A new Government initiative will spend an initial €8 million per year to bring international academics to Ireland, The Minister for Further and Higher Education has confirmed.
Last month, it was revealed that the State would co-fund salaries for top academics as part of a scheme to attract overseas talent to Irish Universities. In May, the Cabinet heard that the plans were expected to target disillusioned academics from the United States who lost financial backing due to roll-backs from President Donald Trump’s administration. US federal funding cuts have been sparked by issues like pro-Palestinian protests, diversity, equity and inclusion, climate initiatives, and transgenderism.
The initiative comes despite a significant funding crisis facing Irish Universities, who are dealing with substantial gaps between available funding and the needs of the institutions. Last summer, Irish universities said that they were experiencing a shortage of funds, making it difficult to pay for existing staff due to a gap in Government funding to cover the cost of public sector pay increases.
Trinity College Dublin has called for a long-term sustainable funding model for the higher education sector, with many universities relying on research centres, scholarships and industry-sponsored professorships to plug the State funding gap.
The Irish Universities Association (IUA), which represents eight of the State’s top-ranked universities, previously said a supplementary budget was urgently needed in 2024 to plug a €92 million hole in their finances. The association’s director general Jim Miley previously said that “each university” in the State was dealing with a shortage of funds to pay for staff, collectively amounting to €92 million. Mr Miley said that Irish universities have a student-staff ratio which “seriously lags the EU average”.
Officials in the Trump administration said that they were restoring trust in public health and cutting waste. It came after the administration handed down a deadline for US colleges to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programmes or risk losing federal funding, something which was perceived as raising the stakes in Mr Trump’s fight against “wokeness” in schools and universities.
Harvard, one of America’s most prestigious and wealthy higher education institutions is among the universities worst hit, after the president froze more than $3bn in research grants and suspended foreign students from enrolling in Harvard.
Under the Irish government’s plan, developed in conjunction with Research Ireland, salaries for those who take up posts will be funded by universities and directly by the exchequer – despite the fact that higher education institutes normally have to fund recruitment autonomously.
The Irish Times previously reported that researchers from the US, along with other countries, will be sought, including those who work in the areas of renewable energy, food security, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, semiconductors, medtech and healthcare.
During an event last month, Higher Education Minister James Lawless claimed that the US had become “a cold place for free thinkers and talented researchers. Faculties are having pledged funding revoked, institutes are facing shutdown.”
In response to a parliamentary question from Carol Nolan TD, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research; Innovation and Science, James Lawless, said that the initial budget for the scheme of €8 million would support up to 15 researchers per year.
“On 13 May, the Government agreed to my proposals to establish a Global Talent Initiative to bring international research talent to Ireland. My Department is working with Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland to design a call, which will be launched this summer,” a statement provided to Deputy Nolan read.
“The programme will have an initial budget of €8m per annum. It is anticipated that this figure will support up to 15 researchers per year. In addition to salary, there will be other significant costs associated with the programme that will also have to be factored in.
“These would include, for example, the wider research team that would be associated with a particular individual, research equipment, laboratory space, overheads such as administration, infrastructure, work related travel and other ancillary costs. There is potential scope for additional funding to be sought as the programme scales up.”
The statement added: “The investment required to attract established researchers as well as rising stars will not only facilitate the projects they are investigating, it will also attract further high-calibre talent and add to the knowledge and skills base within the Irish higher education landscape, adding a significant multiplier effect.”