Bid to woo US talent 'misguided and insulting', say Irish researchers

James Lawless aims to attract US researchers to Ireland.  Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Moves to attract the best and brightest US researchers fleeing to Ireland following university shutdowns by the Trump administration have prompted concern among some researchers here.

Last summer, higher education minister James Lawless launched the Global Talent Initiative, an attempt to attract “disillusioned” US researchers to Ireland. 

Its launch came during unprecedented upheaval across US college campuses, academic institutions, and research organisations as Donald Trump took office.

With an initial budget of €8m per annum, the scheme is expected to support up to 15 researchers per year.

Correspondence released by the Department of Further and Higher Education to the Irish Examiner under the Freedom of Information Act shows the establishment of the scheme drew some criticism from researchers here “working on the ground”.

In a letter to Mr Lawless, one researcher described themselves as “deeply disillusioned” with the announcement, although they empathised “wholeheartedly” with their colleagues in the US as “their scientific institutions are being decimated”. 

'No funding available'

In the letter, they describe being unsuccessful in progressing their own research projects after being told on more than one occasion that there was no funding available. They were subsequently placed on a “reserve” list.

“Many of my talented colleagues are also on this reserve list. All have spent many months developing the underpinning preliminary findings, crafting internationally-competitive research plans, forming collaborations with world-class researchers, but then cannot operate these projects to fruition due to lack of funding.” 

Another researcher wrote to the minister, describing the launch of the global talent initiative as “one of the most misguided and insulting moves we’ve seen from the department in recent years”.

“For the entirety of the last government and beyond, myself and colleagues have campaigned for equal rights and fair pay within the third-level sector, only to be told there is no room for movement in terms of finance.

“While I appreciate the initiative to capitalise on the misfortune of other colleagues who may be in search of new jobs internationally, I would like to point out the inequality that this only serves to deepen,” the letter added.

Thousands of Irish academics are currently on long-term low-paid contracts. Many, even after decades of service, might still be on less than poverty-level wages.

“There is no parity with first, second or even pre-school teaching grades and salaries for instance — and all for people who have completed doctoral degrees and postdoctoral training.

“You have a duty as minister to set things right for the academics you already have before setting out to acquire more,” they said.

Another researcher told the minister that while Ireland aspires to be a global leader in science and innovation “the reality for many researchers on the ground is very different”. They said: “Your vision of attracting global talent here can only be meaningfully realised if accompanied by urgent reforms to address the deep-rooted challenges faced by researchers already working within the Irish research system.” This includes precarious employment and contract instability, inadequate salaries, a lack of clear career pathways and limited support for independent research careers.

Concern from UCC academic

The Department of Further and Higher Education also received correspondence highlighting issues with the running of the global talent initiative, the FOI documents show. It received correspondence from a UCC academic who expressed “deep concern” for how grants were handled.

“The Global Talent Initiative has tremendous potential, but the turnaround time is simply too short,” the academic wrote. “There is a lack of clarity given to universities on how to make internal selections. The result is a rushed internal selection process that is unclear to everyone not directly involved [including staff like myself].” 

A response from the minister’s office told researchers the department is committed to supporting the Irish research base, and the launch of the initiative is intended to add to those efforts.

There is a “comprehensive and ambitious” set of commitments for research and innovation in the Programme for Government, it added.

Work is expected to be progressed by a number of policies and strategies, primarily under Impact 2030.