Dublin is taking the lion's share of higher education research and development funding, according to the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).
The western region is losing out badly, it says, having received just 34.83 per cent of funds in the 1999-01 period, compared with 65.17 per cent for the Dublin mid-east region. This amounted to €35.9 million during those years, drawn from a State budget for this work of €361.3 million.
The GMIT says there is a particular under-funding in relation to the IT sector in Galway and Mayo, and the next government must correct this imbalance. "Research and development capacity and capability must be provided in the regions so as to ensure regional development, industrial competitiveness and research-led innovation."
A breakdown of the funding for higher education research during 1999-01 shows that finance tends to be concentrated in areas where there are universities. Therefore, Donegal, Sligo and Dundalk got 0.38 per cent, while having 11.23 per cent of total population.
Galway and Mayo got 9.95 per cent, with 9.72 per cent of the population. The midlands got 0.8 per cent and the south-east 0.69 per cent, while Limerick received 4.88 per cent.
The university sector got 89.3 per cent, while the total for the technology institutes was 10.7 per cent. It is acknowledged that institutes of technology play a vital role in attracting industry to the regions through educating and training thousands of students to graduate level in engineering, technology, science, business and humanities.
The institutes of technology are being denied adequate staff resources, facilities and equipment for extending research and development capacity, the GMIT went on.
"While world-class research is taking place, it is being impeded unnecessarily by government inaction."
The institute concludes that unless there is a new and creative approach by government, jobs and knowledge-based enterprises will continue to be drawn to the most developed regions of the State, and it will be impossible to fulfil the targets of the National Development Plan and the National Spatial Strategy.