Anger over funds boost for Dublin universities
The Irish Examiner has learned that Taoiseach Brian Cowen is set to announce, possibly in the next week, that significant funding will be set aside for closer partnership between Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD).
But the move will infuriate the heads of the other universities, who fear it could create a two-tier third-level system.
Talks on the agreement have taken place in recent months between Mr Cowen’s officials, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe, the Higher Education Authority, TCD provost Dr John Hegarty and UCD president Dr Hugh Brady, but other colleges are understood to have only learned about the plan in recent weeks.
It is expected to result in a significant proportion of the next e300 million being invested by Government under the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) being ring-fenced for projects between the two colleges.
Government policy up to now has been to channel funding from its Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation (SSTI) and PRTLI into collaborative programmes between numerous universities and institutes of technology.
A TCD spokesperson said there has been long-standing co-operation with UCD and that “there are ongoing discussions in relation to a PRTLI strategy”.
But asked about the speculation last night, University College Cork president Dr Michael Murphy said any such move would destroy a decade of collaboration between all third-level institutions.
“I would be astounded that Government would consider such a radical departure from policies which have proved so successful in joining up research groups across the country, and reverting to funding individual universities on a non-competitive or individually planned basis,” he said.
“It would be particularly distressing for UCC and any perceived creation of a ‘Division 1’ institution in Dublin would have serious economic impact for the region, and I’d be concerned that other regions would also suffer disadvantage,” he said.
No comment was made last night by UCD or Mr O’Keeffe. The Government press office said it had no knowledge of any announcement being scheduled for next week.
