NSAI is partnering with Engineers Ireland to offer members funding towards international travel, associated with standards-related work.

The €25,000 fund is now open for applications from engineers that are planning to attend international technical committee meetings in 2023 which are organised by a recognised standardization body (such as IEC, CENELEC, CEN and ISO). 

Successful applicants can use the funding towards vouched expenses incurred, such as flights, hotel stays, meals and transportation.

The current call for applications closes on Friday, 30 June 2023 and applications must relate to an international meeting taking place in 2023. A further call for applications may take place later in the year, subject to funding still being available.

NSAI is Ireland’s official standards body and is responsible for developing and publishing national, European, and international standards for products, processes and services. According to Amanda-Jane Gainford, Standards Officer – Electrotechnical, at NSAI, the aim of the fund is to support engineers’ participation in standards development.

She said: “Through our partnership with Engineers Ireland, we are directly supporting members’ involvement in standard development. Standards development provides engineers with the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the industry and in parallel, improve professional knowledge. I would encourage all professional engineers play an active role and share their expertise by participating in standards development.”

Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: “Standards are built on a foundation of collaboration, knowledge exchange and professional experience. Standards and the methods used to assess conformity to standards are critical. They are essential components of our nation's technology infrastructure—vital to industry and commerce, crucial to the health and safety of our people, and basic to the nation's economic performance.”

“We actively encourage members’ participation in the continuous maintenance, development, and implementation of standards and we are pleased to work with the NSAI to support member involvement in standard development,” he added.

Members of Engineers Ireland are being encouraged to apply for this travel fund and register their interest by completing an application form and emailing it to finance@engineersireland.ie.

The current call for applications closes on Friday, 30 June 2023

Further details

What the fund is for:

  • The fund is to support Engineers Ireland members to attend international technical committee standardisation meetings.
  • The fund is to be used for meetings taking place in 2023.
  • The fund is to be used for attending Standardisation meetings carried out by one of the following Standardisation bodies: 
  • IEC
  • CENELEC
  • CEN
  • ISO 

Selection criteria:

The expert must be a member of Engineers Ireland.

  • The expert must join one of NSAI technical committees to be able to attend the meeting.
  • The expert should not work for a large company (>250 employees).
  • The Standardisation work must be under development by IEC, ISO, CEN, CENELEC.
  • The application shall be made in advance of travel and allowing adequate time for the application to be approved.
  • The expert must provide a report/document to be used in a PR campaign (Engineers Journal, NSAI PR campaign, etc)
  • The expert is not eligible to get funding from another NSAI related source for the same meeting.
  •  The expert can apply for this fund once.

The scheme will cover:

  • Vouched expenses 
  • The expert should book the most economic options for 
  • Flights 
  • Accommodation
  • Public Transport (most economical method should be selected, taxi fares are allowable but car hire is excluded)
  • Mileage to and from the Irish Airport (contact Engineers Ireland to confirm this mileage rate)
  • Car parking charges at the airport
  • Tolls
  • Meals (alcohol expenses are excluded).

Deadline

The current call for applications closes on Friday, 30 June 2023