Irish government injects funds into higher education research
The Irish Government has announced EUR 190 million in funding for higher education research. The funding will be provided over the period 2007-2010 to support the research capacity, infrastructure and capabilities of higher education institutions across the country. All disciplines, including the arts, the humanities, social sciences, technology, engineering, materials and all other sciences, may be supported. Provided through the fourth cycle of the government's Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI), the announced funding begins the roll-out of the Strategy for Science and Innovation 2006-2013. The aim of the strategy is to make Ireland a leading knowledge society, built on excellence in science, technology and innovation, by 2010. 'The development of a knowledge-based economy is a prerequisite to generating the wealth we need to compete globally and to build a better society. Developing world leading research capability in Ireland, across the sciences and the humanities, will be a key determinant of our success,' said Mary Hanafin, Minister for Education and Science in Ireland. Although the main focus will be on investing in the highly-skilled people needed to drive a knowledge economy, the PRTLI will also promote knowledge transfer from research centres into industry, and alliances involving higher education, business and social partners. 'Sustained economic growth will depend on the attraction of highly-skilled researchers from overseas combined with the creation of a vibrant home grown innovation system. The creation of an environment and facilities capable of attracting and retaining high quality researchers will be a key goal of the PRTLI 4,' said Ms Hanafin. The announced investment is the latest in a series of recent funding injections by the Irish government into the country's research infrastructure. According to a recently published report by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Irish policy and advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation (Forfás), this investment has helped to transform the research base in Ireland, giving the country growing influence on the now-global research stage. However, given the historical deficits in infrastructure funding, Ireland is still some way behind other developed nations. In 2004 the Irish HERD (Higher-Education Expenditure on R&D) was 0.40% of GNP compared with an average OECD/EU figure of 0.43%, ranking Ireland in 14th position out of 30 countries. To close the gap, the report recommends broadening the base of research in the higher education sector, investing in specific high-priority areas, and consolidating investments.
Countries
Ireland