Posted: 25 April 2007
QUB, UCD and TCD sign historic all-Ireland strategic partnership
The university presidents of Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), University College Dublin (UCD) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) signed an all-Ireland collaborative research partnership between universities North and South at a special reception hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern TD, on 24 April 2007.
Building on a new collaborative accord between the two Dublin institutions, UCD President, Dr Hugh Brady and TCD Provost, Dr John Hegarty, each signed bilateral collaborative agreements with QUB President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter Gregson. The agreements will promote and consolidate cooperation in education and research between the three universities.
Back row (l-r): Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern TD; Employment and Learning Minister, Maria Eagle MP
Front row (l-r): UCD President, Dr Hugh Brady; QUB President and Vice Chancellor, Prof Peter Gregson; TCD Provost, Dr John Hegarty
“By strengthening cross-border collaboration in research and education in this way, we can help put the island at the forefront of the global knowledge economy and deliver real benefits to citizens both North and South,” said the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern TD, welcoming the unique collaborative partnership agreements.
Employment and Learning Minister, Maria Eagle MP paid tribute to Queen’s University Belfast, University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin as she witnessed the signing on behalf of the Northern Ireland Government.
“I believe the partnership approach being demonstrated here today by three of our leading Higher Education Institutions is an excellent example of the practical cooperation that increasingly exists between our two jurisdictions,” she said.
“Furthermore, I believe that bringing research activities more closely together in joint ventures will help to strengthen the research infrastructure and capability of the whole island, thereby enhancing our attractiveness for research-intensive investment in the future – both indigenous and foreign.”
In this strategic partnership, three of the leading research institutions on the island of Ireland have identified a number of areas in which they have complementary strengths and together they intend to develop these areas to ensure maximum intellectual, educational and economic benefits of the three universities in an all-Ireland and international context.
The thrust of the collaboration between QUB, UCD and TCD concerns biomedical sciences and biomedical informatics - with a focus on experimental cancer medicine, infection and immunity; arts and human sciences, including socio-economics and Irish studies; and physical sciences, including nanoscience.
“These collaborations are an important step in developing a world class research infrastructure that brings together recognised excellence in both jurisdictions,” said Queen’s University Belfast President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter Gregson. “The re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the developing North-South partnerships need to be further reinforced by greater co-ordination of investment in the research base of this island. Full participation by all the island's research institutions in future programmes is now achievable.”
Under the auspices of the research partnership, Trinity College and Queen’s University will also collaborate on creative writing, high performance computing, nanoscience, drug design, medicinal chemistry and cancer research and cell biology.
“We see this as a very significant step in our pursuit of strategic partnerships in Ireland, one which brings cutting-edge research activities on the island together in an unprecedented manner across all the major disciplines: health, science, social sciences and the humanities. With such initiatives we continue to move from competition to collaboration across the entire academic spectrum,” said TCD Provost, Dr John Hegarty.
Under the agreement, UCD and QUB will also collaborate on clean technologies; environment and health with particular emphasis on food and nutrition; wireless communication and biomedical informatics.
“The pooling of intellect across the universities presents us with a genuine opportunity to attain critical mass in areas where we can demonstrate centres of excellence in the international arena,” said the President of UCD, Dr Hugh Brady.
“Just weeks from now, Northern Ireland will enter a new phase on foot of an unprecedented coming-together of the political parties. What we, UCD, TCD and QUB, are announcing today is similarly an historic alliance of this island’s top universities,” he continued. “The alliance between the universities transcends geographic and cultural barriers to create world-class programmes in scholarship, research and training.”
The three institutions will also work to develop further complementary research strategies and joint postgraduate school programmes.