Letters

Funding of third-level research is crucial

Minister should engage in meaningful consultation

Wed Apr 26 2023 - 00:09

Sir, – As Government prepares legislation that will reconfigure our research funding landscape for generations to come through the Research and Innovation Bill 2023, we ask Minister for Further Education Simon Harris to use this unique opportunity to create a balanced and progressive research ecosystem in Ireland in line with best international practice. Ireland is well behind other EU countries in expenditure on research and development (R&D), investing only 1.23 per cent of GDP compared to the EU average of 2.32 per cent, and inconsistent with Ireland’s ambition to be a leader in EU R&D.

Having read the Heads of Bill, we would like to make the following points:

1) A meaningful definition of “research” – that is inclusive of every sector of knowledge and career stage and where there is balance between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Stem) and arts, humanities, and social sciences – should be the bedrock of this legislation.

2) The principles of parity of esteem (between disciplines) and of academic freedom which are cited in Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy should be embedded in the Bill.

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3) The Bill needs to provide for strong, accountable, and independent governance arrangements, including a meaningful and transparent system of selection of the members of the body overseeing the agency. Board members should be actively involved in research.

4) European standards of good practice that support appropriate governance in research and the fair allocation of funding should be included in the legislation.

5) There should be a commitment to fund research at a level equal to or greater than the EU average based on percentage of GDP. This must include a commitment to allocate at least 70 per cent of the total budget available to frontiers/basic research and to fund the full cost of research, including consumable costs and infrastructure for lab-based scientific research and other research related infrastructure.

Furthermore, we ask that the Minister engages in meaningful consultation before the new agency takes form by giving us an opportunity to be heard at the Oireachtas Education Committee. The academic research community, within and outside Ireland, holds the critical knowledge, experience and insight required to create the best agency. – Yours, etc,

LUKE O’NEILL, MRIA

Professor of Biochemistry,

Trinity College Dublin;

JANE OHLMEYER, MRIA,

Erasmus Smith’s

Professor of Modern

History,

Trinity College Dublin;

KINGSTON MILLS, MRIA,

Professor of Experimental Immunology, Biochemistry, Trinity College Dublin;

ROB KITCHIN, MRIA,

Professor in Social Sciences, Maynooth University

KATHLEEN JAMES-CHAKRABOTY, Professor of Art History,

University College Dublin;

MARIE LOUISE

COOLAHAN,

Professor of English,

University of Galway;

ALAN SMEATON, MRIA,

Professor of Computing, Dublin City University;

ANNE FUCHS, MRIA,

Director UCD Humanities

Institute,

University College Dublin;

Mary Canning, MRIA, Chair, Governing Authority, Maynooth University and outgoing President of the Royal Irish Academy

James Gleeson, Head of Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Limerick

Brendan Dooley, Professor of Renaissance Studies, University College Cork

Jonathan Coleman, MRIA, Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Trinity College Dublin

Felicity Kelliher, Professor of Management Practice, South East Technological University

Mani Ramaswami, MRIA, Professor of Neurogenetics, Trinity College Dublin

Paul Moynagh, MRIA, Director of the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research, Maynooth University

Cliona O’Farrelly, Professor of Comparative Immunology, Trinity College Dublin

Donncha O’Connell, Professor of Law, University of Galway

Brian Broderick, Professor in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin

Stefano Sanvito, Professor of Condensed Matter Theory, Physics and Director of CRANN

Luke Drury, MRIA, Professor Emeritus, School of Cosmic Physics, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

Brian Caulfield, Associate Professor & Head of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin

Andrew Parnell, Professor and Director, Hamilton Institute, Maynooth University

Andrew Bowie, MRIA, Professor of Innate Immunology, Trinity College DublinKieran Conboy, Professor in Business Information Systems, University of GalwayDan Bradley, MRIA, Professor of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

Christina Morin, Head of English, Limerick University

Eve Patten, Professor and Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin

Linda Connolly, Professor and Director, Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, Maynooth University

Adrian Bracken, Professor in Medical Molecular Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

Maxim Fomin, Research Director, Modern Languages and Linguistics, University of Ulster

John Walsh, Assistant Professor in Higher Education and Chair of Trinity’s branch of IFUT

Andy Way, Professor of Computing, ADAPT Research Centre, Dublin City University

Aoife McLysaght, Professor of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

Diane Negra, MRIA, Professor of Film Studies and Screen Culture, University College Dublin

Seamus Martin, MRIA, Smurfit Chair of Medical Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

John Morrissey, Professor of Human Geography, University of Galway

David Finlay, Associate Professor in Immunometabolism, Trinity College Dublin

Nicole Volmering, Research Assistant Professor & Principal Investigator, SFI-IRC Pathway project, Trinity College Dublin

Sharon O’Brien, Associate Dean for Research, Dublin City University

Andrew Gibson, Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Education, Trinity College Dublin

Pádraic Moran, Lecturer in Classics, University of Galway

Rachel McLoughlin, Professor in Immunology, Trinity College Dublin