Universities to be made accountable for contribution to national strategies

Through the new framework, colleges will identify performance objectives under four pillars, including teaching and learning; research and innovation; access and participation; and engagement, which will then be set out in performance agreements published on the HEA website. 

Universities are to have to set out their unique contributions towards national strategies as well as towards goals and targets in areas like access, research and innovation.

As part of the first overhaul of how Ireland’s universities are run in more than 50 years, they will now for the first time publicly work to four-year performance agreements set between the institutions and the Higher Education Authority (HEA).