Chronicle of Higher Ed: “Ireland Looks to Academe to Re-Ignite Its Economy”

Ireland Looks to Academe to Re-Ignite Its Economy
Efforts begun during the ‘Celtic Tiger’ boom years show some promise
by Goldie Blumenstyk, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 19 November 2024
http://chronicle.com/article/Ireland-Looks-to-Academe-to/125447/

Now that the Celtic Tiger of the 1990s has been knocked on its back by the government’s debt burden, and Ireland’s national budget is in crisis, Irish universities are working harder than ever to produce dividends from their research.

Aided by 12 years of government investments, researchers are part of a movement to make Ireland a serious contributor to the world of international science and to shore up the foundation of the country’s “smart economy.”

As Europe considers whether Ireland’s economic situation is precarious enough to require a bailout, the government and the public here — already waiting for returns on those investments — are eager for new companies, new employment opportunities, and new wealth, the faster the better.

The urgency is pervasive, prompting established academics at University College Dublin to huddle weekly in classes with venture capitalists and newly minted Ph.D.’s to strategize about start-ups and chase product-development grants and investors.

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