Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
526. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has engaged with an organisation (details supplied) on provisions to provide extensions and supports for researchers whose research was affected by Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18825/20]
View answerIn April 2020, the main research funders issued a joint statement providing guidance for researchers in relation to their funded awards and research during the Covid-19 crisis.
In relation to the organisation in question, it has provided practical guidance on 3 mechanisms that awardees can avail of to extend the duration of their awards: No-Cost Extensions, Budget Reallocations, and Costed Extensions. No-Cost Extensions and Budget Reallocations may be requested on all of its live awards, and these requests are being processed on an ongoing basis. The third mechanism, Costed Extensions, extends the duration and value of an award and is currently only applicable to live awardees whose funding duration ends in 2020. The call to researchers for Costed Extensions from the organisation in question closed on 19 June 2020.
Requests for Costed Extensions have been considered for awards where the research has been seriously compromised as a result of Covid-19. The organisation considers each request on a case-by-case basis. Where clear evidence of serious compromise has been provided, and where the awardee has demonstrated that the use of the first two extension mechanisms on their own cannot ensure the successful completion of the funded award, the request for a Costed Extension can be considered.
