Page updated 25 April 2024

Salaries & Salary Changes (Research Funded)

This section provides details of the salaries rates for a variety of research funded roles. You will also find information on the process for altering a research-funded salary via InfoHub.

Policy Summary

The Salary Policy for Post-doctoral Researchers and Research Assistants applies to the following roles:

• Research Assistants
• Post-doctoral Fellows l and ll
• Research Fellows

Appointments will be made at a set of agreed fixed salary points. The Principal Investigator is responsible for proposing a salary at a point that is compatible with the applicant’s skills and experience and competitive with other prospective employers.

The lowest fixed salary point should be used for all Post-Doctoral Fellow 1 appointments, unless the appointee has significant post-doctoral research experience. In some cases, the funding agencies may dictate a particular rate and exceptions like this are outlined further in the policy.

This section contains a summary of a UCD policy, however, in all cases the Policy remains the definitive source of information on the topic. For more detail, please consult the (opens in a new window)Salary Policy for Post-doctoral Researchers and Research Assistants

Identifying an appropriate salary

The Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for proposing a salary at a point that is compatible with the applicant’s skills and experience and competitive with their existing remuneration or remuneration being offered by other prospective employers.

Off-scale appointments at salaries other than the fixed salary points or outside the scope of the policy must also have the explicit approval of the Head of School/Unit, College Principal/Vice-President/Head of Function as well as the Research Finance Office prior to submitting this to UCD HR Research Funded Resourcing Team.

The approved fixed salary points for Research Assistant, Post-Doctoral Fellow 1, Post-Doctoral Fellow 2 and Research Fellow are listed below:

Salary progression

It is important to note that the fixed salary levels are not scales, and automatic incremental progression does not apply. In line with other non-scale staff, the PI may make a case for a change in salary level taking account of the individual’s performance and availability of budget (though subject to the salary alignment/increase guidelines outlined below). A twelve-month period must elapse between such submissions.

For aligned research funded staff i.e. Post Doctoral Research Fellows, Research Assistants & Research Fellows the key principles are: that the employee has already been aligned to the agreed rates for Research funded staff, funding permits this salary increment being applied (as approved by Research Finance Office), performance objectives have been met, the effective date will be in line with the Haddington Road/Lansdowne Road Agreement and the increment will allow an employee move to the next salary point only. Note: This will not apply in the case where the funding body determines salary for an individual e.g. Marie Curie/IRCHSS etc.

For non-Research Careers Framework staff, the key principles are that no more than a 5% increase is permitted, the effective date will be in line with the Haddington Road/Lansdowne Road Agreement and funding permits this salary increase being applied (as approved by Research Finance Office).

Changing a salary via InfoHub

Please follow the steps below if you wish to change a salary for research staff.

Step 1: The PI logs into InfoHub, clicks on Human Resources and then selects the Resourcing tab.

Step 2: The PI then selects the Hiring & Employee Changes (Research Funded) form and within the menu selects “Change Employment Details”.

Step 3: The PI enters either the Name, Email or Personnel No of the employee into the search field. *Please note a PI can only change the details of an employee currently assigned to their cost centre. 

Step 4: Select the “Change Salary” option for the employee in question. *Please note This option can not be used for salary alignment of historic 2010/2011 salaries (please see the details below).

Step 5: Once you have completed the mandatory fields on the form click on the submit button so that the form can move to the next stage in the approval workflow. 

*Please note: the alignment of older research funded salaries still on the 2010/2011 fixed rates to the current fixed salary points must be completed through the paper based application form below and returned to the hrhelpdesk@ucd.ie. These applications are subject to the salary alignment/increase guidelines outlined in the form.

Forms

• Salary Alignment form – Research Funded Staff 

(Post Doctoral Research Fellows, Research Assistants & Research Fellows only)

Contact the HR Helpdesk

The HR Helpdesk is the primary point of contact for all your employment-related queries by email and telephone.  We are here to help you with any queries on employee benefits, terms & conditions and HR policies & procedures. If we can’t help you directly, we will refer your query to a HR specialist area.

All visitors to UCD HR, Roebuck offices should be by appointment only and arrangements to be made with specific HR staff members.

(opens in a new window)hrhelpdesk@ucd.ie

+ 353-1-716-4900

UCD HR
Roebuck Offices,
UCD Belfield Campus.