Breaking Boundaries - University College Dublin Unveils New Strategy to 2030
Professor Orla Feely, President of University College Dublin (UCD) has unveiled Breaking Boundaries, the university’s new strategy to 2030.
Under the new strategy university will grow the range of opportunities for students to develop their knowledge and skills and realise their potential in areas also linked to Ireland’s future societal and economic success, including significant new provision in lifelong learning and skills development.
UCD will be a leader in university innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting Irish and European industrial competitiveness; a leader in knowledge generation, learning and action across the sustainability agenda; and a source of insight and objectivity on issues of vital importance to society in uncertain times.
UCD will also expand cross-cutting research in areas of excellence and impact within the university, such as artificial intelligence, One Health, sustainability and research for policy, and it will expand its commitment to Ireland’s national culture, heritage and language.
Caption for image: Pictured at the launch of Breaking Boundaries (l-r) are; UCD Vice-President for Strategy and External Engagement, Triona McCormack; Chair of UCD Governing Authority, Michael Beary; UCD President, Professor Orla Feely; UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, Professor Kate Robson Brown; and UCD Registrar and Deputy President, Professor Colin Scott.
Launching the strategy Professor Orla Feely, President, UCD said, “University College Dublin is a university that makes a clear positive difference and delivers impact through our education, research and engagement. This is evident in Ireland, where we have made an unparalleled contribution to the country from the foundation of the state to our recent economic and societal transformation, and now increasingly around the world. In this strategy, we consider how we will step up our impact and all that we deliver as we enter the second quarter of this highly disruptive century.”
She added, “The ideas within the strategy are the result of widespread consultation across our university community and with stakeholders. We now look forward to working with all those groups as we implement the strategy, advancing our ambition while reflecting our values through fast-changing times.”
Pictured are; UCD President, Professor Orla Feely and Chair of UCD Governing Authority, Michael Beary
As outlined in the strategy the three central pillars guiding UCD to break boundaries and deliver lasting, meaningful impact are; Transforming Learning; Advancing Research & Innovation and Engaging for Impact.
To drive change in these three pillars, UCD will invest in and focus activity through six cross-cutting initiatives- Learning for Life; UCD Student Experience; Research with Ambition; Irish Roots, Global Reach; OneUCD; and Physical and Digital Campuses while demonstrating the UCD attributes of Globally Engaged, Fostering Inclusion and Driving Sustainability.
Research with Ambition
Research and innovation at UCD draw on the breadth and depth of our expertise to deliver knowledge and solutions that matter. From advancing sustainability and interpreting cultural heritage, to transforming healthcare and designing our digital world, our researchers are leading the way in fields that shape the future.
Through our Strategy to 2030, we will support UCD researchers to combine their expertise across disciplines to explore new frontiers of knowledge and to build at scale in areas where UCD can deliver the most significant impact. UCD will be an exemplar of what can be achieved through deep and diverse collaboration nationally and globally, convening clusters for impact, with a continuous flow of ideas, knowledge and expertise between partners.
Our thought leadership will derive from the voices of our academics based on their research and scholarship, not through taking institutional positions, and we will always respect and uphold academic freedom.
By collaborating with ambition, and delivering world-class research and innovation grounded in rigour and integrity, UCD will be a dynamic research environment where people thrive, bold ideas are realised, and impact is delivered for the benefit of society, economy and environment.
UCD will:
- establish an institute for AI and digital technologies research, education, ethics and policy, bringing together the diverse and growing interdisciplinary and cross-sector AI and digital technologies research and innovation community at UCD to deliver significant impact.
- grow our capacity to inform public policy through our research.
- support existing large-scale cross-cutting research areas of excellence and impact, such as One Health and Sustainability, to grow with ambition, and identify and support key emerging areas.
- embed innovation in all its forms throughout our research and education and develop innovation across our campus.
- improve the researcher experience through an integrated service that is researcher-centred and reduces research bureaucracy.
- identify the critical infrastructures, facilities and digital technologies needed to support our research, seek the resources to support them, and ensure that they are integrated and accessible.
- attract outstanding researchers and faculty members, including through our Ad Astra fellowship programme, and support them to realise their ambitions at UCD.
- advance best practice in our research culture underpinned by academic freedom.
Specific actions to be taken under the new Strategy to 2030, Breaking Boundaries include:
- The establishment of a major new institute for AI and digital technologies research, education, ethics and policy.
- A new round of hiring of early-stage faculty under the university’s Ad Astra programme, with 50 new positions to be advertised early in 2025.
- The development of new facilities to showcase and expand access to the university’s outstanding range of cultural and heritage collections.
- Steps to reduce the university’s carbon emissions by 51% by 2030, and to be on track for net zero by 2040.
“Delivering on the full potential of the strategy will draw on the excellence, commitment and creativity of all in our UCD community and will also require the resources and funding that enable their work. To this end, we need a government that is committed to investment in higher education and research, recognising them as key drivers of our economy, our nation’s health, our cultural heritage and our democratic society,” concluded President Feely.
The period of this new strategy will take UCD to the end of 2029 and the 175th anniversary of the foundation of the university.
For further details download Breaking Boundaries, UCD’s strategy to 2030.
ENDS
20 November 2024
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, NovaUCD, UCD Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie