Seán Flynn,
Education Editor
The establishment of a new agency for research funding has been proposed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
It says the move is designed to place research and development activity at the centre of Government strategy. Under the new plan the agency would draw up funding plans for a three- to five- year cycle.
The moves comes in the wake of a bitter dispute last year between government and the third-level sector. For a period, research funding was put on hold but this decision was rescinded after it was castigated as "short-sighted" and contrary to the national economic interest by university presidents.
The new proposal was made by the HEA as part of its submission to the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), established by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney. The ESG has been charged with the task of advising the Minister on the development of Ireland's enterprise strategy over the next decade.
Under the HEA plan, the new agency would be a one-stop shop, supporting all basic research programmes, including the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI), Science Foundation Ireland, the Health Research Board, the Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology and the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences.
It would also include the basic research elements in the programmes funded by other agencies, such as Teagasc, Marine Institute and the EPA, as well as research activities of Enterprise Ireland.
The fund would allow for stability in investment in research programmes, within individual programmes and across Government, the HEA said.
In recent years there has been concern that the "on-off" nature of research funding has limited the capacity of third-level institutions to make long-term decisions on research funding.
Last night, Dr Don Thornhill, HEA chairman, said: "Ireland's future economic and social progress is critically dependent upon this country becoming a knowledge-based innovation society."