Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
a
Towards a Future
Higher Education Landscape
NUI Galway 2012 - 2017
Contents
1. Mission 2. Research and Innovation 3. Teaching and Learning 4. Student Profile 5. Knowledge Transfer 6. Regional Engagement 7. An Ghaeilge 8. International Orientation 9. NUI Galway and Regional Clusters 10. Shannon College of Hotel Management 11. St. Angela’s College, Sligo
12. NUI Galway’s Student Profile Template, 2017
13. Discipline Mix, 2017
14. Staff and Financial Data, 2017
15. Appendices 1
3
7
9
11
12
13
14
15
16
16
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NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
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1.NUI Galway’s Mission
1.1 Shared Mission
students with employment-related skills
and to further develop their capacity for
independent and critical analysis.
NUI Galway, established in 1845, has a discipline profile (appendix 1) similar to that of other
universities in Ireland and offers a similar suite of programmes. Its student profile (appendix 2)
is also similar to that of the university sector in general.
Universities in Ireland attract the majority of
their students at undergraduate level from their
immediate catchment area. NUI Galway has
contributed to the national policy agenda of
increasing access to third-level education and in
responding to national labour market initiatives.
The University has greatly increased the quantity
and quality of its research output over the past
decade, responding to national policy and funding
initiatives. It has increased the output of research
graduates and built critical mass in selected
research areas. This has been facilitated through
targeted cooperation with other Universities and
partners in and outside of Ireland.
1.2 Distinctive Mission
NUI Galway’s distinctive mission is considered
under the following headings:
•Research
• Teaching and Learning Programmes
• Knowledge Exchange
• Regional Engagement
• An Ghaeilge
• International Orientation.
The University’s Strategic Plan 2009-2014 is
available at www.nuigalway.ie/strategicplan
The Interim Report on the Implementation
of the Strategic Plan is available at www.
nuigalway.ie/president/documents/strategic_
planinterimreportjune2012.pdf
This document also sets out NUI Galway’s views
on the development of a regional cluster in the
West of Ireland.
1.2.1 Research
The overarching objective of the University’s
research strategy is to be firmly embedded
within the top rank of research universities in
selected prioritised areas. The principles which
have informed this research strategy include:
• Building on the academic strengths of the
University
• Responsiveness to the industrial and social
base of the region
• Strategic partnerships and collaborations
with regional, national and international
research and other relevant organisations
• A commitment to impact and innovation
The University has identified and prioritised a
set of cross-disciplinary research themes and
targets its recruitment and resource allocation
policy towards their advancement. These
research themes are:
• Biomedical Engineering Science, with a
particular emphasis on medical technologies
• Informatics, Physical and Computational
Sciences, with a particular emphasis on
next generation web systems, medical
informatics, and optoelectronics
• Environment, Marine and Energy, with
a particular emphasis on bio-fuels,
bio-energy, environmental change and
sustainability
• Applied Social Sciences and Public Policy,
with a particular emphasis on business
innovation, and on influencing policy and
service interventions
• Humanities in Context, including digital
humanities and the creative arts sector.
The University underwent a research
Quality Review of each of its 16 Schools
and 5 Research Institutes in April 2012. The
University’s Research Strategy will now be
updated, informed by the institutional level
recommendations of the team of international
reviewers which confirmed the University in
its overall research strategy.
1.2.2 Teaching and Learning
NUI Galway’s teaching programmes are
aligned with the social, cultural, economic
and labour market requirements of its region
and the country. The University is committed
to research-led teaching and encourages
the inculcation of a spirit of enquiry and a
commitment to scholarship and excellence in
its students.
The suite of programmes provided by the
University comprise:
• Broadly-based formative programmes
which provide students with the generic
skills necessary for their participation in and
contribution to society and the workplace.
These programmes are taken by the
majority of students.
• Specific formative programmes aligned to
the University’s areas of particular research
expertise
• Programmes related to professional,
economic and manpower requirements
• Programmes through the medium of Irish,
in response to the University’s commitment
to Irish language provision.
Appendix 3 shows the present balance of
programmes and new entrants across the
above programme categories.
A particularly distinctive feature of
teaching at NUI Galway is the opportunity
for experiential learning and personal
development provided through service
learning and volunteering, by means of the
University’s Community Knowledge Initiative
and ALIVE (A Learning Initiative and
Volunteering Experience) programmes.
The University is committed to further
develop its already significant provision of
out-reach and part-time programmes, through
Irish and through English, and its suite of
blended learning/online learning and offcampus programmes (appendix 4).
NUI Galway offers a comprehensive range
of taught postgraduate programmes aimed
at meeting the intellectual, vocational and
professional needs of graduates and society.
It seeks, through these programmes, to equip
Research education has expanded significantly
in recent years (appendix 5) and has a
particular emphasis on and alignment with
the priority research themes of the University.
The University seeks to attract high-calibre
research students in its priority research areas
and to provide students with high-quality
training in research and transferable skills.
There is significant collaboration in PhD
education, nationally and internationally.
1.2.3 Knowledge Exchange
The University’s responsibility for knowledge
transfer is discharged through:
• The production of high quality graduates who
contribute to social and economic development
• The publication of articles in international
peer-reviewed journals, presentations at
conferences and, where relevant, publications
in professional journals and other media
• The exploitation of research outputs
through a commitment to the protection
and exploitation of intellectual property; the
promotion of startup enterprises, engagement
with relevant public and private organisations
to promote technology transfer and, with
appropriate organisations, to inform and
support the development of public policy.
1.2.4 Regional Engagement
Galway is a city with a rich cultural tradition
and NUI Galway has distinct programmes
with a focus on the creative arts, including
digital humanities, creative writing, and drama
and theatre studies. Strategic partnerships
have been developed with major cultural
organisations including Druid Theatre
Company, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, the
Abbey Theatre and the Galway Arts Festival.
The University’s research priorities in
biomedical engineering science, ICT
and marine environment and energy are
strengthened by close and continuing
interactions with the regional industrial and
business base. Galway is a major hub for the
medical devices and ICT industry sectors.
The University’s comprehensive volunteering
programme, in which over 2,000 students
participate, is built on partnerships with over
100 community organisations and NGOs
in the region.
NUI Galway has well-developed relationships
with St Angela’s College, Sligo, Shannon
College of Hotel Management and Burren
College of Art. In 2010 it formed an Alliance
across the spectrum of the activities of both
universities with the University of Limerick.
It is a member of the LÍONRA network with
the Institutes of Technology in the Border,
Midland and Western (BMW) Region and St
Angela’s College.
1.2.5 An Ghaeilge
The University has a strategic commitment to
the provision of University education through
Irish and responds, in an effective and realistic
way, to the totality of the needs, educational,
economic, developmental and cultural, of the
Irish-speaking community.
1.2.6 International Orientation
International students comprise 12% of
the student body, 2,000 students, and
international faculty make up 35% of the
University’s staff.
The University’s international orientation, the
implementation of which is led by a recently
appointed Dean of International Affairs, is
captured in its Internationalisation Strategy,
2009-2014, which focuses on five key areas:
•
•
•
•
•
International student recruitment
Staff and student mobility
Internationalising the curriculum
Partnerships and international reputation
Internationalisation and development.
The overarching aim of the Strategy is to make
NUI Galway a more open, outward-looking
institution.
1.3 The University’s Capital
Programme
The University has an ambitious capital
programme underway related, in particular,
to its research priorities, which includes an
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research
Building, a BioSciences Research Building, a
Clinical/Translational Research Building and
accommodation for the School of Psychology.
A Life Course Institute Building will commence
shortly as will a Human Biology Building.
Funding for these projects has come from
a combination of government funding and
from philanthropic funding raised by Galway
University Foundation. The University is
cogniscent of the importance that philanthropic
funds will play in its future development and
considers that, through Galway University
Foundation, it is well-placed to access such funds.
1.4 NUI Galway and the
development of a Regional
Cluster
NUI Galway supports the development of
a coherent, collaborative system of higher
education in which individual institutions
have differentiated missions and clear strategic
orientations. It is committed to engaging with the
HEA, other universities, institutes of technology
and, in particular, with the other Higher
Education institutions in its region to develop a
cluster which will provide a range of programmes
from NFQ Level 6 – 10, together with the
research expertise to underpin the social, cultural,
economic and industrial base of the region while
advancing regional development. The principles
which this University proposes might inform the
development of such a cluster in its region, are set
out in section 8 following.
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NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
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2.Research and Innvoation
2.1 Research Priority Areas and Informing Principles
NUI Galway seeks to be in the top rank of research universities world-wide in selected prioritised
areas. Central to this pursuit has been the establishment of an explicit strategic planning process,
the identification and prioritisation of a set of multidisciplinary research themes, the filling of
strategic academic appointments related to the prioritised areas and the establishment of a number
of specialised research institutes and centres.
The five thematic research priorities of the
University are:
• Biomedical Science and Engineering
• Informatics, Physical and Computational
Sciences
• Environment, Marine and Energy
• Applied Social Sciences and Public Policy
• Humanities in Context.
The informing principles that have shaped the
research strategy include:
• Prioritisation of the academic strengths of
the University, and its strategic corollary in
informing resource allocation decisions
• Responsiveness to the complex nexus
of regional, national and international
interactions, which include our location in
one of the largest clusters of the biomedical
technologies industry sector in Europe,
allied to the requirement to support the
achievement of the knowledge economy
and society
• Partnership and collaboration with regional,
national and international research and
other relevant organisations, which enables
the achievement of greater effectiveness,
complementarities and economies of scale in
knowledge dissemination, graduate training
and international benchmarking
• Organisational restructuring at the university
level to facilitate new interdisciplinary modes
of interaction, and the creation of new
modalities of delivery in both research and
graduate education
• Innovation, with a particular focus on
technology transfer and commercialisation,
to support the development of the
knowledge economy.
A summary of NUI Galway’s key recent
achievements in research are presented in
Appendix 6.
2.2 Research Activity in our
Priority Research Areas
2.2.1 Biomedical Science and
Engineering
Biomedical Science and Engineering has
been a major research priority for NUI
Galway since the late 1990s. Group-based
and individual research at the interfaces
of engineering, medicine, science and IT
has evolved into a national research and
development hub in Biomedical Science and
Engineering. The Biomedical Science and
Engineering strategy is to deliver innovative
research programmes in biomedical science
and engineering, and establish a collaborative
infrastructure for research, clinical translation,
education and technology transfer. The
National Centre for Biomedical Engineering
Science (NCBES) integrates all Galway
biomedical research. Its mission is to build
capacity locally, to contribute nationally, and
to compete internationally.
The NCBES aims to contribute to the
transformation of medicine through the
development of novel treatments and
minimally-invasive approaches. Research
themes have been established in Biomedical
Engineering and Regenerative Medicine;
Cancer Biology and Therapeutics; and in
Infection, Inflammation and Immunity,
with three SFI funded clusters (REMEDI,
NFB and AGRC), and research programmes
in Chromosome Biology, Glycosciences,
Neurosciences, and Molecular Diagnostics.
These areas have been selected for particular
future development.
The ongoing development of Biomedical
Science and Engineering at NUI Galway will
increase research capacity, and contribute
significantly to the delivery of world-class patient
care. Galway is at the heart of the largest cluster
of medical technology companies in Europe,
including global leaders such as Medtronic,
Covidien, Creganna Tactx, Beckman Coulter,
and Boston Scientific. NUI Galway also has
strong links with global Biopharma and ICT
companies, including Bristol Myers Squibb,
Hewlett Packard and Cisco, supporting regional
and national objectives to develop Galway as a
preferred location for the medical device, ICT
and biopharmaceutical sectors.
A summary of key research outputs and
performance indicators from this area is
presented in Appendix 7.
Major International Collaborations: Georgia
Tech, Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic,
Rice, Berkeley, Emory, Stanford, Cambridge,
Imperial, Edinburgh, Kyoto, UCL, Munich,
Berlin, Albert Einstein NY.
2.2.2 Informatics, Physical and
Computational Sciences
The overall objective of Informatics, Physical
and Computational Sciences is to nurture
research in mathematics and the fundamental
physical sciences that underpin the
knowledge-based economy. In Informatics,
including the next generation internet and
semantic web technologies, through its SFI
CSET DERI, and its world-wide network of
partners, NUI Galway participates in global
standardisation efforts and leads in improving
the way people and businesses communicate
and interact. It also advances state-ofknowledge and application of IT through
fundamental and applied research, in medical
informatics, computational intelligence, and
machine learning.
In the Physical Sciences, NUI Galway continues
to use its scientific strengths in applied
photonics. Applied optics, biophotonics and
imaging are used to address major scientific
and medical problems. In Computational
Sciences, NUI Galway utilises its competency
in computational analysis, while enhancing the
national computational infrastructure. With
specific research groups, it is addressing the
problems presented by vast data sets flowing
from imaging activities (e.g. biology, chemistry,
astronomy) that require significant computing
power to reduce, analyse and visualise. This
complements the increasingly complex, timeconsuming, and costly experimental sciences,
with modelling an integral component of almost
all physical scientific endeavour.
The Digital Enterprise Research Institute
(DERI) was established in 2003 with funding
from SFI. DERI brings together academic and
industrial partners to boost innovation in science
and technology. DERI has strong ties to industry,
with involvement by multinational companies
and SMEs alike in its programmes. DERI aims
to exploit semantics for people, organisations
and systems to collaborate and interoperate on a
global scale. DERI has become an internationally
recognised institute in semantic web research,
education and technology transfer which
directly contributes to transforming Ireland into
a competitive knowledge economy.
A summary of key research outputs and
performance indicators from this area is
presented in Appendix 7.
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NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Major International Collaborations: Stanford, Los Alamos, Georgia Tech.,
Helsinki, Université Jean Monnet ,
California Institute of Technology, Berkeley,
Guangdong University, University of Georgia
Athens, University of California Irvine,
Glasgow, Milan.
2.2.3 Environment, Marine and Energy
The Environment, Marine and Energy
thematic area caters for research of
international provenance in Environmental
Change and Modelling, Atmospheric
Studies, Biodiversity and Bioresources,
Marine Law, and Sustainable Energy.
The overall objectives are to consolidate
and coordinate research on the impacts
of natural and anthropogenic pressures
on biodiversity and the environment; to
reduce environmental stress by developing
impact-free aquaculture; and to develop
sustainable energy research priorities. The
research challenges lie in gaining a better
understanding of extremely complex
interactions between people and the
environment and in comprehending the
interactions between components of that
environment. Teamwork at national and
international levels is required to assess
detrimental climate change impacts. In
energy research, the global challenge is to
transform fossil-fuel dependent energy
systems into sustainable systems without
causing economic damage. Through
collaborations, researchers contribute
extensively to the national environmental
research programme and to the strategic
targets of the Marine Institute and the
Environmental Protection Agency.
The Ryan Institute is NUI Galway’s hub
for Environment, Marine and Energy
research. Its research is focused in six
priority and three cross-thematic areas.
The six priority areas are: Climate Change;
Environment and Health; Energy; Marine
and Coastal Processes; Biodiversity and
Bioresources; Built Environment and Smart
Cities. The three cross-thematic areas are:
Modelling and Informatics; Environmental
Technologies; and Socioeconomics and
Policy. The development of Environment,
Marine and Energy at NUI Galway
underpins many aspects of national policies
and strategies, with the potential for
developing Galway and the western seaboard
as a leading centre in the area of marine,
energy and environment research and
technology development.
A summary of key research outputs is
presented in Appendix 7.
Major International Collaborations:
Helsinki; Georgia Tech; University of
Aberystwyth; University of California,
Davis; New Zealand Institute of Geological
and Nuclear Sciences; University College
London; Wageningen University; University
of Iowa; Max Planck Institute.
Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
2.2.4 Applied Social Sciences and
Public Policy
NUI Galway has an international research
reputation in Applied Social Sciences and
Public Policy. Our researchers examine
economic, innovation and social change to
explore issues of innovation, social inclusion,
balanced development and health.
The Institute for Business, Social Sciences and
Public Policy (IBSSPP) is a newly-created
research institute, acting as the hub for
research in Applied Social Sciences and Public
Policy, focused on business and the social
sciences. The IBSSPP is the largest critical
mass Institute on the island bringing together
business and social sciences researchers
across nine schools and 22 discipline areas
to form a research community of over 200
researchers. The IBSSPP evolved out of
and builds on the success of the Centre for
Innovation and Structural Change (CISC),
funded under the Programme for Research in
Third Level Institutions (Cycles 3, 4 and 5).
The overarching ambition of the IBSSPP is on
building international research eminence. The
vision of the IBSSPP is to inspire inquiry and
be an integrating multidisciplinary hub that
supports rigorous, relevant and innovative
research that has scientific, policy, practice
and societal impacts. The research priorities
of the IBSSPP are organised under six major
themes: Health and Well-being; Environment,
Development and Sustainability; Business
Performance, Agility and Governance;
Innovation, Creative Communities and the
Smart Economy; Conflict and Collective
Action; and Identity, Gender, and Culture.
A summary of key research outputs and
performance indicators from this area is
presented in Appendix 7.
Major International Collaborations:
UCL, Manchester, Keele, UMass Lowell,
Copenhagen, Tokyo, Cranfield, Lehigh,
Griffith, Arizona, Edinburgh, Frankfurt,
Maryland, Alberta, Harvard, Oslo,
Maastricht, Leeds.
2.2.5 Humanities in Context
NUI Galway has a track record of
achievement and established areas of
excellence in Humanities in Context.
Our research strategy builds upon existing
significant expertise across a range of
disciplines, while enabling development
of new multidisciplinary collaborations.
The Moore Institute for Humanities and
Social Studies leads in linking humanities
with the knowledge society nationally and
internationally, through research in digital
humanities and by developing strong
relationships with the creative and cultural
industries. Recognition for the Moore’s
research is evidenced by commitments to the
Institute by the Andrew Mellon Foundation
and Marie Curie schemes under FP5 and FP6.
The TEXTE project at the Moore Institute is
the largest European Framework grant ever
awarded to an Irish Humanities project.
NUI Galway has an exemplary collection
of some 300 archives dating from the 15th
century to the present day, a key resource
for national and international scholars.
Specific and highly prestigious collections
include the McGahern manuscripts, the
Brendan Duddy conflict resolution papers
1973-93; the Druid, Abbey and other
theatre archives. The Digitisation Centre
provides support in accessing these archives.
Significant research opportunities attach to
these archival and digital resources, and the
establishment of a unique national training
hub will further enhance these research
possibilities. Ireland’s presence within the
European and global community and its
contribution to international developments
is further reflected in the work of the Irish
Centre for Human Rights, while the unique
contribution that NUI Galway makes to the
Irish language and cultural studies has been
reflected in the activities of the Centre for
Irish Studies. The Huston School of Film
and Digital Media leads on research in
this domain.
Goals defined by national policies are
reflected in Humanities in Context research
activities, including inter-institutional
collaborations; continued integration of
humanities scholarship with the physical
sciences; establishment of inter-institutional
graduate schools; targeted skills training
6
and identification of career paths for
researchers; expanding international
and all-island research links; engaging
with the creative and cultural industries;
providing regionally-balanced research
performance. In a European context, our
thematic priority positions NUI Galway to
participate in a significantly expanded range
of research opportunities under Horizon
2020, particularly in the area of Societal
Challenges. It will also facilitate Irish
participation in new European Humanities
Research Infrastructures defined by the
ESFRI roadmap.
Major International Collaborations:
Helsinki, King’s College London, Cologne,
Concordia (Montreal), Fordham, Otago,
Rutgers, Southampton, Cambridge, Utrecht,
Paris, Florence, Uppsala, Berkeley,Harvard,
CUNY, Washington, Virginia, Boston
College, Göttingen.
2.3 Governance and
Management of Research
The research institutes are embedded within
NUI Galway’s academic structures, with each
institute Director reporting to the Dean of the
College of primary affiliation of the institute.
Appendix 8 lists the key research institutes,
associated Colleges, the Institute Director,
and their academic reporting relationships.
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Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
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3.Teaching and Learning
NUI Galway has, historically, had a range of disciplines such as might be expected in a university
established in 1845.
They are organised, in 16 Schools across the
5 Colleges:
• Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
• Business, Public Policy and Law
• Engineering and Informatics
• Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
• Science
Since the 1980s the University’s disciplines
have been augmented through developments
in response to labour market initiatives. These
include Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering,
Information Technology, Business Information
Systems, Nursing and Midwifery, Health Sciences
(Health Promotion, Podiatry, Occupational
Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy).
These developments have enabled the University
increase its programme offerings. The University’s
intake of full-time undergraduate students is
predominately to broadly-based, formative
(undenominated) programmes in Arts, Business,
Engineering and Science, (appendix 3). As a result
of an internal review, all Engineering programmes
will have moved to a common first and second
year programme from 2013/14. Significant
overlap in the early years of other programmes
facilitates transfer between programmes.
The focus of Teaching and Learning
programmes is on producing graduates who are
educated to the highest international standards
within their disciplines while being imbued with
attributes that reflect intellectual, professional,
cultural and civic engagement and the capacity
for leadership, innovation and responsibility.
Programme structures are undergoing major
revision (‘Academic Simplification’), there is
a renewed focus on Programme Outcomes
and the University is building further on its
extensive recent investments in technology.
The University’s Learning, Teaching and
Assessment (LTA) Strategy http://www.
nuigalway.ie/celt/documents/revised-LTA-2012.pdf
provides both a general framework and a set of
specific, targeted actions which will facilitate the
shift from teaching to learning, promote greater
linkages between teaching and research, support
the professional development of academic staff
and embed sound pedagogical and curricular
design principles.1
The University’s teaching and learning mission
is supported by its Centre for Excellence in
Learning and Teaching (CELT) which works in
close liaison with academic and other support
units as part of an evolving institutional teaching
and learning ‘ecosystem’.
NUI Galway recognises that university teaching
must be underpinned by staff training and
development. It provides academic staff with a
framework of professional qualifications built
on flexible, modular, part-time (and ‘blended’)
offerings comprising a Postgraduate Certificate,
Postgraduate Diploma and MA in Academic
Practice. To date ~200 academic staff have
completed various stages of the programme and
the University has recently directed additional
resources in response to demand for places on
those programmes. Individual academic staff are
recognised in the annual President’s Awards for
Teaching Excellence.
A pivotal aspect of this professional approach
to teaching and learning is that of reflective
practice, recognising the indispensible nature
of feedback on teaching and course design.
Feedback processes are in place both for
routine programme quality monitoring and
for individual staff performance evaluation,
including the promotional outlet to Senior
Lecturer, which are fed into course reviews and
individual teaching portfolios.2
HE research and international developments in the
scholarship of teaching and learning are important
influences on academic staff development,
the design of programmes and other teaching
and curricular initiatives within the University.
Currency is maintained through the activities of
individual academic staff, discipline groupings
and via the research activity and professional
partnerships facilitated via CELT and other units.
on the specific pedagogical affordances of such
systems, embedding a wide range of new media,
communications tools, reflective journaling and
online assessment. Combined with investment
in videoconferencing, lecture capture, streaming
and also ‘clicker’ systems, lectures in many
programmes are becoming more interactive
and concentrating on conceptual understanding
and debate rather than on mere transmission
of information.
The transition to university, the first year
experience and the development of transferable
skills are all highlighted in the National Strategy
and mirror current priorities within NUI
Galway. An extensive range of existing and
planned initiatives4 form the various threads
which will be woven into a coordinated crossinstitutional system to transform the student
experience. Core to this will be ensuring that
all available resources and services will be
focused on ensuring that students achieve their
maximum potential and fully engage with their
chosen area of study. A hallmark of the NUI
Galway student experience is the opportunity
to engage actively with the needs of wider
society, whether that engagement be in terms of
employability and contributions to the economy
through professional placement programmes
and the support of innovation and enterprise;
or in terms of the social and civic challenges and
needs of contemporary Ireland and developing
countries, facilitated via the University’s
extensive student volunteering programme or
embedded ‘service’ learning modules, in which
area NUI Galway has established a national (and
growing international) reputation.5
The University is committed to widening access
to higher education and to supporting the
educational needs of the region. Its Adult and
Continuing Education provision, developed
since the 1970s, emphasises the lifelong nature
of learning and its transformative potential for
the individual and the community. The design
of programmes on a modular basis and the
increasing use of blended and online formats is
also significantly enhancing the opportunities
for part-time study. Combined with credit
accumulation, RPL and the NFQ, there is
now more opportunity for transfer between
institutions and programmes, the provision of
professional development programmes for those
in employment (part-time or full-time), and the
tailoring of qualifications and progression routes
to meet the specific needs of employers.
All programmes within the University incorporate
or are supported via a range of technologies
including the Virtual Learning Environment
(VLE) Blackboard which is fully integrated with
campus information systems and used by all
students and almost the entire academic staff.
Familiarity with such systems has facilitated
significant growth in the area of online and
blended learning and currently over 60 blended/
online programmes are offered (appendix 4).3
Recent and on-going developments are centred
1 This is the first of its kind in Irish HE and is now serving as a template for other institutions.
2 The University has a formal Student Feedback policy to which all Schools are subject and which requires feedback on all programmes and modules.
3 These programmes are coordinated and delivered by Adult and Continuing Education and individual Schools themselves.
4 e.g. the First Year Experience Group, Student Services, Careers Service, Library, Academic Writing Centre, Maths Support Unit, IT Support Unit, Community
Knowledge Initiative (CKI), the pilot ‘Learning Communities’ model, Graduate Attributes Project, Students’ Union, etc.
5 The ALIVE volunteering programme handles 2,000 student registrations each year and awards a certificate to those who complete a programme of reflection
and development, with over 950 students achieving this award in the current academic year. ‘Service’ or community-based learning modules are integrated
into discipline contexts in over 40 programmes and the University has over 100 community and NGO partners. In recent years it has also served as the lead
partner in the SIF supported ‘Campus Engage’ national network and rolled out a postgraduate level module directed at staff (academic and administrative)
interested in exploring community partnerships.
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Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
4.Student Profile
NUI Galway will grow student numbers in line with its strategic objectives and national policy. In
projecting its student profile to 2017, the University recognises that staff numbers and funding per
student will have decreased further with impact on its capacity to grow. It accepts that student supports
are unlikely to increase and that the capacity of parents and students to pay fees for postgraduate
programmes will be constrained, as will the funding available to national funders of research students.
Nevertheless, NUI Galway projects some growth in the student categories that particularly
differentiate NUI Galway and in those which address national priorities, including a growth in
international student numbers. If national policy were to signal an improved funding environment,
NUI Galway’s projections would be revised upwards.
4.1 New Entrants: Fulltime Undergraduate Degree
Programmes
The University sector accounts for almost 60%
of the 193,187 full and part-time students
currently enrolled in higher education
institutions. The University anticipates
that national policy will continue towards
rebalancing enrolment patterns towards
international norms by increasing enrolments
in the Institute of Technology sector.
Undergraduate enrolments in the University
sector have increased by 12% in the four year
period 07/08 to 10/11, while the increase in the
Institute of Technology sector was 23%.
This context, together with the following
considerations, has informed the University’s
projected intake of new entrants in 2017:
• The key school-leaver age cohort for entry
2017 is that aged 10 – 14 in the 2011 Census.
This cohort is 7% greater than the 15 – 19
age cohort. In Connacht, the University’s
immediate area, the increase in the 10 – 14
age cohort is 5%
• The report ‘Projections of Demand for Full
time Third Level Education, 2011 – 2026’
( July 2012) showing a projected increase of
6% in the number of new entrants to third
level in 2017/18 compared with 2011/12
• First Preference applications to IoTs in the
NUI Galway catchment area showing an
increase in 2012, possibly related to a wish to
reduce the costs of Higher Education
• A decrease in applications from mature
students in 2011 and 2012 related, perhaps, to
reduced supports. It is assumed that there will
be no increase in supports to 2017
• Reductions in staff numbers since 2008,
and expected further reductions to 2015,
constraining the University’s capacity to
increase undergraduate full-time numbers.
The University, having regard to the above
considerations, is projecting new entrant numbers
to 2017 remaining at the 2011 level of c. 3,000.
4.2 Full-time Undergraduate
Degree Students
4.4 Full-time Postgraduate
Research Programmes
Full-time undergraduate Degree student
numbers are, in the context of the projection
in respect of new entrants above, also projected
to remain at 2011/12 levels of 10,607.
In addition to the impact of reduced LAHEG
support referred to above, there a risk that
reduced funding available to research funding
bodies in Ireland will adversely impact the
numbers of research students. The University’s
strategy is to increase the proportion of research
students in the overall student body and increase
Full-time Postgraduate research student numbers
in the period to 2017 by 10% to 1,050. It will seek
funding for those students from bodies external
to Ireland, through optimising its share of funding
available from national funders, through increased
retention of students and through shorter
completion times, thereby freeing up capacity.
4.3 Full-time Postgraduate
Taught Programmes
(Masters and PG/H Dip)
Registration numbers for 2012/13 have been
projected, for budget purposes, at 1,600, from
an actual of 1,641 in 2011/12, having regard
to the decrease in application numbers and
reduced Local Authority Higher Education Grant
(LAHEG) support for postgraduate students. The
University would wish to increase its numbers of
full-time taught postgraduate students. However,
it is unlikely to do so given the changes announced
in Budget 2012 impacting on LAHEG support
for postgraduate students. The University does
project an increase of 100 international students
on Full-time Postgraduate Taught Programmes by
2017. In the context of those considerations and
the absence of any other State support (e.g. a loan
system), numbers projected for 2017 are 1700, viz.
2012/13 budget projections and 100 additional
international students.
4.5 Part-time Programmes
Economic circumstances are likely to constrain
the ability of the public to avail of part-time
programmes, particularly at undergraduate and
postgraduate degree level. However, as evidenced
in the recently-released Institutional Profiles,
NUI Galway differentiates itself in the number of
students taking part-time undergraduate degree
programmes. The University wishes to build on
its strengths in this area with an emphasis on
growing postgraduate part-time student numbers.
Consequently, it is committed to increasing its
part-time student numbers across all categories
by more than 11%, from 2,686 to 3,000 by 2017,
primarily through the further development of its
blended learning programmes.
10
11
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
5.Knowledge Transfer
6.Regional Engagement
The University discharges its responsibility for knowledge transfer through graduates who
contribute to social and economic development and through the publication of articles in
international peer-reviewed journals, presentations at conferences and, where appropriate,
publications in professional journals.
NUI Galway, the only university in the BMW Region, is committed to supporting the economic,
social, educational and cultural development of the region, a duty it discharges as outlined below.
The University supports technology
development, leading to knowledge transfer
and commercialisation, through the Ignite
Technology Transfer Office (TTO). The TTO
aims to intensify value creation, utilising a welldefined process that leverages cutting-edge
research at NUI Galway through invention
disclosures, patents filed, license agreements,
spin-out companies, industry/university
collaborations and other research-funded
projects. TTO brings together specialists in
knowledge transfer and business development
and partners with investigators and enterprise
to translate innovations into practice. The
Ignite TTO team is committed to a creative,
solutions-oriented approach to licensing,
new ventures and research that delivers
opportunities to create value.
Key performance metrics for the Office are set
out in Appendix 9.
The following are some examples of the
knowledge exchange initiatives Ignite TTO
promotes and delivers:
Ignite TTO Enterprise Initiatives facilitates
various initiatives in support of enterprise
development including:
MetricIreland, comprised of Athlone Institute
of Technology, Galway-Mayo Institute of
Technology, Institute of Technology Sligo,
NUI Galway and the University of Limerick,
in partnership with Georgia Tech Ireland
(GTI) and the BMW Assembly, facilitates
the Med Tech industry in accessing expertise,
knowledge, facilities, research and equipment
across the collaborating HEIs and GTI through
a single point of contact.
• Business Forums and Information sessions
• Investor Forums
• Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Scheme
Ennis Innovate, a partnership between NUI
Galway, UL, Clare County Council, Shannon
Development, Enterprise Ireland, Clare Local
Development Company, and the Clare County
Enterprise Board, is an enterprise support and
incubation programme designed to provide
entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and
tools to develop successful businesses.
Ignite TTO Campus Commercialisation
Programme (CCP) is designed to meet the
needs of the NUI Galway research community
by introducing researchers to the commercial
and business environment. The programme
aims to provide business knowledge to
researchers, and to assist them to identify a
commercial opportunity and to develop a
roadmap to take a technology concept through
to business reality.
6.1 A Knowledge-driven Region
The University plays a key role in developing
the BMW Region as an innovative, knowledgedriven and competitive hub. Examples of its
interface with local enterprise and industry
include:• provision of structured PhD programmes
in biomedical engineering and regenerative
medicine as part of a PRTLI multi-institutional
initiative coordinated by NUI Galway. This
is an important academic and training
contribution to a key industry in the West
• establishment of the MeTric Consortium to
embed the Med Tech sector in Ireland by
offering a single contact point for industry to
leverage resources in HEIs relevant to applied
research and pre-clinical/clinical trials
• development of spin-out companies from NUI
Galway via the Campus Innovation Centre. The
Centre currently houses 25 companies
• The MSc BioInnovate Fellowship programme
is a specialist medical device innovation
training programme, modelled on the
prestigious Stanford BioDesign programme.
6.2 Local Business
The University’s comprehensive supports for
business, including start-up business, in its
region are set out under section 5 Knowledge
Transfer above.
6.3 Community Groups
Civic Engagement is a key aspect of NUI
Galway’s strategic plan. For students, civic
engagement is possible via participation in
volunteering activities, mostly built upon
partnerships with over 100 community
organisations and NGOs. Some also stem
from individual initiative and commitment.
Every year over 2,000 students register with
the online University volunteering database
as part of the ALIVE programme. This work
is supported by the institution through the
funding of a Student Volunteering Officer and
a small number of student interns.
The other civic experience is ‘service
learning’ which embeds the participation
and contribution within the students’
degree programmes, ensuring that the form
of engagement is directly relevant to the
academic discipline within which they are
being trained. This requires the development of
sustainable partnerships with relevant external
organisations. More recent developments in
this sphere include work being undertaken with
research groups and involve support of public
outreach initiatives and the early development
of a matching service between the interests of
community organisations/NGOs/charities and
researchers. The University has put a ‘Going to
College’ project in place to develop a model of
inclusive participation in higher education for
students with an intellectual disability.
6.4 Cultural
NUI Galway’s location in the West of Ireland
places the University at the heart of a vibrant
creative arts sector. Galway has a wellestablished reputation as a city with a rich
cultural tradition in both languages.
With more than a quarter of all NUI Galway
students studying arts-related programmes, and
with research expertise in areas such as digital
humanities, creative writing, drama and theatre
studies, and media and entertainment law, the
University has a strong focus on the creative arts.
In support of this focus on the arts, the University
has forged a number of strategic partnerships
with key cultural organisations in recent years
including the internationally-renowned Druid
Theatre Company, the Galway Arts Festival and
Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, the Irish language
National Theatre. These partnerships allow the
University to provide invaluable support and
facilities for creative arts organisations in exchange
for practitioner input to the curriculum through
a range of internships, master-classes, workshops
and placement opportunities. Students are taught
not just by academics but also by award-winning
international creative arts practitioners. The
vibrancy of contemporary Irish culture and
engagement with regional artists is also manifested
in the traditional singing and dance residencies in
the University’s Centre for Irish Studies.
12
The University has also invested significantly
in infrastructure and resources to support the
creative arts including:
• The Bank of Ireland Theatre, a dedicated
theatre for student drama productions
which is also used by professional theatre
companies throughout the year
• Áras na Mac Léinn, a facility dedicated to
student-led creative arts activities
• A new research building for the College
of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
(currently under construction)
• The University’s own Art collection of more
than 500 pieces.
The University archive collection includes the
Thomas Kilroy Archive; the Druid Theatre
Company Archive; the archive of actor and
director, John Huston; the Galway Arts
Festival Archive; the Archive of Taibhdhearc
na Gallimhe, and the Lyric Theatre/O’Malley
Collection.
NUI Galway supports a wide range of
additional cultural activities, including the
organising of its own annual week-long
Arts Festival, Múscailt, which provides a
programme of free exhibitions and events,
which are open to the public. Other initiatives
include the hosting of a classical quartet,
Contempo, on campus, and the running of a
student Theatre Week.
13
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
14
7.An Ghaeilge
8.International Orientation
NUI Galway, uniquely, has a statutory commitment to the Irish language. It is committed to the
highest standards of teaching, learning and scholarship through Irish and, in addition, exercises
an institutional linguistic responsibility which goes far beyond that contemplated by Statute.
The University has invested heavily to ensure that this institutional mission has significance and
functionality which is relevant not only for the University community but for the wider language
community, regionally and nationally.
NUI Galway has a strong international orientation with a wide range of overseas partnerships and
a well-established community of international students, built up over 25 years. Faculty are drawn
from all continents of the world and add a dynamic, global perspective to the University’s work.
The principal vehicle for realising these goals
is Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge,
established in 2004 to give coherent academic
leadership to, and contribute to the general
development of, the Irish-speaking community
and, to that end, to be responsible for both
the sustainable development and delivery
of programmes, research and other services
through Irish, and the development of an
exemplary bilingual campus. In delivering its
mission, the Acadamh works in partnership
with the HEA, Údarás na Gaeltachta and the
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
The University is a member of the Coimbra
Group, an association of long-established
European multidisciplinary universities of
high international standard. The Group is
committed to creating special academic and
cultural ties in order to promote, for the benefit
of its members, internationalisation, academic
collaboration, excellence in learning and
research, and service to society.
The development of physical and intellectual
infrastructure in the form of University
Gaeltacht centres in Carna and An Cheathrú
Rua, Co. Galway and in Gaoth Dobhair,
Co. Donegal indicates the depth of NUI
Galway’s commitment to Irish. From these
outreach centres and from the main campus,
the University provides a higher education
infrastructure appropriate to the practical
needs of the Irish-speaking community.
General and specialised programmes in Irish
or through the medium of Irish, addressing
particular linguistic, skills or general
educational needs and priorities, have been
developed. They include: access courses,
ab initio language programmes, specialist
postgraduate training in advanced language
skills pitched at up to Level 9, specialist
courses in Maths for Teacher Training,
Folklore, Communications, the Arts and
IT. Additionally, the use of the web as a
platform for blended learning has transformed
traditional modes of delivery. Students of
online language programmes such as the BA
sa Ghaeilge Fheidhmeach (Páirtaimseartha)
are not bound by geographical constraints
but engage interactively and successfully
with their own learning.
Servicing the largest concentration of
audio-visual enterprises in the country
outside of Dublin is also a current concern.
Programmes at Level 8 and 9 to produce
highly-skilled graduates in Communications,
Film, TV and Radio are the result of close
cooperation and consultation with RTÉ, TG4
and the independent AV sector. This level of
partnership has ensured excellent graduate
employability and has attracted significant
numbers of students to Galway and the
Gaeltacht as a result. The decision to locate the
BA & MA sa Chumarsáid at the University’s
centre in An Cheathrú Rua is a major
contributor to business confidence in the AV
sector in the Gaeltacht and a clear marker that
the University does not view its institutional
linguistic responsibility within a narrow
conceptual framework but as a coherent and
integrated strategy to sustain economic and
cultural development in its general hinterland
with other interested agencies.
The University houses an extensive collection
of archive material in Irish or related to
Irish. Of particular note is the Douglas Hyde
manuscript collection, the archives of Eoghan
Ó Tuairisc, Stiofán Bairéad, many Gaeltacht
writers etc. Music holdings such as the Joe
Burke and Joe Heaney archives are not just
valuable assets for scholarly exploitation but
living links with the communities associated
with the musicians themselves. A full copy
of all of Raidió na Gaeltachta’s sound archive
is also a very valuable research resource for
the University.
The University’s international orientation is
captured in its Internationalisation Strategy,
2009-2014, which focuses on five key areas:
•
•
•
•
•
International student recruitment
Staff and student mobility
Internationalising the curriculum
Partnerships and international reputation
Internationalisation and development.
A Dean of International Affairs has been
appointed to provide an institutional focus in
implementing the University’s Internationalisation
Strategy towards the overall aim of achieving a
more open, outward-looking institution.
8.1 International Student
Recruitment
International students currently constitute 12%
of the student population, with 2,000 students
from 90 countries around the world. Particularly
strong markets include North America, with
Junior Year Abroad programmes, and Malaysia
for the Undergraduate Medical programme.
In March 2012, a quality review of
internationalisation at NUI Galway
recommended greater market diversification in
order to avoid overdependence on single source
markets. An International Student Recruitment
Plan 2013-2016 has been developed in response
to this recommendation, with a specific focus
on developing new markets for postgraduate
(taught) programmes. The University projects an
increase of 100 international students on fulltime
Postgraduate Taught Programmes by 2017.
Medical Military University Hospital in Xi’an,
with Villanova University, with University of
Maryland, with Hong Kong University of Science.
8.2 Student and Staff Mobility
8.4 QS Stars rating
NUI Galway has c. 200 Erasmus bilateral
agreements, and Erasmus links with 130
European universities, providing opportunities
for students and staff to study and teach abroad
in a wide range of disciplines.
NUI Galway’s growing international profile was
recognised in the 2012 QS Stars rating where
the University was given an overall rating of five
star, the highest available rating. NUI Galway was
also rated five star in a number of specific fields,
including teaching, research, internationalisation,
facilities, engagement and innovation.
The University welcomes over 800 visiting
students each year, through a combination of
Junior Year Abroad and Erasmus programmes,
while over 200 NUI Galway students travel
abroad for a period of their study.
The NUI Galway faculty also has a strong
international orientation with high levels of
staff mobility and of international staff. The
University is currently ranked third among Irish
universities in the QS World University Ranking
for its percentage of international faculty.
8.3 International Reputation
and Partnerships
NUI Galway has a growing international profile
in a number of key areas of research expertise
including Web Science, Biomedicine, and
Human Rights Law. The growing profile of
these areas is reflected in the number of research
partnerships the University has with global
multinationals including Cisco, Ericsson, Avaya
and Medtronic Vascular.
NUI Galway also has a number of research
and teaching partnerships with international
universities including Georgia Institute of
Technology, with whom the University jointly
operates a translational research facility, with
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with the Fourth
15
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
16
9.NUI Galway and Regional Clusters
The Border, Midland and Western (BMW) Region is characterised by a mix of dispersed rural
and urban communities. There are a number of important urban areas, each with significant rural
hinterlands, including Galway, Sligo, Letterkenny, Athlone, Castlebar and Roscommon, which
dominate the region. Many of these host Higher Education institutions (HEIs) which seek to respond
to the needs of their hinterland.
The creation of an effective cluster among
these institutions would maintain a strong local
leadership in each institution, a leadership
which has the capacity to interact with and
respond to local needs while facilitating
cooperation towards efficiencies in the delivery
of academic programmes.
Cluster Development
NUI Galway suggests that the following principles
might underlie the development of a cluster of
HEIs in the BMW region, or part of that region:
• The cluster would be designed and operated
in a manner which responds to the needs
of students in terms of their aspirations for
higher education, including their legitimate
expectations in terms of career possibilities,
personal and professional development. The
configuration, structure and governance of
the cluster would, of course, be influenced by
the needs and expectations of institutions,
but with the student need being of paramount
importance.
• Recognising that the pattern of enrolment
in the Irish third level sector is very highly
regionalised, with the majority of students
attending their local 3rd level institution, it
is important that the cluster would provide
as full a range of programmes as is consistent
with efficiency and economy of provision.
• The cluster would offer the full range of
programmes across Levels 6 to 10 in the
National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).
• The cluster would be comprised of
autonomous distinctive institutions, each
with a particular profile as regards:
◆ The levels on the NFQ at which the
majority of its programmes are offered
◆ The mix of disciplines and sub-disciplines
and the associated level of specialisation
◆ The student profile in terms of levels 6
to 10 of the NFQ and type of student
(traditional and non-traditional, part-time
and full-time, etc.)
◆ The level of its research intensity and
specialisation.
• The mix of distinctive institutions within
the cluster would facilitate cooperation
between the institutions to deliver a more
comprehensive range of programmes of
teaching and research. This would be achieved
using modern pedagogizzz.0/*9cal methods
(online and blended learning, shared access to
lectures and seminars via video conferencing,
etc.), the exchange of students between
institutions within the cluster, ‘Junior Year
Abroad’ or ‘Junior Semester Abroad’ style
exchanges, and through shared research
programmes.
• The IoTs would mainly provide programmes
at levels 6, 7 and 8 with limited provision at
levels 9 and 10. NUI Galway would provide
programmes at levels 8, 9 and 10 with limited
and, ultimately, shared provision
at levels 6 and 7.
• Research degrees at levels 9 and 10 (masters
degrees by research and PhD programmes)
would be awarded by NUI Galway and as
joint degrees between NUI Galway and the
relevant Institute of Technology.
• Staff within the IoTs who wish to provide
research programmes would work with
providers of relevant research programmes
in NUI Galway, or any other University, to
deliver those programmes. In the case of NUI
Galway, the IoT staff involved would become
adjunct staff of the University and would have
equal status to NUI Galway staff as research
supervisors and members of Graduate
Research Committees, including examination
committees and boards. Successful students
on programmes with input from staff in an
IoT and NUI Galway would be awarded
joint degrees. Research graduates (as indeed
all graduates) of the cluster would, as is
important in a knowledge based economy,
have access to the facilities, including library
resources, structured PhD programmes, etc.
available in and through NUI Galway.
• The cluster of distinctive institutions would:
◆ Cooperate to continually analyse,
document and respond to the needs
of all stakeholders in the region
◆ Seek economy and efficiency in the
provision of programmes of teaching
and research through joint planning of
programme provision towards meeting
the needs of its student cohort
◆ Seek to share staff and facilities to the
extent feasible and appropriate
◆ Develop systems to facilitate student
mobility
◆ Cooperate in the provision of programmes
to facilitate access by non-traditional and
part-time students
◆ Cooperate in the development of
systems to support teaching and learning,
including the provision of online and
blended learning programmes
◆ Cooperate in technology transfer and
intellectual property protection
◆ Cooperate in the marketing of its
programmes to potential international
students
◆ Seek out and develop systems to support
joint procurement and shared services
including, in particular, back office services.
In advancing this agenda the cluster would build
on the success and experience of the LÍONRA
network.
The cluster would, in line with the approach
presented in the ‘Towards a Future Higher
Education Landscape’ (February 2012), document
in cooperation with the HEA and by agreement
of all of the member institutions, develop an
‘Oversight Board’ comprised of the Presidents and
Chief Academic Officers (Registrars) to manage
the cluster. This Board would work with the HEA
to create appropriate terms of reference and an
agreed modus operandi for the management and
coordination of the cluster. This work, critical
to the success of the cluster, would be informed
by a study of best international practice in the
management of such clusters.
NUI Galway is confident that a regional cluster,
operating on the basis set out above, would
provide the suite and range of programmes
required by the region, facilitate student
access and inter-institutional student transfer,
optimise the research capabilities of staff in the
institutions, provide the graduates and expertise
required by public and private sector employers
in the region and underpin the social, cultural
and economic development of the region.
The University points to the benefits of its
Alliance with the University of Limerick (UL),
even in the two years since its initiation in 2010,
as evidence of the benefits of inter-institutional
cooperation (appendix 9). The Alliance
agreement and the University’s Memorandum
of Understanding with Galway-Mayo Institute
of Technology, 2011 are attached (appendix 10
and appendix 11 respectively). Furthermore,
NUI Galway is of the view that a regional cluster
in the west could effectively cooperate with a
regional cluster in the mid-west and south-west,
should such be developed, based on the existing
NUI Galway- UL Alliance.
10 Shannon College
of Hotel Management
NUI Galway and Shannon College of Hotel
Management made an application to the HEA
in January 2008 for the integration of Shannon
College into NUI Galway based on the longterm relationship and synergies between the two
institutions. Much progress was made towards
the integration in discussions with the HEA in
early 2009. NUI Galway and Shannon College
now wish to progress that application which it
sees as being in complete accord with the aims
of the National Strategy for Higher Education to
2030 and the ‘Landscape’ document.
11 St Angela’s College, Sligo
St Angela’s College, Sligo is a Constituent
College of NUI Galway. Discussions have been
held on the potential for the development of
the relationship between the two institutions
since the publication of the National
Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 and
in the context of the ‘Landscape’ document.
Opportunities for closer cooperation,
particularly in the areas of Education and
Nursing, have been identified and will be
progressed. At a structural level, no change is
proposed, at present, to the formal relationship
but the potential for further development and
synergies is evident to both institutions.
17
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
NUI Galway’s Student Profile Template, 2017
Disciplinary Mix, 2017
DISCIPLINARY MIX
Full-time Undergraduate New Entrants
This Template seeks an indicative forecast only. It is recognised that it cannot be exact.
Institution Name
NUI Galway
Future Year 2017
STUDENT NUMBERS
Entrants
Graduates
% change over current
New Entrants (Full-time Undergraduate)
0%
Undergraduate Graduates
3,018
Postgraduate Graduates
Nos.
3159
2136
5295
%
60%
40%
100%
Full-time%
Part-time%
Total
85%
3%
15%
97%
77%
8%
%
%
%
%
92%
90%
73%
55%
70%
71%
91%
8%
10%
27%
45%
30%
29%
9%
87%
5%
23%
23%
44%
3%
30%
%
82%
18%
100%
Enrolments
Full-time%
Other Enrolments (IoTs only)
Foundation
FETAC Cert
FETAC Advanced Cert
of which are apprenticeships
Part-time%
Total
18
Other Enrolments (IoTs only)
Foundation
FETAC Cert
FETAC Advanced Cert
of which are apprenticeships
General Programmes
Education Science
Humanities & Arts
Social Science, Business & Law
Science
Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction
Agriculture & Veterinary
Health & Welfare
Services
Combined
Total
Full and Part-time PhDs
%
0%
1%
37%
23%
20%
8%
0%
10%
0%
0%
100%
General Programmes
Education Science
Humanities & Arts
Social Science, Business & Law
Science
Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction
Agriculture & Veterinary
Health & Welfare
Services
Combined
Total
%
0%
0%
19%
19%
29%
17%
0%
15%
0%
0%
100%
STUDENT PROFILE
Undergraduate
Higher certificate
Ordinary Degree (L7)
Honours Degree (L8)
Occasional
Postgraduate
Postgrad Diploma/Cert
Masters Taught (L9)
Masters Research (L9)
PhD (L10)
Occasional
Total Enrolments
11243
34
1943
978
13186
1012
10607
602
2822
496
1204
72
1050
900
65
1057
410
512
30
105
11507
667
3879
906
1716
102
1155
14065
3000
17065
Research & Taught (L9/10) FTE
Research (L9/10) FTE
Research (L10) FTE
2,542
1,190
1,103
Undergraduate
Higher certificate
Ordinary Degree (L7)
Honours Degree (L8)
Occasional
Postgraduate
Postgrad Diploma/Cert
Masters Taught (L9)
Masters Research (L9)
PhD (L10)
Occasional
Total Enrolments
Research & Taught (L9/10)
Research (L9/10)
Research (L10)
%
%
%
%
%
% FTE L8 and All PG
% FTE L8 and All PG
% FTE L8 and All PG
17.6%
8.3%
7.7%
(% of Enrolments)
Flexible Learners (Part-time, Distance, E-Learning)
%(% of New Entrants)
21%
Mature Entrants (Full-time Undergraduate)
%
9%
International Students (Full-time)
17%
3%
Of which Non-EU
PROGRESSION Targets
71%
Non-Progression Rate from 1st to 2nd Year
9%
Estimate: Entrants with Disability (EAS***)
19
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017
Staff and Financial Data, 2017
HE Landscape Document
STAFF AND FINANCIAL DATA - 2017
Nos
%
Core Staff
Nos
%
Total Income
Academic Staff
695
48%
State Grants
Support Staff
741
52%
Fees
1,436
100%
389
92%
34
8%
422
100%
Contract Research & Specialist Staff
Academic Staff
Support Staff
Other Income
Support Staff
19
16,356
8%
203,177
100%
Total Expenditure
50
63,639
31
58%
Research Grants & Contracts - Pay
20,025
31%
774
42%
Research Grants & Contracts - Non Pay
1,858
100%
1,084
Full-Time Academic Staff with PhD qual
Full-Time Academic Staff with PhD or Masters qual
All Academic Staff with PhD or Masters qual
37,783
101,294
Staff Qualifications
All Academic Staff with PhD qual
18%
55%
Core - Non Pay
Total Staff
Academic Staff
Research Grants & Contracts
37,549
111,490
Core - Pay
%
85%
100%
85%
100%
It is forecast that 85% would be the norm for staff with PhD Qualification
given the different market forces in applied areas of study.
17,758
9%
202,716
100%
Appendices
i
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
ii
Appendix 1
NUI Galway
Academic Disciplines by College and School
COLLEGES
SCHOOLS
COMPONENT DISCIPLINES
College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies
School of Geography & Archaeology
Archaeology
Geography
School of Humanities
English
History
Huston School of Film & Digial Media
Irish Studies
Journalism
School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Appendix 2
Philosophy
Classics
National University of Ireland Galway
Profile 2011/12
French
Gaeilge
German
STUDENT NUMBERS
Italian
Spanish
College of Business, Public Policy and Law
College of Engineering and Informatics
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
School of Education
School of Psychology
School of Political Science and Sociology
J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics
Education
Psychology
Political Science and Sociology
Accountancy and Finance
Business Information Systems
Economics
Management
Marketing
School of Law
Law
Human Rights Law
Civil Engineering
Electronic Engineering
Information Technology
Mechanical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Anaesthesia
Anatomy
Bacteriology
General Practice
Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Opththalmology
Otolaryngology
School of Engineering and Informatics
School of Medicine
School of Nursing and Midwifery
School of Health Sciences
College of Science
School of Mathematics, Statistics
& Applied Mathematics
School of Natural Sciences
School of Chemistry
School of Physics
Paediatrics
Pathology
Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Physiology
Psychiatry
Radiology
Surgery
Nursing and Midwifery
Health Promotion
Occupational Therapy
Podiatry
Speech and Language Therapy
Mathematics
Mathematical Physics
Statistics
Bioinformatics
Biochemistry
Botany
Earth and Ocean Sciences
Microbiology
Zoology
Chemistry
Physics
Enrolments
Other Enrolments (IoTs only)
Foundation
FETAC Cert
FETAC Advanced Cert
of which are apprenticeships
Undergraduate
Diploma/Cert
Ordinary Degree (L7)
Honours Degree (L8)
Occasional
Postgraduate
Postgrad Diploma/Cert
Masters Taught (L9)
Masters Research (L9)
PhD (L10)
Occasional
Total Enrolments
Research & Taught (L9/10)
Research (L9/10)
Research (L10)
No.
No.
No.
No.
Full-time Part-time
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
0
0
0
0
No.
0
0
0
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
11,243
34
0
10,607
602
2,590
496
1,145
72
877
13,833
1,864
978
0
821
65
822
318
383
27
94
0
2,686
13,107
1,012
0
11,428
667
3,412
814
1,528
99
971
0
16,519
2,094
949
877
252
61
47
2,346
1,010
924
1)
FTE
FTE
FTE
Total Other Enrolments
Examination Only
Access
Erasmus
Total Enrolments including Other Enrolments
799
235
278
286
17,318
Other Enrolments (IoTs only)
Foundation
FETAC Cert
FETAC Advanced Cert
%
%
%
%
of which are apprenticeships%
Undergraduate
Diploma/Cert
Ordinary Degree (L7)
Honours Degree (L8)
Occasional
Postgraduate
Postgrad Diploma/Cert
Masters Taught (L9)
Masters Research (L9)
PhD (L10)
Occasional
Total Enrolments
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Full-time Part-time
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Total
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
86%
3%
14%
97%
79%
8%
93%
90%
76%
61%
75%
73%
90%
7%
10%
24%
39%
25%
27%
10%
87%
5%
21%
24%
45%
45%
28%
84%
16%
100%
Research & Taught (L9/10) % FTE L8 and All PG
Research (L9/10)
% FTE L8 and All PG
Research (L10)
% FTE L8 and All PG
16.7%
7.2%
6.6%
iii
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
NUI Galway’s Undergraduate Degree Programmes
NUI Galway’s Blended and Online Programmes
Undergraduate Full-time Degree Programmes
Balance of Programmes by New Entrants
(Entry September 2011)
College
Arts, Social Sciences
& Celtic Studies
Undenominated
Undenominated
Specialised/
Formative
Formative Progs with Professional Total
Progs
Specialist Option
programmes
1023
112
151
1286
Business
312
43
71
426
Engineering & Informatics
110
-
165
275
Science
344
-
240
584
Total
1789
155
627
2571
70
6
24
100
-
-
306
306
140
140
%
Medicine, Nursing
& Health Sciences
Law
-
-
Note: Programmes in the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and in the School of Law are, by their nature,
specialised/professional programmes and have been separated from other programmes in setting out the balance of programmes
taken by undergraduate students.
Certificate and Foundation Diplomas (8)
Community and Family Studies
Employee Assistance & Social Support
Social Care
Early Childhood Studies and Practice
Training and Education
Skills for Life and Employment
Training and Education
Nursing (Prescribing)
Diplomas (21)
Community and Family Studies
Employee Assistance and Social Support
Social Care
Early Childhood Studies and Practice
Training and Education
International Business
Business
General Studies
Rural Development
Science and Technology Studies
Medical Device Science
Form and Function of the Human Body
Biomedical Informatics
Bio-processing Technology
Environmental Sustainability
Lean and Quality Systems
Mechanical Design
Automation and Control
Software Engineering
Irish Studies
Italian
Undergraduate Degrees (BA/BSc) (9)
Rural Development
Science and Technology Studies
Social Care
Early Childhood Studies and Practice
Training and Education
B.Comm.
Training and Education
Gaeilge Fheidhmeach
Community and Family Studies
Postgraduate Certificates (4)
Biomedical Science
Nursing (Specialist Practice)
Health Sciences (Clinical Primary Care)
Health Sciences (Clinical Education)
Postgraduate Diplomas (20)
Biomedical Science
Innovation Management
Technology Commercialisation
Nursing (Emergency Care)
Nursing (Intensive Care)
Nursing (Perioperative)
Nursing (Orthopaedics)
Nursing (Mental Health,
Community & Inpatient Acute Care)
Nursing (Oncology)
Nursing (Palliative Care)
Nursing (Practice Nursing/Community Nursing)
Nursing (Public Health Nursing)
Nursing (Gerontology)
Nursing (Education)
Nursing/Midwifery (Advanced Practice)
Health Sciences (Clinical Education)
Health Sciences (Primary Care)
Social Work Practice Teaching,
Supervision and Management
Software Engineering
Health Sciences (Clinical Primary Care)
Masters (MSc/MA) (6)
Biomedical Science
Adult Learning and Development
Technology Management
Health Sciences (Clinical Education)
Software Engineering & Database Technologies
International Taxation
Additional standalone modules
Housing Law and Policy
Irish Studies (range of modules)
Teaching and Learning for Teaching Assistants
Shared modules in BIS with UMass Amherst
iv
v
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
Appendix 5(a)
Appendix 6
NUI Galway
Research Student Numbers (Full-time and Part-time) 2007/08 – 2011/12
NUI Galway’s Research Achievements
2008
2009
2010
2007/08
762
2008/09
946
1
Total Publications
3911
3599
3858
2009/10
1044
2
Total publications/Academic FTE
5.02
4.76
5.26
2010/11
1059
3
0.67
0.86
0.91
2011/12
1070
Total indexed publications in ISI Web of Science
(NUIG Address Data Set)/Academic FTE
4
Total citations in ISI Web of Science
(NUIG Address Data Set)/Academic FTE
10.65
12.98
15.59
2004-2008
2005-2009
2006-2010
4.19
4.34
4.94
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
5
Citation Impact – Total citations in ISI Web of
Science NUIG Address Data Set/Total indexed
publications in ISI Web of Science
6
Research income
€52.3m
€53.3m
€52.7m
Appendix 5(b)
7
Research income/Academic FTE
€69.1k
€70.6k
€71.9k
8
Percent share of national research income
12.70%
13.8%
14.90%
NUI Galway
Research Graduates 2007 – 2011
9
Registered PhDs
1058
1150
1156
10
Registered PhDs/Academic FTE
1.36
1.52
1.58
11
PhD graduations
145
141
191
2007
138
2008
90
2009
196
2010
197
2011
236
Note: Research publication data (KPIs 1 – 4) are per Calendar Year. KPI 5 is run over 5 year rolling periods.
Other data presented are per academic year
Web of Science Documents (in 5 rolling 5 year groupings)
Institution
2001-2005 2002-2006 2003-2007 2004-2008 2005-2009 2006-2010
NUI GALWAY
1361
1577
1752
2003
2365
2684
Web of Science Documents - Times Cited (in 5 rolling 5 year groupings)
Institution
NUI GALWAY
2001-2005 2002-2006 2003-2007 2004-2008 2005-2009 2006-2010
4698
5623
6931
8388
10267
13271
Web of Science Documents - Cites per document - Impact (in 5 rolling 5 year groupings)
Institution
NUI GALWAY
2001-2005 2002-2006 2003-2007 2004-2008 2005-2009 2006-2010
3.45
3.57
3.96
4.19
4.34
4.94
Web of Science Documents - Cites per document/Academic FTE - Impact (in 5 year groupings)
Institution
NUI GALWAY
2003-2007 2004-2008 2005-2009 2006-2010
9.15
10.75
13.56
18.09
Note: The Web of Science data are over 5 year rolling periods: 2004-2008,2005-2009, 2006-2010
vi
vii
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
viii
Appendix 7
Appendix 8
NUI Galway’s Research Institutes
Note: Web of Science data for the Humanities in Context priority research area is not reflective of activity in this field.
Please note the following number of Published Books/Book Chapters in this field in the last four years: 2008 – 49; 2009 – 64;
2010 – 55; 2011- 68
RESEARCH THEME INSTITUTE NAME
AFFILIATED COLLEGES DIRECTOR
REPORTING TO
Biomedical Science
and Engineering
National Centre
for Biomedical
Engineering Science
Science
Engineering and
Informatics
Medicine, Nursing and
Health Sciences
Arts, Social Sciences and
Celtic Studies
Professor
Frank Barry
Dean of Science
Informatics,
Physical and
Computational
Sciences
Digital Enterprise
Research Institute
Science
Engineering and
Informatics
Medicine, Nursing and
Health Sciences
Business, Public Policy
and Law
Professor
Stefan Decker
Dean of College of
Engineering and
Informatics
Environment,
Marine and Energy
Ryan Institute
Science
Engineering and
Informatics
Medicine, Nursing and
Health Sciences
Arts, Social Sciences
and Celtic Studies
Business, Public Policy
and Law
Professor
Colin Brown
Dean of College of
Science
Applied Social
Sciences and
Public Policy
Institute for
Business, Social
Sciences and Public
Policy
Science
Medicine, Nursing and
Health Sciences
Arts, Social Sciences
and Celtic Studies
Business, Public Policy
and Law
Dr James
Cunningham
Dean of College of
Business, Public
Policy and Law
Humanities
in Context
Moore Institute for
the Humanities and
Social Studies
Arts, Social Sciences
and Celtic Studies
Business, Public Policy
and Law
Professor Sean
Ryder
Dean of College of
Arts, Social Sciences
and Celtic Studies
ix
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
x
Appendix 10
Appendix 9
NUI Galway’s Research Institutes
NUI Galway – University of Limerick Alliance
Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Metrics
NUI Galway and the University of Limerick (UL) entered into a strategic alliance in 2010. This alliance has
already facilitated some important developments (including those listed below) of benefit to both institutions
and their students.
Metric
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Total
Invention Disclosures
26
34
57
58
70
47
292
New Patents Filed
6
20
32
17
10
15
100
Licences / Options
0
24
9
16
11
10
70
Spin-Outs
0
3
0
7
6
6
22
Industrial Interactions
95
161
197
209
201
204
1067
Research
1.
MedTech Accelerator Fund: Kernel Capital has launched the €10 million (US $13.6) Bank of Ireland
MedTech Accelerator Fund. The launch of this latest fund marks the introduction of NUI Galway
as an investor with Kernel Capital. NUI Galway joins UL, Bank of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland in
supporting this unique initiative for early stage Medical Technology companies.
2.
The development of the METRIC initiative which presents a single portal setting out the research
activities and research services of both universities to the cluster of medical device companies in the
region.
3.
The development of a joint initiative between the two Universities and Georgia Tech to support
translational research.
4.
LERO CSET renewal for period 2011-2016 (€17 million). IBSSPP, NUI Galway has now formally
joined the LERO Research Centre.
5.
Social Inclusion, Development and Civic Engagement: MOU signed between SIE (UL) and Child
and Family Research Centre (NUI Galway). €2 million funding secured (UL) with work now fully
embedded into LRA (Limerick Regeneration Agencies).
6.
Joint Research Day in the area of Engineering & Informatics now takes place annually and is hosted
by each institution in alternate years. Similar initiative to be launched in 2012/13 in the area of Arts /
Humanities.
7.
Decision, with agreement of the HEA, that NUI Galway provide Undergraduate Medical programme,
with Graduate Medical programme being provided by UL.
8.
Shared Medical Academy at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe will provide shared clinical education
to 20 students from each of NUI Galway and UL.
9.
NUI Galway and UL are key players in the Bio-Innovate Ireland Fellowship Programme, a specialist
postgraduate programme focused on the med-tech sector.
10. Development of joint programmes at Masters level in Business and Science (MSc in Sustainable
Resource Management commenced 2011-12, MSc in Finance and Information Systems in 2012-13).
11. Development of Joint Structured PhD programmes now on offer in New Media and Film, TESOL,
Philosophy of Art and Culture, led by Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Biomedical Engineering
and Regenerative Medicine.
12. Professional Dip in Maths Education provided by UL, NUI Galway and UCD, to be offered over a 3
year period to of the order of 800 out-of-field teachers nationwide, by blended learning.
xi
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
Appendix 11
13. Sharing of specialist modules in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Business and Arts
and, also, at final year undergraduate level in Physics, Chemistry and Earth and Ocean Sciences.
14. Some student mobility particularly in Business with students spending 1-2 semesters in the partner
institution as part of their degree programme, availing of specialisms not offered in their home
institution.
xii
NUI Galway - Alliance Agreements
1. Background to the Alliance
Shared Services
1.1.
15. Shared procurement and services in areas including Irish translation services, legal services, joint
procurement of new Research Support System (IRIS) in 2011 and, more recently, an agreement
that the procurement of commodity items will be carried out by UL on behalf of both institutions thus
freeing up capacity at NUI Galway to provide a more in-depth service to managers in the procurement
of large items of equipment.
The University of Limerick and NUI Galway have entered into an institution-wide
strategic alliance across all of the key areas of activity including teaching, research, technology
transfer, lifelong learning and the provision of services.
1.2.
Both Universities are committed to the achievement of academic excellence, to providing
leadership through the quality of our research, teaching programmes and our graduates, and to
the social, cultural and economic development of the country and our region.
1.3.
NUI Galway and the University of Limerick have well-developed relationships and effective
partnerships with public agencies and industry and are committed to enhancing our various
interactions with them for wealth creation and to benefit national and regional development.
1.4.
This strategic alliance supports the Government’s objective of developing the
Smart Economy, as outlined in the Government report, ‘Building Ireland’s Smart Economy – A
Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal’. NUI Galway and the University of Limerick
appreciate that Universities are key drivers in the Knowledge or Smart Economy. We recognise
that, together, we can and will achieve more. We will better support the development of our
wider region and help attract FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and underpin large scale projects.
1.5.
The new alliance supports the twin objectives of world class standards and positioning with
regional focus. In a highly globalised society, and particularly in an export-led economy, regional
focus and international competitiveness go hand in hand.
1.6.
The University of Limerick and NUI Galway believe that the future of Higher
Education in Ireland is best served by the evolution of a network of collaborating institutions,
each of which develops international excellence in appropriate priority themes. This alliance
between our two institutions is an important step in that direction. The alliance is not intended
as an exclusive partnership and both institutions will continue to cooperate and collaborate with
other Universities as heretofore.
1.7.
The NUI Galway – University of Limerick Strategic Alliance will also have an international
dimension as we will partner with prominent third-level institutions internationally, in order to
extend the global reach of our activity. In particular, in the area of technology transfer, we will
partner with the Georgia Institute of Technology to develop a Translational Research Institute
which will exploit the research outputs emerging from both Universities.
1.8.
In the present environment, there is a particular need for and onus on all institutions to optimise
the use of resources. The new alliance between NUI Galway and the University of Limerick will
enable sharing of resources across a wide range of activities, to our mutual benefit. In order to
maintain teaching standards and the student experience it is essential that we collaborate to
best optimise our resources.
1.9.
Through this alliance, the University of Limerick and NUI Galway will pursue our twin goals
of academic excellence and contribute to national and regional development through greater
collaboration in our research and development, technology transfer activities, social development
and civic engagement, lifelong learning programmes, teaching and learning skills enhancement,
shared services and in our interaction with development agencies.
16. The shared development of a business incubation unit in cooperation with Enterprise Ireland and
Shannon Development in Ennis. The Technology Transfer Offices of the two institutions rolled out
the new Regional Innovation Centre Ennis initiative in February 2011 as a mechanism for enhancing
business start up and business development in the Ennis region.
xiii
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
1.10 Recent economic developments have made investment in the Shannon Region an imperative.
The University of Limerick and NUI Galway, together with Shannon Development and the Irish
Technology Leadership Group (ITLG), have created an initiative in the area of Energy, and
centred on the Shannon region. The initiative has been named the Shannon Energy Valley with
the overall goal being to create a national hub for energy research and development, industry and
commerce to attract mobile international investment and generate high-end employment.
1.11 In summary, the overall objective of the alliance is to better support the social and economic
development of our wider region by combining the strengths of the two Universities so as to
increase the quantity and quality of our collaborative research and teaching, to further develop
industrial, business and other partnerships, to ensure the most effective use of our combined
resources, and to enhance the international standing of both Universities.
2. The NUI Galway-University of Limerick Strategic Alliance
2.1
The University of Limerick and NUI Galway now commit to a detailed programme of enhanced
collaboration, cooperation and development. The programme will include, but is not limited to:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Cooperation and collaboration in the development and provision of academic programmes.
Enhancing the quality of educational programmes and the student experience.
Fostering a spirit of innovation, leadership and civic engagement in the students of both institutions.
Development and implementation of teaching and learning strategy and policy to strengthen the
development of a high level knowledge economy.
v. Cooperation and collaboration in the development and provision of research programmes.
vi. Joint dissemination of new knowledge deriving from research programmes across both institutions.
vii. Coordinated support for industry and employment through technology transfer, translational
research and commercialisation, including the development of a translational research institute
with Georgia Institute of Technology.
viii. Development of joint relationships with relevant regional, national and international organisations.
ix. Coordinated educational outreach, lifelong learning and continuing professional development
programmes.
x. General optimisation of resources, including shared services and joint procurement activities.
2.2 The alliance will involve institution-wide cooperation across the whole range of our activities, will be led
by the Presidents of the two Universities, and will be effected through an Implementation Board jointly
chaired by the Registrars (Chief Academic Officers) of the two Universities. This joint Implementation
Board will take the form of a six-member Board to include the Registrars and Vice-Presidents for
Research of both Universities and two other members. It will meet on a regular basis and will invite
participation from other members of the senior management teams of the two Universities as required.
The remit of the Board will be:
i.
To review the needs of our stakeholders for third and fourth level education in the context of
national priorities and international developments and to ensure that these needs are addressed in
the most effective way.
ii. To consider the ongoing plans of each University in areas including programmes of teaching and
research, including the recruitment of key personnel, technology transfer, commercialisation of
research, continuing education and service provision, in order to seek opportunities for efficient
and effective delivery of teaching and research through joint and shared appointments and shared
services.
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
xiv
2.3 In addition to the Implementation Board, each institution has appointed an internal Project Manager to
oversee the day-to-day operation of the alliance.
Both Project Managers will report to the Implementation Board and will be responsible for monitoring
the progress of each of the various projects of the alliance, as well as organising regular progress
meetings with all project partners.
2.4 While the focus of the alliance will be on building regional strengths and addressing regional needs in
line with national priorities, it will always ensure that both Universities work to the highest international
standards.
3. Specific Objectives of the NUI Galway – University of Limerick Strategic Alliance
3.1 We will build scale and enhance quality in defined research areas so as to provide a more effective
service to our students and our industrial partners. Our initial focus will be on:
•
•
•
•
Biomedicine and biomedical devices
Energy
ICT
Social Development and Civic Engagement
3.2 We will achieve a more focused use of resources in research, teaching and academic support services,
including commercialisation of research, support for teaching and teaching quality. We have joined
forces to leverage research activities and encourage commercialisation, thereby further realising the
economic benefits of our research investment.
3.3 In teaching we will focus initially on programmes for adult learners, part time students and Continuous
Professional Development (CPD) and will build on successful programmes already being delivered
jointly by the institutions through blended learning in areas including Technology Management and
Science and Technology Studies.
3.4 We will collaborate closely in the development and delivery of programmes at undergraduate and
postgraduate level with an initial focus on the development of joint taught masters programmes in
areas including business, engineering, medicine and health sciences.
3.5 We will optimise student choices by facilitating student exchange between our institutions. In particular,
students at higher undergraduate and postgraduate level (taught and research) may avail of specialist
opportunities available at the other institution, either on a module or semester basis.
3.6 We will work together and with other Universities, nationally and internationally, to develop joint
structured PhD programmes, and to support research students with appropriate skills and vocational
courses, so as to facilitate their entry into and swift contribution to the development of the Knowledge
Economy.
3.7 We will achieve economies of scale and provide an enhanced service to our stakeholders in the
areas of technology transfer and commercialisation of research. Specifically we will:
• Jointly support early stage, high growth potential Science and Technology companies by providing
business mentoring, routes to funding and space.
• Jointly create high quality spin out companies from our research efforts.
• Jointly link existing companies to University-based experts and facilities.
• Jointly provide business skills courses to our staff and students.
xv
NUI Galway – Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 | Appendices
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
Appendix 12
3.8 We will work together to develop a partnership between our two institutions and the Georgia Institute of
Technology. This partnership adds a significant international dimension to our alliance and represents
a new model for applied/translational research, and technology commercialisation with industry
partners, in Ireland. Together, our three institutions will form a joint Translational Research Institute
which will significantly enhance our leadership positions nationally and internationally in selected
priority research areas.
Memorandum of Agreement
between
National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway)
3.9 NUI Galway and the University of Limerick have a combined expertise in the area of Mathematics
education. The National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning
at the University of Limerick, and the Schools of Education and Mathematics, Statistics and Applied
Mathematics at NUI Galway will work together to respond to the national objectives of building strong
foundations in mathematics and science in primary and second level education.
3.10 We will work together to share services in order to ensure efficiency across the range of services that
we currently provide separately within each institution. We will also collaborate in the procurement of
goods and services to create economies of scale and to streamline contract and ordering processes.
xvi
and
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT)
1.
Preamble
1.1 NUI Galway and GMIT hereby enter into a collaborative agreement to service the educational,
social and economic needs of their students and the wider regional/national community while
recognising the differentiation of mission and ethos of both institutions. Both institutions are key
drivers of regional development and both exert a significant influence on the wider development
of a national and innovative knowledge-based economy. Increasingly, higher education
institutions, are finding new ways of pooling expertise, knowledge and resources as a means of
releasing new energy and vision in the national interest. This agreement has been drawn up in
that spirit. To give effect to this agreement collaborative opportunities will be sought in teaching
and learning, entrepreneurship, regional development, commercialisation, innovation, distance
education, work based learning, research collaboration and any other areas of common interest
jointly agreed by the institutions.
1.2 This memorandum of agreement is not an exclusive agreement between NUIG and GMIT.
It therefore does not inhibit either institution from forming collaborative partnerships with
other parties where such partnerships do not conflict with the terms of this agreement. This
memorandum of agreement will form the basis of an implementation plan overseen by a
committee appointed by the Presidents of each institution.
2.
Taught Programmes and Research
2.1 Taught Programmes
NUI Galway and GMIT recognise that the primary focus of NUI Galway programmes are at
levels 8, 9 and 10 on the National Qualifications Framework, while the primary focus of GMIT
programmes is at levels 6, 7, and 8. Both institutions will continue to offer level 9 taught
programmes. Collaborative arrangements regarding the introduction of new programmes and
other developments, including flexible learning, flexible delivery, placements, internships, staff
development and adjunct faculty will be facilitated where feasible. It is agreed that discussions
will take place between both institutions on the rationalisation of existing programmes and the
development of new programmes and the need to provide for staff members in either institution
contributing to level 9 programmes in the other with due regard for workload considerations.
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2.2 Research Programmes
3.
Under this agreement postgraduate research progression will be a particular priority, recognising
NUI Galway as the lead institution in the research domain and the established research experience
of GMIT in areas of Aquatic Science and Mechanical Engineering. Wherever possible, the
staff and students in both institutions will have access to the totality of research facilities with
due regard to the capacity and the management of these facilities. Both institutions will work
together to develop a collaborative strategy for research which will enhance the capabilities and
expertise of both institutions. Both will seek to develop and award joint/dual research degrees
at Masters and Doctoral levels in relevant and related research areas. It is envisaged that as
the collaborative experience deepens and develops over time, joint/dual awards in these areas
will become the norm. It is anticipated that a lead-in period of approximately two years will be
required to facilitate this development. Joint awards are comprehended as awards involving a
single parchment issued on behalf of both institutions, while dual awards are comprehended as
awards involving parchments issued by both institutions. Arrangements will be put in place to
encourage and provide opportunities for the joint supervision of research students in accordance
with best standards in modern academic practice.
Teaching and Learning
GMIT and NUIG will devise a joint Teaching, Learning and Assessment strategy to provide programmes
that focus on the needs of students, the workplace and the world of professional practice in the region,
nationally and internationally. This will involve:
• a detailed consideration at the appropriate level in both institutions of the scope for programme
connectivity and progression between levels 8 and 9 having regard where appropriate to minor
programme modifications.
• A detailed consideration at the appropriate level in both institutions of the scope for programme
connectivity to enable students transfer across level 8 programmes and to progress to the next
programme level in both institutions where appropriate.
• the development of joint and dual awards appropriate to the context of the mission and ethos
of each institution.
• the development of a framework for the provision of level 9 taught programmes that recognises
the academic strengths of each institution.
• a review of the regional lifelong programmes of both institutions with a view to establishing a
single, rebranded programme for the needs of the region that employs flexible delivery.
• an examination in consultation with other providers of the feasibility of establishing a joint
mathematics teaching and pedagogy project to assist schools in the region in implementing
the national ‘Project Maths’ programme and in supporting the teaching of mathematics in both
institutions.
• an assessment of the feasibility of pooling resources to establish joint staff development and
pedagogic research functions.
• a review of respective institutional work placement/internship/ community engagement
programmes with a view to establishing joint approaches to future programmes. This review
will be sensitive to existing relationships with other institutions involved in adult and continuing
education.
• The creation where feasible of adjunct positions for each institution’s teaching staff.
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4.
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Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer
Both institutions are committed to cutting edge research which supports the achievement of the knowledge
and innovation economy and society. A key pillar of the joint approach to research development will be
a strong cultivation of linkages with the world of industry on technology transfer and commercialisation.
In developing and implementing a joint vision for research and development, both institutions will seek
added value where appropriate through integration with existing alliances among regional/national
organisations and bodies .In this regard, both institutions will work closely with the University of Limerick,
LÍONRA and other parties. In developing a joint Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer strategy,
the following collaborative possibilities and actions will receive particular attention:
Research
• Alliance of GMedTech with the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Science
(NCBES) to pool research capability
• GMIT alliance with the Ryan Institute on marine and freshwater research
• GMIT alliance with the Ryan Institute on energy and environment research
• Exploring potential for research in education and pedagogy
• Participation of research staff and students in Graduate Schools
• Creation where feasible of adjunct positions for each institution’s research staff.
Development
• Further exploration of collaborative enterprise development models for the region especially in
the context of European policy.
Innovation
• Mapping the different strengths of NUIG and GMIT in business support, incubation, graduate
entrepreneurship and enterprise platforms.
• Formation of a strategic alliance network comprising GMIT, NUIG, other entities and
development of a one-stop-shop with single branding for enterprise formulation.
Technology Transfer
• Evaluation and exploitation of GMIT’s potential Intellectual Property, through expertise
available in NUIG’s Technology Transfer Office and the joint creation of a market for existing
IP in the region
• Development of an intellectual property trade/exchange service for the region.
Resource Sharing
• Facilitation of access to each institutions’ libraries for research students and staff
• Encouragement where feasible, of laboratory and equipment sharing between institutions.
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Shared Facilities and Services
7.
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Community Engagement in the Region
5.1 Under this agreement a joint task group will be established to advise on the development of
collaborative models in respect of student and staff clubs and societies in both institutions.
7.1 The engagement and support of communities across the region will be critical to the mission of
both institutions and the future development of the region.
5.2 Bi-lateral collaboration at Head of Function and/or Director level will be encouraged in sharing
best practice, knowledge, skills and technological expertise. Where practicable and having
regard to in-house demands on resources in either institution, the cross-provision of services
will be explored. Examples will include:
• GMIT and NUI Galway will become active participants in the planning and execution of
the Galway 2040 initiative. (See section 7.2 below).
• Each party will advise the other on the development of community projects and actively
seek ways to bring joint resources to bear in sustaining the benefits of those projects.
• The parties will explore international best practice experiences of community engagement,
including civic and service learning models that might prove transferable to the region.
• The parties will promote and foster collaboration between their respective Students’
Union organisations. A particular emphasis will be placed on fostering joint volunteering
programmes as a means of promoting inter-institutional engagement with Non
Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) in the community
• The parties will develop and promote a common programme for the region’s further
education sector in terms of learner access and support.
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6.
Appendices | Landscape Submission 2012 - 2017 – NUI Galway
Pedagogical Practice and Emerging learning Technologies
Library and Bibliographic Services
Academic Administration (Registry)
Financial Management
Information Systems and ICT Standards and Practices
Human Resource Management
Careers
Access
National and International Marketing in a Galway Branding Context
Sports and leisure
Gaeilge
7.2 Fís gan Teorainn – Vision for Galway 2040
Both institutions commit to support the emerging vision for Galway 2040. In the first instance,
this will involve engaging with the Galway 2040 Steering Team in developing strategic ideas
for the development and renewal of Galway city and county over the next thirty years. Other
practical supports from both institutions will be:
Internationalisation and Partnerships
The international higher education market poses particular challenges in respect of quality assurance
for higher education institutions in Ireland.
• participation in a small executive Team for Galway 2040
• preparation of short trigger papers on ideas for programme innovation and training
across multiple domains
• engagement with local community and business leaders on social and economic
development opportunities
• engagement with local and national media on major initiatives as they emerge
• contributions to the development of action plans for key projects in the region
• provision of dedicated support to Galway 2040 from the graduate business schools of
NUI Galway and GMIT.
• The parties will examine the potential of joint marketing and admissions for international
students.
• Joint preparatory programmes for international students will be examined.
• A common quality assurance policy on joint/dual awards with international higher education
partners will be jointly developed.
• Business models for international marketing that best meet the joint needs of the institutions
will be evaluated.
8.
Irish Language and Culture
Given the importance of the Irish language and culture to the region and the key role of Government
policy in catering for the social, cultural, economic and educational needs of the Gaeltacht community,
NUI Galway and GMIT will collaborate where feasible in supporting and developing existing Irish
medium programmes, implementing responsibilities in relation to Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla and
sharing professional and material resources in catering for student and adult education needs. In
propagating and promoting this strategy for the region, both institutions will work closely with Acadamh
na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, an Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Comhionnanais agus Gaeltachta, Údarás na
Gaeltachta and a wide spectrum of relevant Irish language regional and national organisations.
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NUI Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland
T: +353 91 524 411
www.nuigalway.ie