affects the age at which an employee may retire, and the age by which he/she must retire. Thus, various cohorts of staff of NUIG may have a minimum retirement age of 60, or 65 or 66. They may have a maximum retirement age of 65, or 70, or no maximum retirement age. (Information posted by the Pensions and Investments Office on their FAQ page.) These changes are linked to alterations in pension schemes and determined by Government legislation. You are advised to consult the Pensions and Investments Office of NUI Galway for details.   

The NUIG Retired Staff Policy states that 'Retired staff who wish to continue to contribute to the work of the University will be encouraged and facilitated in doing so.'

The President, Dr Jim Browne, has stated his wish for the relationship to be a dynamic one: ‘in bidding farewell to many colleagues, I’m conscious that we also say goodbye to valuable knowledge, experience and institutional memory, as well as some wonderful co-workers. I […] hope they will continue to remain vitally connected to the life of this campus community.’ (Ollscéala, March 2012)

Maintaining research visibility

IRIS

IRIS is the register of research maintained by the Research Office. It records publications, distinctions and awards.

You need a Campus Account from ISS (see under Services and Facilities) to edit your profile in IRIS.

Retired staff profiles in IRIS are not automatically published to the web. Formerly they were never published but following discussions with the Research Office in 2014 retired staff may have their profile published by writing to the Research Office. Research details contained in IRIS can be shown automatically on Departmental webpages. You may need to contact your former Department to arrange this. 

Further information about IRIS can be found on the Research Office’s Online Systems page.

For direct access to the IRIS log on page, click here.

If you wish to remove/alter your NUIG office address and phone number from the system you must contact Human Resources.

ARAN

The James Hardiman Library’s repository of research (named ARAN) welcomes electronic copies of research publications, where copyright allows.

For guidance on how to submit your published work to the repository, see the ARAN page on the Library website.

To upload your work to ARAN you will need to log onto IRIS (see above).

Research Matters

Retired staff are encouraged to submit items for publication in Research Matters, which is published biannually by the Research Office. Current and archived issues, and further information are available on the Research Office's Research Matters page. All issues can also be found, with other NUI Galway publications, on the Press Office's website.

Eligibility to apply for Research Funding

Key funding agencies differ in their policy on funding research by retired academic staff. HERA, for example, states that applicants for funding for their current 'Uses of the Past' strand, must not have reached retirement age. Two bodies which do not preclude the participation of retired staff are:

SFI

‘An Emeritus/"retired" academic Professor can apply to SFI programme calls provided that the host Research Body provides a letter signed by the Vice-President of Research (or equivalent)’ confirming that certain conditions are met. See the SFI’s Emeritus/Retired Eligibility Policy for SFI Programmes.

EU/ERC

Retired staff are eligible to apply for funding. Normally this would be for an Advanced Grant or a Synergy Grant when these arise. They may also be engaged by PIs on multi-person research projects. The following clarification was received 9 April 2014 from the ERC 2014 ADG Applicants Helpdesk, in answer to an inquiry:

‘Personnel working on the project shall be remunerated in accordance with the general practices of the Host Institution (beneficiary) and the applicable national legislation. Additional payments for retired researchers can be charged to the project if they are in line with national law and practice, as well as with the specific rules applicable to and in the Host Institution. However, costs have to be compliant with the eligibility criteria of Article II.14 of the General Conditions to the ERC Grant Agreement (Single- and Multi-Beneficiary).’

Note: The ERC also considers nominations of retired academics to serve as experts. See the EACEA page on working experts for information and links.

Fellowships

Retired staff are often eligible to apply for Research or Teaching Fellowships abroad. Non-discrimination policy in the US tends to mean that senior researchers are not precluded on the grounds of age.  

Some examples of bodies which accept applications from retired staff:

The Fulbright Commission welcomes applications from retired staff ‘As long as the scholar can outline the value of the research and how it will be disseminated and shared on return.’ (Response to email, 16 June 2014).

The National Humanities Center, North Carolina offers 40 Fellowships each year for the period September to May, and encourages applications from senior researchers, including emeriti. (Response to email, 14 June 2014).

EURIAS, the network of European Institutes for Advanced Studies, states that there is no age distinction for its Fellowships. See its eligibility requirements (accessed 29 June 2014). For 2015-16 it is offering 22 Senior Fellowships in the humanities and social sciences.

Emeritus Fellowships targeted at retired researchers are offered by some universities, though many are restricted to former staff, or to residents of the UK (Leverhulme Trust Emeritus Fellowships) or the US. 

Grants in aid of publication

NUI Galway Publication Fund

Retired staff are eligible to apply.

NUI Publications Scheme

This is restricted to ‘members of staff, both full-time and part-time’, and postdoctoral fellows.

Media Directory

The NUI Galway Media Directory, maintained by the Marketing and Communications Office, ‘is designed to give those working in the media an overview of the extent of expertise available in the University. The directory lists staff who are willing, when possible, to speak on the area which they have expertise.’

For details about the Media Directory and about how to update your profile, click here or contact the Marketing and Communications Office.