The Irish university sector has received a considerable boost with the publication of the latest world rankings by the prestigious Times Higher Education Supplement (THES). Trinity College has moved up to 53rd place while University College Dublin (UCD) breaks into the elite top 200 for the first time, climbing to 177th.
There is more good news. University College Cork (UCC) and Dublin City University (DCU) rise more than 100 places - into the top 300. This is no small achievement, especially for a relative newcomer like DCU.
By definition, these rankings can be flawed, giving undue weighting to one factor over another. But the THES list is an authoritative guide, regarded very seriously internationally by students and by senior academics considering a career change. As UCD president Dr Hugh Brady noted: these rankings are "seen as a measure of how we are performing to students, funders and other stakeholders . . . whether we like it or not".
Universities here are reaping the benefit of increased investment through the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) and new funding from Science Foundation Ireland. This additional research activity is opening the way, in turn, for Irish academics to receive more citations in international journals. The reality, however, is that the strong showing of Irish institutions, particularly Trinity and UCD, is remarkable given the patchy level of support from the State. Both colleges survive on a budget which is less than half of that available to comparable institutions in the EU and the United States.
The Government deserves credit for the dramatic increase in research funding. But, on closer examination, the third-level sector is often creaking at the edges. Day-to-day spending on essential maintenance and refurbishment works compares poorly with what is available in Britain and elsewhere. With some notable exceptions, sports, leisure and even study facilities for students pale in comparison to leading world universities.
The latest rankings are very good news. But it would be regrettable if they were to give rise to complacency among policymakers. The university sector needs to build on its current showing if it is to deliver on the ambitious targets set by the Government for the development of a knowledge-based economy.
The Government has been unambiguous in stating that return of tuition fees is off the agenda for the foreseeable future. Similar clarity about its plans for a properly funded university sector - in the absence of fees - would be welcome also.