This autumn’s Budget is the last opportunity for the current government to deliver on its Funding the Future commitments.
In our Pre-Budget Submission published on June 28th we urge Government to accelerate the closure of the funding gap in higher education. The €307m funding shortfall identified by Government in May 2022 has been exacerbated by a failure to provide sufficient funds for national pay awards agreed by Government. Almost all of the extra €100m provided over the last two years under Funding the Future has been eroded by an under-funding of pay awards, leaving universities materially short of funds to pay existing staff.
Our submission calls for:
- A €92m supplementary budget in 2024 to cover the costs of existing staff;
- A further €171m in Budget 2025 to continue covering existing staff costs;
- And at least €120m additional Funding the Future allocation.
We also call for action on productively using the surplus in the National Training Fund(NTF) which has now ballooned to over €1.5billion. We want the government to act on the commitment made by Minister Paschal Donohoe in last year’s Budget to address the burgeoning NTF surplus. It is inconceivable that the NTF surplus would be allowed to continue to grow while provisions for national skills needs go unmet.
Yesterday at Leinster House, hosted by Senator Malcolm Byrne, IUA Presidents and university representatives got the opportunity to speak directly to Oireachtas members about the urgent funding needs of higher education.
👉 Read our submission: https://www.iua.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Budget-2025_IUA-Submission_June2024.pdf
New Reports and Appointments
New IUA Guidelines regarding Accessibility, Inclusiveness and Responsiveness of Recruitment Procedures for Persons with Disability.
It is well established that the great challenge for persons with disabilities in accessing employment and navigating the workplace, is not so much their actual impairment, but the barriers that exist in our organisations that prevent their participation. Recognising that a university's success depends on attracting diverse talent, the IUA VPs for EDI and the HR Directors sponsored a project to address this issue from a recruitment perspective. The project developed guidelines based on universal design principles to improve university recruitment procedures for people with disabilities. These guidelines offer both principled and practical advice to eliminate barriers and enhance inclusivity in the recruitment process.
👉 Download the Guidelines: https://www.iua.ie/publications/iua-guidelines-regarding-accessibility-of-recruitment-processes/
DARE HEAR by NUMBERS
The Facts and Figures Report 2018/22 offers a comprehensive examination of DARE and HEAR in Ireland over a five-year period. It contains detailed analysis of application trends, eligibility criteria, and acceptance outcomes. The report provides valuable insights into the accessibility, effectiveness, and equity of supplementary access routes to higher education.
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👉 Learn more and download the report: https://www.iua.ie/publications/dare-hear-facts-and-figures-2018-2022-executive-summary/
In case you missed it…
Navigating micro-credentials: institutional, national, and European perspectives
This webinar was held on June 5th. During this webinar, institutions from different European countries presented their projects and shared some of their successes and challenges. The discussions also took into consideration the community of learners and external partners and analysed the role and impact of system and European level policies and frameworks for the successful use of micro-credentials.
👉 Watch playback recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs16QMLLQWE
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 call
In June, the Irish Marie Skłodowska-Curie Office hosted workshops on the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 call. The first workshop targeted applicants and supervisors from Irish organisations, focusing on application guidance, including a section-by-section overview of the proposal template and required details for each section. The second workshop, aimed at research support staff, was designed as ‘Train the Trainer’ sessions and provided valuable insights into common queries and mistakes with proposals.
If you missed the sessions and would like access to the recordings and slides, please contact mariecurie@iua.ie.
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