2005 Press Releases
Statement by the Irish Universities Association on the Budget
GROUND-BREAKING INVESTMENT PACKAGE FOR FOURTH LEVEL IRELAND WELCOMED
The Irish Universities Association warmly welcomes today's
ground-breaking Budget statement by the Minister for Finance on
investment in "Fourth-level Ireland".
IUA President Ferdinand von Prondzynski said "Minister Cowen in his
ringing endorsement of the pivotal contribution of higher education to
the country's economic success and its fundamental strategic importance
to future economic and social development had set a unique setting for
a highly significant investment package for higher education." He added
"the Budget statement heralds a vitally important development
phase for higher education and research and is a strong signal of the
Government's commitment to creating a highly competitive Irish
university system of top international ranking"
The University Heads are encouraged that the Minister recognises that
the benchmarks for performance and investment at third and fourth
levels are international. They see the strategic innovation fund as a bridge to further
investment in the national research plan and the national development
plan. The announcement of a strategic innovation fund, the commitment to a
multi-annual rolling capital programme, the forthcoming national
research plan and the priority to be given to higher education and
research as a key strategy in the next national development plan,
together provide a considerable boost for a comprehensive
transformation of the university sector.
The University Heads are particularly encouraged that the Government
views these developments as a coherent package of strategic initiatives
with a synergistic potential that must be exploited in order to
maximise the contribution of universities to economic and social
progress. They wish to assure the Government that they are fully committed to
meeting the reform challenges identified by the Minister for Finance,
to collaborating to develop critical mass in excellence, to maximising
effectiveness across the higher education system and to working in
partnership with Government to achieve national objectives.
The IUA looks forward to a statement to be made by the Minister for
Education and Science giving further details on the Government's
initiatives
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