Co-operation between all our third-level institutions will bring great benefits to Irish society, North and South, writes Prof Peter Gregson
Ireland has always punched above its weight. It holds a unique place in the world today, politically and economically. It is the stepping stone between Europe and the Americas, and has been used to beneficial effect in both directions.
On the world stage, it has combined its non-aligned status with its close relationship with both the United States and the United Kingdom, acting as a mediator behind the scenes between the developed and developing worlds. And its economic performance has been an inspiration to small, underdeveloped countries, particularly in emerging democracies which yearn to emulate it.
In higher education too, Ireland excels, with two universities - Trinity College Dublin and Queen's University Belfast - in the Times top 200 universities in the world, and all nine meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population.
Many factors have made these achievements possible. One of them is undoubtedly the decision to invest in education.
This is particularly the case in the Republic, which spends a higher proportion of its GDP on higher education than the UK - something Northern Ireland's politicians will, no doubt, be addressing when devolved government returns.
The British and Irish governments have both said they want to use higher education to drive the knowledge-led economy, and increased participation rates are testimony to that. Universities in Ireland have been especially successful in widening access to students from lower-income backgrounds. But there is still a funding gap between the aspiration of mass higher education and its delivery. Governments and universities must be imaginative in finding ways of filling this gap.
This should be addressed through increased graduate contributions; by private and public sectors paying the full cost of research they have commissioned; by opening new income streams through philanthropy, and by increased Government commitment to developing and sustaining higher education. Proper funding will allow us to continue producing well-trained people to lead and sustain an economy built on the acquisition and exploitation of knowledge.
Collaboration between universities on this island is essential if we are to continue to excel in today's global higher education market. While we are competing in some areas - the international demand for human talent being the most obvious example - the reality is that we will thrive only through increased co-operation.
In this respect, we need to be doing all we can to encourage and celebrate diversity within the sector. There is little benefit for our students, or for society as a whole, if our missions collide.
A diverse range of institutions working in an environment which encourages collaboration will make a real and sustainable contribution to society, North and South.
One area where collaboration is crucial will be in protecting core subjects - disciplines fundamental to our future health and welfare - which are currently adversely affected by falling student numbers. Chemistry, vital to the development of biomedical sciences, is a prime example.
In Ireland, a number of important networks exist.
On an individual level, academics have strong loyalties to their own disciplines, and will often have closer relationships with colleagues at other institutions than with academics in their "home" university. There are strong ties at an institutional level too.
Universities Ireland was formed in 2003 to enhance the social, economic and intellectual fabric of the island by encouraging collaboration. This can be done by recognising the diversity of institutions, and providing a framework for collaboration - not only for the benefit of partners, but for the good of the island and wider afield.
Universities Ireland is currently working on a number of projects, including a research study examining joint degrees and credit transfer arrangements between the nine universities, establishing an Irish universities e-Learning Working Group, and holding a workshop to look at inter-university collaboration with poor countries in southern and eastern Africa.
The global dimension was given particular force by the Bologna agreement promoting "A Europe of Knowledge" in a common area of higher education and research stretching from the Balkans to the Atlantic. The agreement recognised that the new century's challenges would be met only by harnessing the intellectual, scientific, technological and cultural forces in centres of learning.
We will all be strengthened by making it easier for employers to compare and evaluate awards from different countries and education systems, by promoting student mobility through the establishment of transferable learning credits, and by encouraging the exchange of teaching, research and administrative staff. But the real breakthrough will come when we can all lift our game by sharing and learning from best practice across the EU and beyond.
The momentum for change within the EU, as well as recognition that higher education is part of a global, not a local market, will have profound effects on universities, not just those in Ireland. It is a fact of life that all universities are seeing unprecedented changes in how they operate. The pace of change will speed up as we move further into this century. This is an opportunity, not a threat. It will force us to embed an ethos of creativity and innovation - both crucial to improving global competitiveness - in every aspect of our work.
One final relationship is worth mentioning. Two of Universities Ireland's nine members - Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster - are part of the UK higher education system. This too is a strength, for they can act as a bridge, east-west. This has already been made manifest by meetings between Universities Ireland and its counterpart, Universities UK.
I have no doubt that these links will further deepen understanding between two islands which share so much and which have endured so much over recent years.
In Ireland, and particularly Northern Ireland, universities have been a relatively safe and common ground where social, political and cultural differences have been debated and explored. Neither Queen's nor UU was untouched by the violence, but both transcended it and society is the better for that.
The challenge for all of us is to draw on the Irish education system's deep roots, creating new networks which forge dynamic links with countries around the globe. The leverage that collaborations will create for this small part of the world will be immense.
The challenge is great, but the opportunity is greater and we must seize it.
Prof Peter Gregson is president and vice-chancellor of Queen's University Belfast