Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I confirm that I am in the precincts of Leinster House. The first thing I want to do is to thank Dr. Ryan and all the other guests for attending. All of us on this committee can agree that when one looks at the 2011 national strategy, the 2018 Act and the 2019 TURN report, we are involved in a significant transformation of higher education in this country. I commend the people before us this afternoon for the role they are playing in transforming higher education.

My own vision for it, and I will ask a couple of questions in respect of it, is that the technological universities will become engines for the transformation not only of innovation in the education system in this country, but also as engines for regional development. I know that point of view is shared by the people at the meeting this afternoon.

I will raise three issues and I do not know who can answer them so I will let our guests decide that. One of the issues that we all hope technological universities will be able to ameliorate is the significant problem in Ireland and Europe when it comes to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, graduates. There is obviously a significant proportion of STEM graduates who come from the eastern part of the world, including China and India. There is a problem in Europe and Ireland with STEM graduates, particularly when it comes to younger women. How do our guests see the technological universities trying to meet the requirement of society and innovation to grow the number of STEM graduates that we are producing in this country?