Sustainability of Research Centres - Advisory Science Council

3.2 Numbers of State-Supported Research Centres in the Landscape
Representations of the research centre landscapes of Sweden, Finland and Catalonia were mapped on the
scale described in Chapter 2. Based on the comparison of the Irish research centre landscapes to these
locations 55 , the following findings are noted:
The Irish research centre portfolio is quite complex as a result of a variety of centre funding
programmes and the creation of a number of one-off centres by different Government departments.
However, its complexity is not particularly unusual; the total number of centres in Ireland, and their
composition in terms of size is not dissimilar to the comparator countries/regions studied. Likewise,
all locations have a broad thematic and mission coverage, with the specific details of the thematic
and mission profiles reflecting a combination of historical context and strategic priorities.
Furthermore in Ireland, as in Sweden and Finland, the majority of centres are based in HEIs.
The similarities between research centre portfolios in different locations is the result of bottom-up
processes for selecting individual centres. This is common practice in most Western nations, not only
for centres but for research funding in general, and leads to the creation of a broad range of
capacities across research disciplines.
A diverse portfolio of research centres appears to be a common phenomenon across locations. Given the
current fiscal situation in Ireland it is considered that the best potential returns on the State investment
in research centres will come from appropriately funding a smaller number of centres, rather than
spreading the constrained funding budgets too thinly.
The funding allocated to State-supported research centres should not be diluted, but rather funds should
be redirected amongst a smaller number of State-supported centres. That is not to say that smaller sized
centres should not be supported in the future, or that the landscape of State-supported research centres
should be limited to a small number of very large centres. As was determined from the comparison of
landscapes in other locations, diverse portfolios of research centres are typical and Ireland should
continue to operate a portfolio with some mix of small, medium and large centres 56 and centres with
different missions, but with an overall reduced number of centres than exists today. In reducing the total
number of State-supported centres in the landscape, the intention is that some funding can be refocused
to further support centres that remain in the landscape to deliver on their expected outputs in a
sustainable manner, and some funding can be refocused to support the addition of new centres to the
landscape. Adequate funding for centres is needed to achieve an appropriate level of scale and the
appropriate set of skills in a given centre to support the centre’s capability to maximise its opportunities
for delivering on the research objectives and expected diversification of funding 57 in a sustainable
manner 58 . What is considered critical mass and the appropriate skill balance varies for a particular
55 Research Centres in Ireland: Funding Models, Oversight Mechanisms and Vision of a Future Research Centre Landscape, An independent report by
Technopolis Ltd. on behalf of Forfás, 2012.
56 In terms of people numbers - which also typically relates to funding scale.
57 See section 4.2 of the report.
58 Provided the appropriate funding models are applied.
Sustainability of Research Centres 21 June 2012