An interview with Prof Hugh Brady in this newspaper caught my attention. Within it, Prof Brady, president of Imperial College London, warned that the quality of Irish higher education was slipping, and a major reason for this was underfunding. I agree wholeheartedly that the Irish third-level education system is suffering due to a lack of funding. More investment is needed to allow higher education to flourish in this country.
Our common ground, however, is lost when he suggests that funds are being diverted away from traditional universities to “‘technological universities” at the expense of the system as a whole. Technological universities (TUs) are an essential element of the grander higher education landscape and are as deserving of funding as other third-level institutions.
One aspect of a functional education system is the diversity of its offerings. From long-established universities to more recently formed technological universities and further education colleges, there is a need to cater to students across the board. It is perfectly valid for there to be universities of different shapes, sizes and missions. At Munster Technological University (MTU), we recognise that people learn in many different ways and offer programmes from apprenticeships all the way up to PhDs. The versatility of a technological university’s course catalogue has and will continue to open up new avenues of opportunity for students across the country.
Over the past five years, five technological universities have been established across Ireland, with each of these making valuable contributions to Ireland’s higher education sector. These five TUs provide world-class education for more than 100,000 students from Ireland and abroad. The significance of the TUs’ stake in higher education should not be diminished.
These students represent a large swathe of the domestic student population and are just as deserving of well-funded education as any others. By investing in higher education as a whole, we invest in the future of Ireland. This is an investment in our young people, our society and our economy. Through a proper funding model, we can aspire to be the top knowledge and skills economy in the world.
Technological universities are uniquely placed to connect students with enterprise partners and have demonstrated their ability to build collaborative relationships with businesses all over Ireland and further afield. Both a commitment to innovation and adapting to the needs of the economy has allowed for this. The recently published European Innovation Scoreboard saw Ireland rise to seventh place in the EU for research and innovation performance. Further support for TUs can help Ireland reach even higher rankings in the future.
At MTU, we have two innovation hubs. Our Cork-based Rubicon Centre supports start-ups developing game-changing products and services. Our Tom Crean Business Centre in Kerry has hosted over 900 start-ups and facilitated the creation of more than 700 jobs. MTU’s Hincks Centre was Ireland’s first centre for entrepreneurship excellence. Its work focuses on how entrepreneurship contributes to economic growth, competitiveness and social wellbeing. Student Inc, the longest-running student entrepreneurship programme in the country, has given budding entrepreneurs the tools they need to develop their future-focused ideas. These kinds of resources that MTU and other technological universities provide are the practical links between academia and enterprise, and they allow these symbiotic relationships to develop.
It is only through essential investment that this mutually beneficial ecosystem for universities and enterprise can develop. Recent funding from the Higher Education Authority through the TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise programme will allow for the expansion of research support networks across the TU sector and maximise the impact of this research on enterprise. Similarly, the Technological Sector Advancement Fund is key in enabling TUs to reach their strategic goals. Without these funds, TUs would not be able to deepen their links with enterprise partners or deliver on their mission statements. This would greatly hinder the health of Ireland’s higher education offering and be detrimental for our emerging entrepreneurs.
Prof Brady says funding higher education “is mission-critical for the future competitiveness of the Irish economy”, and he is right. We need investment to ensure that our academic institutions are internationally competitive. However, this funding must be allocated to each link in the higher education chain to guarantee that the Irish system can deliver for its students, society and the economy.
Diverting funds from one set of institutions to another will not help to address the issues within our system but instead will compound them.
Our student population is diverse and we must recognise this in our provision of education. Different types of programmes and different learning environments will suit different learners. Traditional universities will continue to deliver for thousands of students in Ireland and should be empowered to do so.
While they might be more recently formed, the impact and potential of technological universities should not be underestimated. Versatility is built into their very fabric and this is what allows them to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the economy. It is essential that technological universities are similarly empowered to provide the highest standard of education, for the benefit of our students and our society now and for generations to come.
Prof Maggie Cusack is president of Munster Technological University
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