Over three months have flown by since I first walked through the doors of 48 Merrion Square in my new role as IUA CEO and I must say that I already feel very much at home here. Its been a fascinating time getting to know people and immersing myself in the mix of challenges and opportunities facing the University sector. I am grateful to all those colleagues both in the IUA and the wider university community who have been so willing to share their knowledge and expertise with me during these early months. In addition to the “back to college” aspect, there has certainly been no shortage of things to do during this first quarter of 2007! It has, of course, been a busy time for the sector, generally, with the substantive implementation of the first cycle of SIF projects now well underway, and the submission of proposals for the new PRTLI cycle also dominating.
At European level, the next round of the Marie Curie initiative under the new Framework Programme is also of great importance. In response to these various initiatives the IUA team is also developing with the arrival of Dagmar Meyer (Marie Curie) and Westley Forsythe (SIF 4th Level Network). Meanwhile, Siobhan Harkin has taken on a new role within the IUA to coordinate the SIF and other strategic projects.
Across the three interconnected fields of teaching and learning, research, and knowledge transfer, our sector plays a pivotal role in the drive to build a knowledge society and ensure our continued prosperity. The recently published Royal Irish Academy report on Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences and its proposal for a new Foresight exercise is of great significance in this regard, as is the new support for the Technology Transfer function being provided by Enterprise Ireland.
All of these initiatives are important building blocks, but there remains a need for an overall strategy for the university sector that will provide the comprehensive roadmap for its sustainable development into the future. This is something that the IUA Council is now considering and which we will report further on in future issues.
As I write this piece the airwaves are increasingly dominated with coverage of the upcoming General Election. Whatever the outcome of that plebiscite, however, the IUA will continue its advocacy in ensuring that that right policies and resources are in place to support the continued growth and development of the Universities in Ireland.
