Changes to the payment mechanisms for research students contributing to academic activities

In recent years casual payment mechanisms employed across universities have been tightened up considerably. In this context, use of the Scholarship Authorisation process in DCU for payment of students engaged in academic activities or tutoring/demonstrating has been considered, and found to be out of step with the sector. This was brought to the attention of the director of Human Resources, who agreed to introduce a HR-based process and basis for such payments, in contexts where this is more appropriate.  

Where a registered research student is receiving payment and is undertaking duties in support of academic activities/learning, the process to be used is as follows: 

1. The Scholarship Authorisation Form (SAF process), administered through Faculties and the Graduate Studies Office, in cases where the academic support is provided by: 

• a full-time registered research student 
• on a bona fide scholarship to pursue a research award on a full-time basis, and 
• who is undertaking a modest amount of such activities, consistent with their professional development, their full-time student status, and the terms of their scholarship 

The maximum level of contribution consistent with this context has been discussed at GRSB and expressed as 6hr total effort/week or 144hr total effort/ year.  Typically, full-time scholarship holders in DCU (funded from a range of sources) are paid €14,000€18,000 + fees/annum. 

The SAF process pays a scholarship under a tax-free concession of the Revenue Commissioners, and there is no specific reference to separate payments for learning support duties.  The SAF has been changed to remove any such reference.

2. A Human Resources based process, designed and administered by HR for situations where the student registration (e.g. part-time), funding level (e.g. too low to credibly be a bona fide scholarship to pursue full-time research), or amount of activity engaged in, fall outside this context.  

There are other contexts in which the SAF mechanism can be used: eg. to pay a funded student who is not involved in such duties, and obvious there is a range of HR processes relating to paying staff in general that might be appropriate to a research student who takes on specific work.