Ninth Level Ireland

“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]

“Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Science, Technology, Research and Development, James Lawless, has said the short-sighted approach taken by Fine Gael in only funding research with expedient commercial outputs has greatly hampered the research and development ecosystem in Ireland …” (more)

[Fianna Fáil, 15 September]

“A repeated theme of mainstream media reporting on university rankings (nearly always QS or THE) is that Brexit has inflicted, is inflicting, or is surely going to inflict great damage on British education and the universities because they will not get any research grants from the European Union or be able to network with their continental peers …” (more)

[University Ranking Watch, 14 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]

“Ireland’s third-level institutes will have to wait until April 2020 to hear the verdict of EU analysis on the Cassells report, Minister for Education Joe McHugh has said. The report, which sets out three options for the future funding of Ireland’s higher education sector, has been with the European Commission since January 2019, when the government applied for economic advice on the report …” (more)

[Emer Moreau, University Times, 14 July]

“Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if students domiciled in Northern Ireland who wish to enter third-level education in institutions here in September 2020 and in the years following will be considered non-EU students; if they will be required to pay the non-EU rate of student fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 4 July]

“Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin successful in the first round of European University funding. The Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor today welcomed the announcement of the first round of successful applicants in the European University initiative …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 26 June]

“Sir, – I read the report by Carl O’Brien on the 2020 QS World University Rankings with interest. I note particularly that institutes of technology are performing very well (‘Irish universities stay outside top 100 in world rankings’, News, June 19th) …” (more)

[Letters, Irish Times, 20 June]

“European Union (EU) students starting university in Northern Ireland in 2020 will pay the same tuition fees as local students. The Department for the Economy (DE) confirmed they will be guaranteed ‘home fee’ during their courses. It follows similar announcements in England and Scotland …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News NI, 8 June]

“Eurodoc is the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (http://eurodoc.net/). It is an international federation of 29 national organisations of PhD candidates, and more generally of early career researchers from 28 countries of the European Union and the Council of Europe …” (more)

[IFUT, 31 May]

“Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD Minister of State for Higher Education today (15th May 2019) formally launched a Charter to promote gender equality in the University sector. SAGE – Systemic Action for Gender Equality – is an EU-Horizon 2020 funded project designed to seek stronger action on gender equality in higher education and research …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 15 May]

“Students ‘priced out’ of EU universities by higher fees after Brexit should stay in Britain and enjoy higher-quality courses, Theresa May says. The prime minister dismissed a protest that only rich children will be able to afford to study abroad in future by insisting no EU country could match the standards on offer at home …” (more)

[Rob Merrick, Independent, 1 May]