Ninth Level Ireland

“For anyone interested in the sustained funding of third level education in Ireland, Budget Day has become more like Groundhog Day. 1,183 days before last week’s Budget, the Cassells Report identified the funding challenges facing our higher education system and set out the scale of the investment required to deliver on our national ambition …” (more)

[Jim Miley, Trinity News, 13 October]

“The Irish Universities Association (IUA), have described the Budget 2020 provisions for higher education as ‘understandable, but inadequate’. In yesterday’s budget statement, Minister of Finance Paschal Donohue announced the provision of €19 million for the rising student numbers in the following years, as well as €74 million additional funding for higher education, funded by a 0.1% increase in the National Training Fund levy. Donohue also reiterated a pledge for an extra investment of €60 million as part of the Human Capital Initiative …” (more)

[Rachel McKinney-Perry, Trinity News, 9 October]

“We would like to thank the Chair, Senator Neale Richmond, and the Committee members for inviting the Irish Universities Association to address the Committee. We would like to start by highlighting the importance of higher education and research to the Irish economy and the role it plays in protecting Ireland from global crises before discussing Brexit specifically in terms of higher education and research …” (more)

[IUA, 9 October]

“The IUA welcomes the Budget provisions for higher education for known increases in student numbers in 2020 and pay provisions under national wage agreements. We understand this cautious approach to the Budget by the government in the context of the considerable uncertainty arising from Brexit. However, it must be recognised that the Budget does not address the growing gap in core funding of our third level system …” (more)

[IUA, 9 October]

“An increase in investment of €74 million for higher education has been announced by the Finance Minister Paschal Donohue in today’s budget statement. The additional funding will be provided by a 0.1% increase to the National Training Fund, a levy on employers …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 8 October]

“Jim Miley Director General of the Irish Universities Association today responded to comments made by Hugh Brady, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, at the British Irish Chamber event this morning, Jim Miley said …” (more)

[IUA, 4 October]

“The former president of University College Dublin has called for immediate action to address a ‘national crisis’ ahead of Brexit. Now the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, Hugh Brady spoke at the British Irish Chamber of Commerce earlier today, insisting that the ‘state of Ireland’s higher education and research system should be viewed as a national crisis’ …” (more)

[Rebecca Stiffe, Irish Examiner, 4 October]

“Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD has said that the proposal being considered by Trinity College to reduce the places available for Irish based students by a quarter over the next 5 years is a cause for concern, and reflects the underfunding of the third level sector. Speaking this morning, Teachta Ó Laoghaire said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 3 October]

“The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has defended his government’s record on investment in third-level institutions in response to a question about Trinity’s fall in global rankings. The Taoiseach made his comments yesterday whilst on a visit to the United Nations in New York. When asked about Trinity’s falling position in the rankings, he claimed there has been a ‘substantial injection of cash into our universities’ …” (more)

[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 27 September]

“Irish universities have warned an Oireachtas committee that financial problems facing the third level sector will get ‘considerably worse’ unless there is a significant step-up in investment to support growing student numbers. Jim Miley, director-general of the Irish Universities Association, told the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Oversight that student numbers are set to grow by 40,000 over the coming decade …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 17 September]

“Fianna Fáil has criticised Fine Gael’s ‘short-sighted and philistine’ approach to research funding in Ireland, after the country won just one of 400 grants from the European Research Council. Fianna Fáil spokesperson on science, technology, research and development James Lawless said the government’s approach is hindering research in Ireland …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 16 September]

“The Presidents of Ireland’s seven universities, represented by the IUA, have called on the Government and the national research funding agencies to urgently address strategic deficiencies in how Irish research is funded, following the outcome of the latest European Research Council (ERC) funding programme. Only one Irish-based researcher was funded out of a total of 408 grant awards from the €621 million funding programme …” (more)

[IUA, 13 September]

“The presidents of all seven Irish universities today called for a rethink on how research is funded in Ireland after the European Research Council’s granted Irish-based researchers only one of its 408 grants …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 13 September]

“Just one of more than 400 recently announced European research grants has been awarded to Ireland prompting calls for an overhaul in how the Government carries out its own funding. The presidents of seven third level institutions represented by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) have said national funding for primary research is far behind that of other countries …” (more)

[Mark Hilliard, Irish Times, 13 September]

“A new controversy is erupting over State funding for university researchers after Trinity College Dublin (TCD) dropped 44 places in the latest annual global rankings. In a further blow to the nation’s higher education reputation, the only Irish entry in the world’s top 200 tumbled from 120th to 164th in the UK-based Times Higher Education table …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 12 September]

“Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor has advised students to use their grant from the SUSI grant to pay for accommodation increases, amid a funding crisis the government says it can’t tackle until after a general election …” (more)

[Orla Murnaghan, University Times, 14 August]

“Education Minister Joe McHugh’s political promise to freeze college fees for five years was made without any input from the Department of Finance, the Irish Examiner understands. The promise to freeze fees at €3,000 a year for college students was made by Mr McHugh despite ongoing demands from universities for the Government to address a major funding shortfall in the sector …” (more)

[Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner, 12 August]

“Irish universities have rounded on Minister for Education Joe McHugh after he pledged not to increase student fees in the next five years, calling for ‘positive solutions on funding’ from the government. In a statement released this afternoon, the Irish Universities Association (IUA) said that McHugh’s promise not to increase fees beyond €3,000, made in an interview with the Sunday Independent, ‘tells us what the Minister will not do’ …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 12 August]

“Minister McHugh has made clear that Fine Gael and the Government will not introduce student loans and will not increase fees. So, that tells us what the Minister will not do, we now need to hear what he and Fine Gael will do to solve the long-accepted funding crisis …” (more)

[IUA, 12 August]

“Education Minister Joe McHugh has been told he must come up with a solution to the shortfall in third-level funding after he ruled out hiking students’ fees for the next five years. The call comes as universities are looking for an extra €117m in State funding for next year to pay for their basic operations …” (more)

[Kevin Doyle, Independent, 12 August]