IADT is delighted to announce that applications are now open for three fully funded Masters by Research scholarships in the areas of Screen, Design and Policy.

These scholarships are available through our spearheading Elevate programme, which is supported by the TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise (TU RISE) scheme.

Elevate Masters by Research students will join a dynamic research community at IADT, led by our Elevate team comprising academics, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and research and innovation support services. They will be supervised by IADT academics who are experts in their field and will have access to a suite of targeted training and mentoring initiatives.

In addition, the Elevate Masters by Research students will be able to undertake their research and collaborate with their peers in our state-of-the-art facilities, which include digital media labs, virtual production studios, experimental studio spaces, research labs, technical workshops, dedicated Dolby Atmos sound studios, the flagship National Film School, and our newly installed motion capture facilities.

The Elevate Masters by Research Scholarships provide for programme entry fees and offer an annual stipend for two years of postgraduate study.

The closing date for applications is Monday 16 June 2025 at 5:00 PM.

IADT announced its vision to be ‘Ireland’s University for the Creative Industries’ with the launch of our new Strategic Plan 2024 - 2028. Our ambition is to propel Ireland to the forefront of the Creative Industries sector and solidify IADT as a global leader in research in the creative and cultural sectors.

We are an active research community. Many of our academic staff are internationally acclaimed in their fields of scholarship and creative practice and have led and worked on national and international funded research projects.

IADT strives to be a diverse and inclusive research community focused on generating impactful research outcomes that tackle compelling societal challenges. As a holder of the Athena Swan Bronze award since 2022, we prioritise the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in our approach to research.

Our facilities include digital media labs, virtual production studios, experimental studio spaces, research labs, technical workshops, dedicated Dolby Atmos sound studios, the flagship National Film School, and our newly installed motion capture facilities. Combined, this research expertise and our technical facilities provide the ideal space to conduct interdisciplinary, experimental, and cutting-edge research.

Applications, Training & Development

Applications

Applications for these scholarship opportunities will be accompanied by a proposal focused on the Elevate research priority research areas of Screen, Design and Policy.

The research proposal should respond to and/or be closely aligned to one of the following thematic areas:

Thematic Areas

  • EDI approaches, applications and critical contexts to a wide range of practices in the creative and cultural sector and industries (CCSI);

  • Impacts and implications for gender in the CCSI, including gender-based disparities between education and employment;

  • The impact of AI (Artificial Intelligence) on the CCSI, specifically how Artificial Intelligence is impacting Academic Integrity and Artistic Intelligence in the CCSI: how do these multiple AIs sit in tension with each other?

  • Critical practice-based approaches to AI in the CCSI;

  • Assessing production processes in creative practices and aesthetics in the digital age;

  • Holistic approaches to cultural policy for the CCSI;

  • Storytelling: new narratives, critical studies and new storytelling strategies in the digital age;

  • Audiences and media consumption in the digital age: politics, populism and policy in contemporary audiovisual cultures;

  • Bodies, Spaces and Creative Technologies e.g. access, accessibility and disability/ or other critical and/or creative approaches;

  • EDI and participation in the creative arts;

  • Informing policy: experimental design, eccentric design, ecological design, speculative design, social design;

  • Immersive eco-narratives: Designing speculative experiences (e.g. games, AR/VR, interactive storytelling, etc.) for environmental awareness and action;

  • Sustainability and/or eco-critical approaches in / to creative arts policy and practice, and/or the creative industries;

  • Ethical use of AI as a creative collaborator;

  • Creative technologies for social inclusion

  • AI and Inclusive Design

  • Arts, community and health or well-being

  • Psychology and creativity

  • Immersive creative experiences and well-being

  • Sustainability: the circular economy in the creative industries or critical and/or creative approaches to AI and sustainability

Discipline Areas

Applications employing practice-based research and/or critical and applied arts and humanities research are welcome.

We particularly encourage interdisciplinary research proposals that demonstrate social, economic and cultural impacts and combine disciplines such as:

Disciplines

  • Animation

  • Applied Psychology

  • Creative Computing

  • Design (Graphic Design, Costume, Fashion, Production, Industrial Design, UI/UX);

  • Entrepreneurship

  • Equality Studies

  • Film and Television

  • Gaming and Immersive Media

  • Creative Music Production

  • Performance, Sound and Audiovisual Media

  • Public and popular cultures.

  • Textual Histories and Theories

  • Visual Arts

  • Visual and Material Cultures

Successful candidates will be self-motivated with the capacity to produce diverse and impactful research outputs, including (but not limited to): exhibitions, artefacts, journal articles, reports, case studies, public workshops, presentations and engagements.

Training & Development

Masters by Research candidates are encouraged to participate in bespoke training and workshops events that will be provided by IADT and designed to aid them in their research and transferable skills (e.g., leadership skills, IP management, and presentation skills).

The following list is indicative of the courses that will be made available to them over two years:

Courses

  • Research integrity and ethics.

  • Grant writing.

  • Engaged research and impact case study training.

  • Data management plan preparation.

  • Enhanced knowledge and understanding of open research principles and resources.

  • Enhanced knowledge and understanding of skills related to EDI, including gender considerations in research.

  • Enterprise readiness, entrepreneurship, and commercialisation, including intellectual property (IP).

  • Relevant European policy (including Do No Significant Harm and State Aid Training).

All Masters by Research candidates will receive encouragement and support to publish and/or disseminate their work in scholarly outlets and/or relevant conferences, symposia, workshops, etc.

Requirements

Applicants for these scholarship opportunities must hold a second-class Honours Degree (NFQ Level 8) in an appropriate discipline area from a recognised awarding body.

If English is not your first language, or you are from a country where the official language is not English, you must provide evidence of one of the following qualifications before an offer can be made:

Qualifications

  • IELTS 6.5 (with no band lower than 6.0)

  • TOEFL iBT 90

  • Duolingo 120

  • Cambridge C1

  • LanguageCert ESOL

IADT’s English Language Policy Statement can be viewed HERE

Please send a single PDF file consisting of the following:


Applications must be submitted to: elevate@iadt.ie with ‘Elevate Masters by Research Application’ in the subject heading.

Further information or queries: Please email: elevate@iadt.ie

Closing date for applications: Monday 16 June 2025 at 5:00PM.

Interviews: Interview dates to be confirmed.

Starting Date: No later than 30 September 2025

A CV

  • Your CV should include:

  • Education history and qualifications

  • Research projects, publications, outputs and activities

A cover letter (max 1 page)

  • The cover letter should outline:

  • The reason for applying for this opportunity

  • How your profile and skills match the scholarship requirements

A research proposal

  • The proposal must include:

  • Project summary (max. 250 words)

  • Project objectives (max. 250 words)

  • Project outputs and activities (max. 250 words)

  • Statement on the interdisciplinary aspects of your proposed research (max. 250 words)

  • Statement on the potential cultural, societal, or economic impact of your proposed project (max. 250 words)

  • A digital portfolio, if relevant to your proposal

  • Scanned copies of relevant academic transcripts and English language certificates

  • A minimum of two letters of recommendation from and/or contact information for referees

Terms and Conditions

  • This Masters by Research starts no later than 30 September 2025.

  • The candidate will be registered and based at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire (IADT), Kill Avenue, Woodpark, Dublin A96 KH79.

  • The candidate is required to spend at least 12 weeks on placement with an enterprise partner within the two-year term of their Masters by Research programme.

  • All Masters by Research candidates will meet with their supervisors on a regular basis so that they are supported to progress with their research projects and to avail of the best training opportunities that are available locally to them.

  • The research supervisor and Elevate programme team (in conjunction with the Masters by Research scholar) are responsible for arranging the student placement with a suitable enterprise partner.

  • IADT is a Designated Awarding Body for awards up to and including level 9 in the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The degree of Masters by Research is therefore awarded by and in the name of IADT. The standard required for the achievement of the degree of Masters by Research is consistent with those appropriate to Level 9 of the NFQ. The knowledge, skill and competence acquired are relevant to personal development, participation in society and community, employment, and access to additional education and training.