The establishment of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, announced two weeks ago, took the science community by surprise. The research council has been longawaited, but way it was announced - during a ceremony to mark the achievements of the one-year-old Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences - was unusual, to say the least.
Nonetheless, there's a good deal of enthusiasm among scientists about the new council. "It's something that the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities (CHIU) deans of research have been looking for some time," says Dr Conor Long, DCU's dean of research. Academics are particularly enthusiastic about the fact that Minister for Education and Science Michael Woods has promised that the council will be an independent and autonomous body. There had been fears that the dispersal of funds would be handed over to the HEA, which already administers the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI). The council could have been set up as an advisory body only.
"The council outlined by the Minister is in line with international practice," says UCD's dean of research, Professor Frank Hegarty. "The fact that it will be independent will give it good credibility and standing internationally."
A strong research council is vital, he says, if this State is to play its part in European research co-operation. Importantly, "membership of the council will include representatives from the science research community in third level colleges, research institutions and industry in Ireland as well as some international experts", according to the Minister.
Dr Tom Mitchell, provost of TCD - and a classicist - has been appointed chair of the council. "The fact that he is a person of great standing, coming from outside the science area is a plus," Hegarty notes. "The former chairman of the German council is a philosopher and represented the scientific community very well." The new council will establish support programmes and improved grant schemes for postgraduate students and post-doctoral fellows and funding for research projects. The funding - "more than £100 million", to be shared between the science and humanities research councils - comes from the National Development Plan's £550 million allocation to third-level research. The funding is being made available over the lifetime of the plan - to 2006.
It certainly sounds a large amount of money, but begs the question: "Who gets what?" Researchers buoyed up by the words "more than £100 million" may be disappointed to learn that, according to some sources, the science allocation is limited to £70 million - a little over £11 million per annum over the six-year period.
Martin Lyes, Enterprise Ireland's divisional manager for science and innovation, confirms that the agency's postgraduate scholarship scheme will be phased out as new funds become available. Up to 600 students are currently in receipt of Enterprise Ireland grants valued at £2,000 per annum, Lyes says.
Since it will be only fair to bring science scholarships under the new scheme in line with what's on offer by the Humanities Council - between £8,000 and £10,000 per annum - the new council can anticipate an annual bill of about £6 million for just one element of the new research package.
"I am hoping that we are talking about more than £100 million," says Mitchell. "I will be seeking to secure for the council a level of funding that will make a real difference - otherwise our efforts will be in vain. I am confident that the Minister is serious about creating a research council that will really make a difference."
Mitchell's vision is of a council that will promote the highest standards of science research and enable Irish scientists to access funds in Ireland rather than being forced abroad. "I see the Irish Research Council as being primarily concerned with supporting research projects of the highest merit. It will be rigidly peer-reviewed so that it will be putting money into the most outstanding research ideas across the whole range of science, engineering and technology," he says.
Mitchell regards the new council as "the missing link in terms of support for basic research. It means that the science community can count on regular programmatic support for research programmes."
Meanwhile, the PRTLI is an entirely different kettle of fish and should continue to exist alongside the new council, researchers argue. "The PRTLI has forced the universities to prioritise and think strategically," Hegarty says. It has deepened the co-operation between the universities and has been responsible for major infrastructural investment. The council will be more oriented towards project and programme work."
Cycle 3 of the PRTLI, worth £160 million was launched informally, just before Christmas. Of this, £90 million will be allocated to capital funding and £70 million to recurrent costs over a five-year period. Under Cycle 3, the requirement for institutions to come up with matching funding is removed. This will help the institutes of technology, where private fundraising is a relatively new endeavour. Cycle 3 also encourages the formation of international strategic alliances and the location of leading international researchers in Ireland.
Researchers, however, have expressed disappointment at the cap that Cycle 3 places on proposals - £16 million in the case of proposals from a single institution and £25 million in the case of collaborative inter-institution proposals. The larger universities, submitting several proposals, will be disadvantaged by this, it is claimed.
More than £220 million has already been provided by the State under Cycles 1 and 2 of the PRTLI. However, increased building costs have meant that current costs, on technical buildings in particular, are running 20 per cent over budget. "Building costs are a problem and the universities are in contact with the HEA to see how we can address the issue," Hegarty says.
