Minister Mary Harney and her Department of Enterprise and Employment have stolen a march on the Department of Education and Science. Not only have they begun the process of spending the £560 million science research funding allocated to them under the National Development Plan, they have also appropriated the name Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) for themselves.
Many people working in the third-level sector are more than surprised that an institute with such a designation will deal with only two areas of science research - biotechnology and information and communication technology (ICT). The Technology Foresight report recommended that research in these two areas be built up to world standard. The SFI designation, in this instance, is inappropriate, critics say, since it ignores all the other areas of science and engineering.
Researchers are also concerned that, so far, the Department of Education and Science has failed to make any move to spend the £550 million allocated to third-level research under the National Development Plan. Meanwhile, some academics in third-level institutions are finding it difficult to raise money to continue their work.
"There is an issue about all the people who don't come under the banners of biotechnology or ICT, but who are still scientists," comments Dr John Hegarty, who is TCD's dean of research. "Who is going to fund them? We need an independent science research council, which will allocate money to science research the way the humanities research council is doing. The SFI and the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) are special types of funding. We need a council which will fund the broad strokes of research."
The seven universities have submitted a total of 68 proposals to the SFI, which says it has received 80 applications. Half of these are from overseas. The aim of the SFI initiative is to attract world-class researchers to Ireland. The invitation to apply for funding was made to individual researchers. However, in order to secure the cash, applicants must be supported by a public organisation involved in research in Ireland - third-level institutions or Teagasc, for example.
According to a spokesperson for the SFI, applications are split 50/50 between biotechnology and ICT. Under the HEA's Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions, colleges which competed successfully for funding put a lot of effort into shortlisting proposals. This time around, TCD in particular has allowed any interested researcher to go ahead with an application. As a result, 30 Trinity proposals have been forwarded to the SFI.
Other universities, meanwhile, have used selection panels to determine which proposals to submit. According to TCD's John Hegarty, the feedback from the international peer review process, which will decide who gets what, will be invaluable. Even if they're turned down, people will learn a lot, he says. The Wellcome Trust's grant refusals are not viewed in a negative light. "People simply apply again - with better worked-out proposals." UCD has opted to support only six research proposals. All of these involve "very significant international collaborations", according to UCD's dean of research, Professor Frank Hegarty. Many of UCD's top researchers didn't submit research proposals, preferring to take a wait-and-see approach to the SFI's first trawl for projects, he says.
DCU has sent in eight, UCC five, NUI Maynooth three, NUI Galway nine and UL seven. Many of them involve researchers who are currently based overseas. According to DCU's dean of research, Dr Conor Long, limiting the number of proposals is a wise move. If proposals are accepted the university will have to provide the facilities.
This year, the SFI is willing fund up to 10 world-class projects (five in each area) to the tune of £1 million per annum, each, for up to five years. According to a SFI spokesperson, projects will be reviewed "after a period of time", and funding will be continued if progress is deemed satisfactory.
The closing date for applications was September 26th and a postal review of proposals by experts is already under way. This will be followed by a review by an international panel, which will identify the most outstanding candidates. It is expected that the shortlist of up to 10 successful applications - five in each category - will be announced in December or January.
