Central Bank PhD Programme in AI & Data Science  2026 - Call for Proposals

In late 2024, Central Bank of Ireland and the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at the University of Limerick launched a landmark research collaboration applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science for the  public good in Ireland. The collaboration saw the Central Bank funding a dedicated PhD programme in AI and Data science, hosted by the Insight Research Ireland Centre and University of Limerick.

As part of broadening the Central Bank’s research agenda, this programme explores both fundamental research and its application to critical public policy issues, including financial services. These include understanding algorithms, their reasoning, and decision justification in high stakes settings.

As a diverse multi-disciplinary perspective can provide valuable insights into these complex challenges,  the programme is available to all eligible researchers across Ireland.  A supervision team must include at least one Insight Principal Investigator, and can include co-supervisors from other disciplines outside the Insight investigator network.

The Call for Proposals is now open for 2026.

There are two focus areas, covering the following topics:

1. Joint approaches to multiplicity, sparsity, fairness and recourse in financial services

2. Developing evaluation science for complex AI systems in financial services

Further details on the topics, eligibility, and the application procedure for Principal Investigators can be found on the Insight Research Ireland Centre website.  

Call for Expressions of Interest: AI & Data Science PhD Funding – Central Bank of Ireland - Insight