On 27 October 2006 Dr. Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, President of the Irish Universities Association announced the appointment of Mr. Ned Costello as the new IUA Chief Executive Officer. He will replace Mr. Michael McGrath who is retiring after 10 years with the IUA.
Mr Costello, who will take up duty in early January 2007, is currently Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment where he is Head of the Office of Science, Technology and Innovation. He has been the driving force behind the Government's Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation which maps out the future for research and development in Ireland, including plans to double PhD output in the Sciences and Humanities and to strengthen the role of the Higher Education system in knowledge transfer and commercialisation.
In his capacity as head of the OSTI and Chair of the Interdepartmental Committee on STI, Mr. Costello has worked closely with the university sector, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education and Science. Previously, he has held a variety of roles within the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the fields of Enterprise and Labour Market policy including chairing the Government’s Taskforce on Lifelong Learning. He is currently a Member of the Boards of Science Foundation Ireland and the Tyndall National Institute at UCC. Mr. Costello holds a Bachelor of Education degree from NUI and an MSc in Strategic Management from the University of Dublin.
Speaking about his appointment Mr. Costello said, "I'm looking forward tremendously to taking on this new role, building on the great work done by Michael McGrath with CHIU and latterly, the IUA. It’s a time of great development, opportunity and challenge for the Universities across the fields of teaching and learning, research, and commercialisation. Personally, I have an abiding interest in education, as I started my professional career in the sector and had the privilege of leading the Taskforce on Lifelong learning, prior to my recent involvement in the research area. I look forward to deepening and widening the links I have developed with the university community over my career and to helping the IUA add value to the efforts of its member institutions in their collective endeavors and in their interaction with the wider public service."
