“The number of students studying or doing traineeships abroad is increasing as a growing number of undergraduates see the value of foreign experience. Figures from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) show that the number of students participating in the EU’s Erasmus+ programme has doubled over the past decade …” (more)
[Kim Bielenberg, Independent, 15 January]
“Last week, the government reassured Irish students travelling to study in Northern Ireland and the UK – and those coming in the opposite direction – that existing fee arrangements would be maintained for another year. In January of last year, 364 days ago and three weeks before the February CAO deadline, students starting in September 2019 got the same assurance …” (more)
[University Times, 12 January]
“Irish students hoping to study at UK universities next September will not face a hike in fees and can continue to avail of Irish grant support despite the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU at the end of the month, according to the Department of Education. In a statement released on Friday, Minister for Education Joe McHugh said the current fee regime and grants support for Irish students studying at UK institutions from September 2020 would remain in place …” (more)
[Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times, 10 January]
“The government has confirmed that existing fee arrangements will be maintained for Irish students enrolling in UK universities in 2020/21, amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit’s implications …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 10 January]
“The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD and Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today announced that current fee regimes and grant supports are being maintained for Irish students going to higher education institutions in the UK from September 2020. The Ministers also confirmed the current system will apply for students from Britain and Northern Ireland who are applying to attend colleges in Ireland …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 10 January]
“The government has said it is committed to maintaining the UK’s membership of the Erasmus+ programme, which funds opportunities for young people to train and study across Europe, despite shooting down an attempt to make its membership a priority in EU withdrawal negotiations …” (more)
[Richard Adams, Guardian, 9 January]
“British MPs yesterday voted against making securing full ongoing participation in the EU’s Erasmus+ educational and work placement exchange programmes a negotiating objective in the next phase of Brexit talks. The vote has been met with anger and disappointment from pro-EU commentators and social media groups – however it does not mean participation has been completely ruled out …” (more)
[Oliver Rowland, The Connexion, 9 January]
“Irish universities have secured six out of just over 300 lucrative European research grants which are awarded to the continent’s top scientists and scholars. The Irish performance is an improvement on the last round when there was just a single European Research Council (ERC) grant winner from Ireland …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 10 December]
“The government is unlikely propose any firm policies for higher education funding in an upcoming general election, after instead appointing a group of financial management consultants on a 12-month contract to examine the best way forward for the sector …” (more)
[Emer Moreau, University Times, 18 November]
“The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD and Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD have today (Monday 18 November 2019) announced that a contract has been awarded by the Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS) of the European Commission for an economic review to be conducted on increasing future sustainability of higher and further education provision in Ireland and the associated assessment of future funding options for the tertiary education sector …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 18 November]
“The Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today (24 October) launched a call for applications for financial support for eligible Irish higher education institutions (HEIs), in advance of the second call of the European Universities Initiative by the European Commission …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 24 October]
“In a week dominated by stupid things being said by British politicians, one of the stupidest of all was the claim by Labour MP Caroline Flint that the European Union is to blame for the rise of zero-hours contracts. Caroline Flint is a Brexit supporter, of course, so she will not be interested in facts …” (more)
[In the Dark, 20 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]
“Pressure on the Government to boost third-level funding has ramped up after former UCD Professor Hugh Brady, now head of a leading UK university, warned how Ireland’s higher education sector was lagging behind. Prof Brady didn’t hold back as he warned ‘the state of Ireland’s higher education and research system should be viewed as a national crisis’ …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 5 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]
“Thank you for the invitation to address you this morning: I had the honour of taking up the role as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol in 2015. For those of you not familiar with the UK system, most universities are run by a Vice-Chancellor who is both the Chief Academic Officer and Chief Executive …” (more)
[IUA, 4 October]
“Former UCD President Professor Hugh Brady, now head of a leading UK university, has delivered a hard-hitting rebuke to the Irish Government over its failure to tackle the funding issue in higher education. Prof Brady said the ‘ducking and diving has got to stop’ and action was needed ‘fast’ to make up the ground lost to higher education since the economic crash and to prepare for the Brexit aftermath …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 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]
“The most common query Ireland’s Higher Education Authority is receiving in relation to Brexit comes from school students who hope to study in the UK after their Leaving Certificate exams. These students want to know will this still be possible …” (more)
[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 1 October]
“It may have escaped your attention (as it did mine) that, when the candidates for members of the European Union Commission were presented last week, the role of Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation has apparently been phased out, and its remit subsumed by that of the Commissioner for ‘Innovation and Youth’ …” (more)
[In the Dark, 19 September]
