Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

An application has also been received from Athlone and Limerick ITs. Athlone Institute of Technology is close to my heart as it is only 15 minutes away from my home in Ballinasloe, and it is very important for the east Galway area as well as the midlands and the mid-west. The Connacht-Ulster Alliance application that will soon be submitted will bring together the Galway-Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny ITs.

This project is so important. The Saolta hospital group and others across the country are linked to universities and have university status, such the Letterkenny, Mayo and Portiuncula hospitals. It is phenomenal that these hospitals and their excellence are linked to the universities, and it is something I would like to see with the TUs. We need to build the link with both industry and healthcare and the hospitals in each region.

The establishment of the TUs will be transformational for regional areas. As the Minister mentioned, each town with a campus will become a university town, which is a sought-after status. The Government has committed to providing a total Exchequer funding of €90 million through the HEA under the transformation fund. It is the right time to build our research excellence across the country, which is so vital to attracting foreign direct investment. Covid-19 has had a major impact on our community and on our businesses. Many people are seeking other types of work and accessing the pandemic unemployment payment, for example. Students themselves have become very disconnected over the past year from the joys of college life. I was very happy with the supports that the Department has brought in for students, such as helplines and the 50808 text service, which students can use if they are feeling down so they talk to someone and get expert help. Our students today will be our leaders tomorrow, and we need to ensure that they are protected in this difficult period.

Third level courses in each region will ensure that we are building up our talent base and skill sets to attract industries of the future, such as e-health, internet of things, big data, or facing future challenges with research, as has been done in the case of Covid-19. We have seen researchers coming together to look at possibilities. When the pandemic began, in March and April 2020, researchers were working in NUI Galway on the idea of splitting ventilators, so that two patients could access one ventilator, which shows that research is not in an ivory tower, and that researchers are engaging immediately with communities and society to deliver an impact immediately. It is not a case of waiting four or five years to see the impact of research.

We want Ireland to be a global leader in innovation, and we are on are way to achieving this. When I speak with staff in organisations such as Science Foundation Ireland, IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland, they always talk about innovation and how Ireland can become the pinnacle of innovation. If one looks at countries such as Singapore, it becomes apparent immediately that it is about excellence and engagement between industry, universities, and third level education. That is exactly what draws the best of the best to countries that are able to demonstrate that excellence and engagement. Of course, Ireland has been able to attract multinational companies from across the world based on the excellence in our research and researchers in third level institutions.We are well-positioned in the healthcare, medtech and pharmaceutical sectors, building on the investment in existing universities through Science Foundation Ireland centres of excellence, where industry and academia work together to deliver results. The Enterprise Ireland commercialisation fund, feasibility grants and technology transfer offices translate our research and discoveries into real-life applications. We do not and cannot just perform excellent research. The key to these technological universities is that researchers, lecturers and people who are teaching will have time dedicated to research. This is what is crucial about them. When speaking to those working in third level, one always comes across the issue of people who are teaching not being able to dedicate enough time to research. To do that, we need to ensure we can allocate time and that those people will have dedicated time to do research in order that they can compete to attract the funding they need to continue.

We also have to develop the commercialisation aspect in this regard. Enterprise Ireland is currently very strong on this in the institutes of technology and will be in the technological universities as well. By doing so, we will see the impact of research in society. When we talk about commercialisation, there is a gap from when we deliver research to when we actually get it out into the community. If it is not commercialised it will never end up in the community or in society, where we will be able to see the benefit. It is about building the links between research, academia and day-to-day life and living. We need to think about that and it has to be funded and protected. If that is not done through the commercialisation of research, it will not happen. The commercialisation aspect is extremely important, especially for technological universities, which are about the practical need for industry. As I have mentioned, our institutes of technology have real strength in this area of practical application and have been responsive to industry need.

International peer review is important and measuring ourselves against international standards is crucial. Our graduates are highly sought after in many industries and that is how we attract industry. We must be able to speak to and point to how we are meeting international measures for excellence. That has to be how we judge ourselves and the success of the technological universities as a whole.

Ireland attracts researchers from across the world. When I worked as a contract researcher and project manager on a European project, I got to meet nationalities from all across the world. I have been very fortunate in doing that. Some 20% of Galway is cosmopolitan. The people who decide to stay here in Ireland and the researchers who come from across the world do so because they are able to attract funding. They are able to do what they want as they have the laboratories and infrastructure. We have key agencies, like Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, Enterprise Ireland, and the Irish Research Council, which are there to fund research. This will continue with the technological universities in which we are investing. I understand the precarious nature of contract researchers who are dependent on funding and awards. If we are to look at raising NFQ levels from 6 to 9, we must also develop our PhD teams, our PhDs, and our postdoctoral studies. They are usually funded through European programmes, as well as national programmes. We must ensure we can attract that type of funding. I ask the Minister to look at measures to support our contract PhDs and postdoctorates, to make sure we keep our talent here and that we attract new talent, particularly given the challenges of Brexit and the UK leaving the EU. We must also protect the budget for European Research Council awards at a European level, in order to keep excellence here.

As the Minister has mentioned, these technological universities will deliver higher education access, skills retention and creation, research capacity building, research-led teaching and socioeconomic progress. In other words, they will embed research excellence in our local communities. Strong education, including infrastructure, resources, and crucially, access, is a key tenet of what the Irish Republic means for every Irish citizen. Our technological and national universities will engage actively with the communities in which they are based to share learning and build bridges with key experts in the community outside of the laboratory and the lecture theatre. This will build wealth in our society through access to factual, evidence-based research and information. They will support all of us in community groups, businesses and regional areas to make the right decisions for our region. Technological universities will work closely with the regional skills forums in their areas to bring industry, employment agencies and local enterprise offices together. They will be crucial in being responsive to industry need. What further supports could be considered for SMEs to access research to become more innovative in their fields? Currently we have Enterprise Ireland innovation vouchers, SFI industry fellowships and Irish Research Council industry fellowships.

Reference was made to Norway. The Technological Higher Education Association, THEA, brought an expert in to speak about the model Norway has had for the last 20 years. The expert spoke about the importance of clusters of excellence, allocated time for research and networking to make sure these institutes and campuses work well together.

The year 2021 will be a better year. We will have a vaccine for Covid-19 thanks to research and in the case of the Pfizer vaccine, it is research from two German researchers of Turkish descent.