While the national debate about how Ireland can get itself out of the current recession rages on, UCD President, Dr Hugh Brady is very clear about the role of universities in that process in his discussion with Richard Curran. He believes that universities have to play their part in helping to develop a new rejuvenated and sustainable economic model for Ireland.
“It has to be knowledge and technology based. That is where we need to be.” For Dr Brady, UCD is already playing its part in helping to build that new knowledge-based ‘smart economy’. The university’s Innovation A lliance, which it signed with Trinity College Dublin could be a cornerstone of that new development.
The Innovation A lliance has several initiatives, including a joint venture in enterprise development and the new 4th level UCD/TCD Innovation A cademy. Brady summarises the core importance of the move when he says the decision to formally place innovation as a third pillar of education, after the traditional teaching and research, is meaningful. “Don’t underestimate the significance of making innovation the third pillar. It influences how you think about things in the future and how you do things.”
Traditionally, those working as academics had the idea that if they started up a company they were taking time out of what they do, says Brady. That approach should change through the development of an innovation culture. Inevitably, placing innovation in such an elevated position implies a major reaching out to the wider world, both private and public sector.
Dr Brady is keen to state that it is wrong to assume that innovation just applies to collaboration with industry, but in fact includes the realm of the public sector particularly in areas like public policy. “Innovation applies to the policy process and the delivery of public services, and in a new environment we know that this is something that has to change,” he says.
If universities have what he calls a “responsibility to respond” to the current economic challenges, then the new alliance is an important part of that. The scale of the project is ambitious, targeting the creation of 300 new enterprises with advanced technology centres to support indigenous industry. Modelled on the IFSC it hopes to focus on the creation and scaling up of indigenous knowledge and technology intensive enterprises.
These are very ambitious targets. But even if the Government's smart economy strategy actually works, then surely it would take 15 to 20 years to deliver really big sustainable job numbers?
Brady acknowledges that the knowledge economy will take time, but he believes Ireland is already reaping the benefits of its educational investment of recent years. He points to how exports, during the current downturn have been surprisingly resilient. “Agriculture and exports have not fallen that much. They have survived because they are already knowledge and technology-intensive.”
Pictured at the launch of the UCD-TCD innovation alliance (l-r) March 2009: Batt O'Keefe TD, Minister for Education and Science; Dr Hugh Brady, UCD President; An Taoiseach, Mr Brian Cowen TD; Dr John Hegarty, TCD Provost; An Tánaiste, Ms Mary Coughlan TD, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment
“Research investment of the last ten years is already paying dividends and is already sustaining what we have,” he says. With UCD and TCD conducting half of all university research in the target areas in Ireland, including technology and engineering, the alliance forms a good start. But Brady is the first to admit, that it has yet to be delivered.
When asked to respond to criticism from other third level institutions that UCD and TCD just went ahead and did this, he doesn't rule out the possibility of other universities getting involved. “It can include others where it makes sense. But it wouldn’t do for all these areas. It’s hard enough doing it with just two universities,” he reflects.
Critics of the plan, who suggested that the two biggest players in the sector just did a deal with Government, voiced their concerns about a lack of openness in the process. But Brady points out that it would have been impossible to hold those kinds of discussions in public and that simply could not have happened.
He cites the success of Molecular Medicine Ireland (formerly Dublin Molecular Medicine) centre, which he was involved in setting up with TCD, as a model for how other institutions may become involved. This was expanded later on to include the Royal College of Surgeons, National University of Ireland Galway, and University College Cork, and is now a national body. He sees no reason why the new alliance cannot foster similar developments, which evolve in that way.
However, the talks behind the Innovation Alliance had taken two years. He confirmed that the discussions included the entire gambit of co-operation between TCD and UCD, including a full merger. "We discussed everything from a merger of the two universities to a looser cooperation,” he says. The merger scenario didn’t get very far and Brady seems quick to rule out a merger on his watch.
“With one or two exceptions internationally, mergers of universities don't work.” Brady adds that they would have spent one or two years discussing the historical heritage issues of both institutions and even longer working out the legislative issues. “A merger made no sense and would have been a distraction,” he says.
Five years into his tenure as president of UCD Hugh Brady has already overseen an enormous change programme at UCD. This has covered everything from the introduction of a modular curriculum and restructured academic units, to changes in the promotions processes.
He can point to several important successes along the way. CAO first preference choices for UCD have shot up. UCD is the leading institution in the country in PhD numbers and has moved well up the rankings, which is particularly important for international students. There are 3,500 international students at UCD. It has almost 6,000 fourth level students and 1,700 PhD students, a figure that has nearly doubled in the last five years.
He now finds himself in charge at one of the most challenging times for leaders in education. "When it comes to funding universities there is a fundamental rethink of everything,” he says. Just as universities should contribute to forming part of the longer term economic solution in Ireland, they are also being hit with the cutbacks associated with the downturn.
Brady believes that the current challenges facing government regarding education are fraught with danger. H e believes it is imperative to get things right when it comes to the longer term investment in education. "Taxpayers recognise the value of education and higher education in particular. But there has to be a re-balancing if we are to approach the investment levels of our international competitors,” he stresses.
Brady believes that universities in the future will have to be less dependent on State funding, but at the same time, the State has a vital role to play at this point in time in relation to investment in education.
Brady has always brought his wider international experience to the job. He constantly eyes what is happening abroad and how Ireland and UCD compares with that. When asked about his biggest achievement to date in the job, he states there is an imperative to deliver on the Innovation A lliance, and “I’ll be proud when we deliver on that.”
So far he believes the scale and speed with which the change programme was delivered was particularly satisfying. "It couldn’t have been delivered without people being ambitious for the university." He says UCD brought in changes in five years that it would have taken some universities 20 years to introduce.
When it comes to morale in the university he says that throughout the country people are worried about their future. He believes that having put in place the radical restructuring of the change progamme, UCD is now a more flexible place to weather the storms that are around. "We have the nuts and bolts in place and we can now enter a more creative phase with the likes of the alliance,” he suggests.
“We need to have our eye on what is happening internationally.” Brady reflects that there is still an inclination to think locally. When Dr Brady and TCD Provost, John Hegarty, recently briefed the heads of the State agencies on their alliance plan, they found the discussions to be frank and open. F or Brady, Ireland’s small size can be used to our advantage in getting the right people talking to one another. “We are well placed to think global and act local. That is our strength.”