Irish universities risk ‘quiet and gradual decline’ due to funding shortages, Trinity provost warns

Students and staff at Irish universities are left using outdated computers and research equipment, the provost of Trinity College Dublin has said as she warns of the risk of a “quiet and gradual decline” for the country’s institutions.

In a message to be sent to staff and students on Friday, Prof Linda Doyle will warn that incremental funding increases for the higher education sector have been cancelled out by inflation, underfunded pay awards and demographics.

“In an environment like this, how can we provide a world-class education and perform the world-class research for which we are renowned? How can we continue to win international competitive funding and continue to attract talented staff?” she says.

“Even as we carry on, universities are facing the risk of a quiet and gradual decline, a slow retreat from competitiveness and attractiveness.”

Prof Doyle will call for an “urgent” increase in core funding for the sector in order to best support learners and reduce student-staff ratios.

The Government’s Funding the Future policy, announced in 2022, identified the need for an additional €307 million in core funding to deliver enhanced performance, reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes for higher education.

Prof Doyle will warn that while this represented a strong funding model at the time, “we have yet to see it”.

She will ask Trinity’s community of 22,000 students, 4,000 staff and 140,000 alumni to “raise our voices for higher education in Ireland” by contacting public representatives in advance of next month’s budget.

The Department of Further and Higher Education has pointed out that last year’s budget secured an additional €65 million in core funding under the Funding the Future policy. When combined with €40 million secured in Budget 2023, it brings the total additional core funding provided to almost €106 million.

The policy envisages that “over a number of years”, further additional core funding would be prioritised to meet the overall €307 million identified, according to the department, while taking account of the Government’s budgetary position.

Prof Doyle is the latest university leader to highlight what some see as a crisis which threatens the viability of some universities.

About eight of the 18 publicly funded higher education institutions were in the red last year, with some of the biggest spending concerns currently focused at TU Dublin, University College Cork and University of Limerick.