The Irish Universities Association identifies the following research career stages:

• PhD or doctoral training stage: all our PhD students are part of TU Dublin's Graduate Research School which organises all necessary training for them.
• Postdoctoral to Senior Postdoctoral Researcher: at this stage, the researcher will conduct a specified research programme under a PI's supervision. It typically lasts about 5 years.
• Research Fellow: researchers at this level will be recognised professionals who can work independently within a project led by a PI.
• Senior Research Fellow: researchers at this level are leading researchers with significant work experience at post-doctoral and/or research fellow level and and a track record of achievements such as supervision of PhD students to completion, successful grant applications and international collaborations.

Researchers can progress through the different stages of their career path by open competition and providing funding is available.

For internal candidates, having achieved a certificate of completion on the current level of their research contract is a desirable requisite to apply for promotion to the next level, e.g. the Certificate of Completion at Postdoctoral Level is a desirable requisite to apply for a research fellow position. External candidates will be required to provide evidence of training and professional development similar to this certificate.

At each stage of their career development, researchers will be able to apply for a certificate of completion by submitting the Application for Research Stage Certificate of Completion comprising the following information:

• Evidence of career planning and development activity, e.g. completed Researcher Career Development Plan
• Certificate of Completion of Mandatory Research Integrity Training: this module is delivered in a blended format with a 2-hour live session followed by an online course hosted on the Epigeum platform.
• 25 hours of formal learning addressing the RCDF competency areas: this can include workshops or courses attended within or outside TU Dublin.
• Evidence of Being Able to write a coherent research proposal: This can be a copy of a recent successful research proposal (e.g. application for a TU Dublin Supervisor Funding Scheme) or a new proposal;
• Personal Statement (around 500 words): this should include the stage of career development the researcher feels has been achieved, e.g. if the stage in question is postdoctoral researcher level, the researcher will provide information on their experience of engaging in career planning and continuing professional development, outlining how they intend to continue to develop and progress their career towards the next stage of development, i.e. Research Fellow.

The submitted application will be assessed by a Researcher Career Development Stage Group comprising the VP for Research and Innovation or nominee, the Researcher Career Development Manager and an experienced leading researcher who is not related either personally or professionally to the applicant.