Research improves the quality of education for all students, develops highly-trained PhD graduates and leads to new
knowledge which benefits all, writes
CONOR O'CARROLL
MORE THAN 10 years ago the government recognised the need to invest in high-quality research as a key driver for economic and social development. The universities argued successfully to be the main location for State investment in RD as opposed to establishing independent research institutes. For the last 12 years the universities have been engaged in an intense process of identifying research strengths and building on those through internal, national and international funding.
Universities have the integrated roles of teaching and research along with innovation and creativity. It is essential to understand that these activities are not separate but inextricably linked. Research in the universities improves the quality of education for all students, develops highly educated PhD graduates and creates new knowledge to address economic and social issues.
The core funding of universities is through the so-called block grant. This is allocated primarily on the number of taught undergraduate students. The block grant is there to fund the salaries of staff (more than 75 per cent) and teaching-related infrastructure. There is mention of the support for research and scholarship of individual academics. This is through the fact that their time spent on research is covered by the block grant through their salaries.
Universities have a number of means to prioritise research areas. Each has a clear strategic plan that outlines their objectives. Having an increased emphasis on one area is not to the exclusion of others. Academic staff in all disciplines are free to look for external RD funding from a variety of national and international sources.
In some cases there is direct allocation of internal resources to support focus areas. Also there is the possibility to transfer academic posts to prioritised areas. The main means of securing resources is to compete for national / international funding and seek partnerships with the public and private sectors. At this level there is a prioritisation in that there is often a clear focus on the type of research supported. Organisations like the Health Research Board and Environmental Protection Agency will fund research in their disciplines. Science Foundation Ireland was established to build international research excellence in Biosciences and ICT.
Attracting in new staff to increase the quality and quantity of research in target areas through SFI funding has been very effective. Since 2007 the Stokes Professorship and Lectureship programme has funded 58 positions in focused areas within Bioscience and ICT. In order to support career development at early stage, the Starting Investigator and highly prestigious Presidents Young Investigator Award have funded 14 and 18 highly talented researchers.
The HEA Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) was the first major national scheme to require a high level of cooperation across the higher education sector. It enabled institutions to come together on areas of common interest and develop an international level of research capability. This was a highly open and transparent process with the objective to identify national priorities and work together rather than in competition. The process did lead to a combination of collaborative and competing proposals.
This approach may be viewed by some as the operation of a cartel. However, with the international peer review process that evaluates the proposals, there is no guarantee that they will be funded. The state is not obliged to invest public monies if the quality of the proposal is not of the highest standards.
The concentration of effort across the universities may not be externally visible as there are no apparent negative effects associated with research prioritisation. Staff are not made redundant and departments do not close, as there is the underlying demand for teaching activity across all areas. Indeed the whole point is to raise overall levels of research excellence with particular focus in areas of institutional and national interest. Prioritising research was a decision made more than 10 years ago to maintain and stimulate further economic and social development. Universities will continue to raise overall research excellence and focus on areas of national importance.
Conor O’Carroll is research director in the Irish Universities Association, iua.ie Conor.ocarroll@iua.ie