• SPARK Consultant Innovation Fund

    The SPARK Consultant Innovation Fund empowers Consultants on the Public Only Consultant Contract 2023 to be leaders of change by funding projects that introduce novel ideas, processes, or technologies to enhance service delivery. Eligible Consultants can apply for up to €8,000 per annum to support translational research and innovation projects aimed at improving patient care, and they may pool funds with other eligible Consultants for a maximum of €50,000 per innovation/research project.

    For further details, please refer to the Spark Consultant_Innovation_Fund_Guidance & Training Video SJH Spark Consultant Innovation Fund (CIF) Pre-Approval Guidance on Vimeo 

    Application Form Link: https://sjh-tuh.forms.ethicalreviewmanager.com/ActivityForm/Index 

    SAPRK CIF HSE Link : https://healthservice.hse.ie/staff/spark-innovation-programme/consultant-innovation-fund/ 

    • SPARK Pre-submission phase: Consultants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications via the Consultant Innovation Fund Pre-Submission Application Form on the application portal to receive feedback on their proposal. Applications must be submitted by 16 January 2026 and will receive feedback before the 06 March 2026. Note: Applications submitted after 16 January 2026 will not be eligible for feedback.  

    • SJH Pre-Approval: Consultants must apply for SJH hospital pre-approval of their project via the Research & Innovation ‘SJH CIF Pre-Approval Application form’. The pre-approval application will be reviewed internally to ensure that the project is feasible and viable. The consultant may only proceed to a formal CIF application once hospital pre-approval has been granted. 
    • SPARK Final application deadline: 03 April 2026. Applications submitted for final review via the Consultant Innovation Fund Formal Application Form on the HSE application portal will be assessed solely against the CIF guidance using the Application Assessment Checklist, and no further changes to the application will be possible after submission . 
    • SPARK Fund transfers: Scheduled for February, April, and May 2026. The final transfer will occur in May 2026. Note: All required documentation must be returned to the Spark Team by the 6th of each month to be included in that month’s fund transfer.  
    • Memorandum of Agreement (MOAs): The MOA must be signed by your line manager/ clinical director and the CEO. The fully signed MOA must be submitted to the R&I office. The signed MOA will be uploaded to your pre-approval application to finalise the hospital approval. Once the approval is finalised, the project may commence. 
    • SJH Progress Report: Hospital approval to proceed is contingent on the submission of a progress report. 

    Dates to Note :

    • Opened: 03 November 2025

    • SPARK Pre-submission deadline: 16 January 2026

    • SJH Pre-Approval deadline: 15 March 2026

    • SPARK Final application deadline: 03 April 2026