Dublin to have a ‘super Institute’?
Yesterday’s Irish Independent newspaper reported that four institutes of technology – Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Blanchardstown IOT, Tallaght IOT and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology have been in ‘secret talks’ to create a ‘combined super Institute of Technology’. Initially it appears that the collaboration will, if agreed, focus on avoiding programme duplication and on shared support services, but the longer term objective could be a united institute.
All of this is of course connected with the question of what should happen to the institutes of technology. Should they stay as they are, should they join in regional alliances or linkages with universities (the ‘clustering’ idea), should they individually or in groups seek university status? And in all this, how will the mission of this sector be developed, and will it still be distinct from that of the current universities?
Some of these questions may be addressed by the Higher Education Strategic Review when its report is published. But in the meantime it is clear that the institute of technology sector is in flux, and is unlikely to survive in quite its current form.
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University Blog 
June 18, 2010 at 1:56 am
Why are they secret?
@ Stanford we have a number of technology initiatives in different departments– the goal is to maximize the return on investment–ROI tends to focus the mind and internal and external investors require collaboration on these matters– if Irish academic institutions are not following best practices in these matters then they will not thrive.
Ireland offers tax incentives to American interests investing in life science and information tech in academia with a view to commercialization– the agents in Ireland need to get their act together fast or the money will flow elsewhere very quickly.
To India ,for example
June 18, 2010 at 8:44 am
In reference to your previous post on autonomy,
The governing bodies of most IOT’s have a large component of county and city councillors.
This may affect IOT’s ability to self govern.
June 18, 2010 at 11:34 am
Just a bit…!
June 18, 2010 at 5:10 pm
I remember many years ago at an event in Dublin with a group of visiting US academics being introduced to folk from various Irish institutions and when one of the latter said he was based in “DIT – the Dublin Institute of Technology” , the American said ‘Oh. Like MIT?’ to which the response was a simple ‘Yes’. Got to admire ambition.