Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Professor Kelly-Holmes and the other witnesses have highlighted supports for early-stage researchers, which are crucial, and the need for more funding in the research area. This body is going to be called research and innovation Ireland. The key is supporting early-stage research. Obviously, we have seen the IRC laureates, the Government of Ireland scholarships and other scholarships. We are seeing starting investigator programmes. We see it in ERC as well. Non-Exchequer funding coming into the system is also very important. In AHSS, they compete at a world-class level, as Professor Livesey indicated. As I stated earlier, we punch above our weight in this field.

The new agency will provide the first opportunity to fund all research together in this area. In other words, it will be across many different subject areas. This will be a landmark moment because when the agency comes into being, there will be funding for all areas in universities. We have talked a bit about AHSS, but this also applies to linking in healthcare, science and engineering in collaboration with other agencies, particularly the HRB. I know that collaborations exist already, but they need supports. Research and innovation Ireland, should build the scaffolding and the foundations under our researchers so that people who are choosing to do a PhD or a master's first and then maybe a PhD can join a research team.

Many of our researchers here come from universities abroad and they join our PI research teams here in Ireland. They are doing that because we are delivering world-class research. The agency will be doing that across the board, but we will need to support it. The Minister, Deputy Harris, carried out a review in respect of PhD stipends. I hope we will see a memo in a few weeks and that we will get more feedback. The Minister looked specifically at how to provide stipends and other supports to PhD students. The feedback in that regard will deliver change.

We have seen considerable change in this sector, including delivering the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It covers many different areas. The new HEA Act has come into force. A considerable amount of change is happening in this area. It is a really exciting time when we compare the level of research that is being conducted in our universities with what was happening 20 or 30. As was mentioned, our guests came back because there was opportunity in what was being done here in the context of research.

For me, it is about seeing the growth of our universities, including our technological universities in the regions. We need not just physical infrastructure, but also support for people doing apprenticeships and people going through the National Framework of Qualifications, NFQ, system. Our system needs to be able to do that.

I ask the witnesses to outline their vision for success. If someone based in the UK, France or the US was considering pursuing a PhD in three or four years' time what would make them decide to be a researcher in Cork or Dublin? What would make them think there are good terms and conditions and that it is an area of research they are excited by because there is someone who is driving the direction of this research? What would persuade them that it really interests them and they want to be part of that? What does that success look like?

How can we ensure that universities have the capacity to support the different areas we are considering across inclusion, diversity and so on, but also to support people to be researchers? We need to look at how to develop that research as well. I would love to see this legislation link that. What should the vision be? In three or four years' time this wonderful agency will be up and running. Hopefully it will be world class and out there competing. We should have a rich group of researchers within it. It should be engaging in partnerships with stakeholders and delivering. What might that look like? I ask Professor Taylor to respond first.