What is an Honorary Research Fellowship?
An Honorary Research Fellowship (HRF) is an honorary (i.e., unpaid) appointment which allows scholars from other institutions to cooperate with academic staff at St Patrick’s Pontifical University. It allows them access to certain University facilities to further their own research or to cooperate on a joint research project to the mutual benefit of both the fellows and the community at St Patrick’s. While an HRF is not remunerated, a fellow may undertake separate ad hoc work paid on a claims basis which is not directly related to their honorary appointment. SPPU reserves the right to terminate an honorary appointment at any time and reason prior to its expiry. If, in the future, the honorary fellow is appointed to a substantive (i.e., paid) role within the SPPU, the HRF will cease.
What Kinds of Honorary Research Fellowships are there?
SPPU offers two kinds of HRFs, a short-term and long-term.
| Short-term HRF | Long-term HRF | |
| Duration | Less than three months | More than three months, up to three years. (Three-year terms are renewable subject to the President's approval.) |
| Minimal Contribution | • Acknowledgement in a future publication. I.e.., if a scholar publishes a work in which research conducted under a HRF at SPPU contributed, then the scholar will acknowledge this, e.g., in a footnote. | • Acknowledgement in a future publication. I.e.., if a scholar publishes a work in which research conducted under a HRF at SPPU contributed, then the scholar will acknowledge this, e.g., in a footnote. • Some teaching or public lecture, in proportion to the duration of the HRF, and to be arranged with the Sponsor and the SPPU Research Committee. |
Those interested in an HRF are invited first to contact and secure a sponsor to support an application. The sponsor is a full-time faculty member of the Pontifical University. Having contacted and secured the support of a sponsor, the applicant can submit an application via SPPU’s Online Application Form. The Online Application Form will ask the candidate for the name of the sponsor, who will nominate the candidate for the HRF. BEFORE submitting the Application Form, be sure to arrange for an SPPU faculty member to be a sponsor.
Once the Online Application Form is submitted, the Research Committee will assess the application and, where appropriate, recommend it to the relevant Faculty Board (i.e., either the Philosophy or Theology faculty, or the Centre for Mission and Ministries). The relevant faculty/Centre forwards a recommendation to the President, who then makes the official appointment. The Dean of the relevant faculty/Centre will notify the candidate and details of the appointment will be discussed in conjunction with the sponsor.
Please find the application form below:
If you live outside Ireland, check out our dedicated area for international students.
Let’s talk
For Undergraduate queries: email admissions@spcm.ie.
For Postgraduate queries: email pgadmissions@spcm.ie.
For The Centre for Mission & Ministries queries, email: cmmadmissions@spcm.ie.