Ninth Level Ireland

The full (draft) Programme is here; extracts related to third level are here.

“Earlier this week Cambridge University in the UK announced that all its courses will be delivered online for the next academic year. The decision followed immediately on a warning from England’s university regulator, the Office of Students, on the need for ‘absolute clarity’ for students making academic plans …” (more)

[Joan Donegan, IFUT, 21 May]

“Irish universities will struggle to ‘compete’ in the sphere of online learning when it comes to attracting students over the coming years, a top research official has warned. Peter Clinch, the chairman of Science Foundation Ireland, said the ‘centralised’ approach to IT of Ireland’s universities means it will be difficult for them to implement ‘blended learning’ – a combination of online and in-person learning – in the coming months and years …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty and Donal MacNamee, University Times, 15 May]

“The Irish Universities Association welcomes the announcement of €5 million in funding grants to key COVID-19 research and innovation projects by Minister Heather Humphreys today. 26 ground-breaking research projects have been funded today (26th April), 21 by the Health Research Board/Irish Research Council and a further 5 by the Science Foundation Ireland/Enterprise Ireland/IDA Ireland …” (more)

[IUA, 29 April]

“The Health Research Board (HRB), Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) are fully aware that the current situation regarding the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is having a significant impact on the research and innovation community, both in Ireland and internationally …” (more)

[SFI, 13 March]

“The Department of Education has clashed with the country’s largest State-funded research agency over how taxpayers’ money should be spent, documents show. Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) has been drawing up a strategy for the years 2020 to 2025 to guide the direction of future investment …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 20 January]

“Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) today published its Annual Plan for 2020. Key priorities are: a continued focus on individual-led research programmes, challenge-based funding initiatives including programmes to address climate action, international engagement through partnerships with funding agencies, public engagement programmes to drive public interest and participation in STEM, partnerships with enterprise and supporting Ireland’s world class SFI Research Centres …” (more)

[DBEI, 9 January]

“The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation invites applications from suitably qualified candidates who have an interest in the area of science/research to fill two vacancies on the Board of Science Foundation Ireland. The ideal candidates should demonstrate in their application evidence of at least one of the following at an appropriately senior level: …” (more)

[StateBoards.ie, 7 January]

“The Government is increasingly under fire for how the nation lags its European counterparts in funding basic, ‘blue skies’ research, the kind in which real world applications are not immediately clear. During Science Week 2019, Fianna Fáil’s science spokesman James Lawless, stated it was ‘over-concentrating resources around applied-commercial research at the expense of basic/discovery research’ …” (more)

[Conor Purcell, Irish Times, 2 January]

“Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of funding her Department provided to Science Foundation Ireland in 2017, 2018 and 2019, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 8 October]

“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]

“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]

“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]

“AMBER, Ireland’s materials science research centre, announced the creation of 350 jobs today as part of their second phase of research. The new research positions will be created between 2019 and 2025. This research will focus on the creation of new materials and technologies that minimize environmental impact, improve health, and build a sustainable future …” (more)

[Áine Kenny, Independent, 24 June]

“Investment of almost half a billion euro in cutting-edge science research is set to support the work of up to 850 researchers over the coming years. The Government announced on Thursday that it will invest €230 million in six Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centres …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 10 May]

“Presidents and Vice-Chancellors of ten universities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have met at Queen’s University Belfast. At this meeting, all universities confirmed their commitment to collaborating, on an all-island basis, across a broad range of research and education initiatives …” (more)

[IUA, 12 April]

“The University of Limerick is to lead a new €21 million research training centre for data science, it has been announced. In partnership with University College Dublin and Maynooth University, UL is to lead a new €21 million SFI Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science, with industry partners coordinated by Skillnet Ireland …” (more)

[Limerick Leader, 6 March]

“Some 90 companies are going to partner with Irish third-level colleges in running postgraduate courses and research programmes to train students in key skills needed in the digital science, data, and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors …” (more)

[Kevin O’Sullivan, Irish Times, 5 March]

“I was quite excited the other day when I got an email notifying me that Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) has announced a new funding programme called Frontiers for the Future. What particularly caught my attention are the so-called Frontiers for the Future Projects …” (more)

[In the Dark, 9 February]

“Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the location of each SFI research centre; and the amount of funding allocated to each such centre in 2018 and 2019, by county, in tabular form …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 22 January]