New report reveals strengthening research performance of Irish higher education
A new report on the research and development (R&D) performance of Ireland's higher education sector shows that total spending on R&D more than doubled between 2000 and 2004, rising to more than 491 million euro. The HERD (higher education R&D) report was published on 18 January by Forfás, a national body that advises the Irish government on enterprise, science and technology, and innovation policy. The data relate to the academic year 2003/4, and cover universities, institutes of technology and certain technology centres that perform R&D. Forfás concludes that Ireland 'has made considerable progress towards closing the gap between R&D performance in the higher education sector and that of major competitors on the international stage'. Since 2000, the total expenditure on R&D has more than doubled from 238.1 million euro to 491.7 million. Adjusting the figures to take account of inflation, the survey reveals a rise in spending in real terms of 215 million euro, or 78 per cent. Such rapid growth in HERD spending has had a noticeable impact on Ireland's position in OECD rankings. Out of 26 OECD countries studied, Ireland's ranking for HERD intensity (higher education R&D expenditure divided by economic activity) has risen from 22nd in 2000 to 16th in 2004, and its figure of 0.4 per cent of GDP puts it just behind the EU25 average of 0.43 per cent. The increase observed in HERD spending is mainly thanks to higher direct government investment through initiatives such as Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutes (PRTLI). In 2004, direct and indirect government funding accounted for 83 per cent of HERD spending, while the EU was the joint second highest investor, accounting for six per cent. All fields of science experienced an increase in R&D expenditure in 2004, with natural sciences gaining the largest share, accounting for 39 per cent of total investment. The medical sciences were second, with 18 per cent, and the social sciences and engineering were joint third with 17 per cent. The sharp rise in HERD investment is also reflected in the number of researchers working in the higher education sector on a full-time equivalent basis, which increased from 2,148 to 4,152 between 2000 and 2004. 'This increase was driven by a rise in the total headcount of R&D personnel and also by a rise in the time dedicated to research activities by personnel,' explains the report. Finally, in terms of the gender balance of research personnel in higher education, of total research personnel in 2004, including technicians and administrative staff, women accounted for 41 per cent while men accounted for 59 per cent. In terms of researchers alone, however (academic staff, postdocs, lecturers and research assistants) the gender balance was 63 per cent male compared to 37 per cent female. 'This figure is weighed down by the lower ration of female staff employed as academic staff [just 29 per cent],' concludes the report.
Countries
Ireland