A new Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) postgraduate research training programme will see investment of more than €100 million to meet industry skills needs. The new SFI Centres for Research Training initiative will provide training for 600 postgraduate students in areas of nationally and internationally identified future skills needs including digital, data and ICT.
The SFI Centres for Research Training will build on existing research excellence, by developing cohorts of academically outstanding future research leaders with the skills and knowledge required to address the future challenges of an ever-changing work environment.
The SFI Centres for Research Training will be required to build partnerships with enterprise in the design and delivery of training programmes to ensure that postgraduates have the necessary skill sets to meet the needs of enterprise and to attract investment to Ireland through the availability of a high-value talent pipeline.
As part of the training programme, students will work alongside academic research teams, and will also be required to undertake placements in enterprise, other non-academic establishments, or in the groups of international collaborators.
The new programme is a response to a growing need which has been emerging over a number of years, according to SFI director general Prof Mark Ferguson. "If you look at the number of trained postgraduate researchers in Ireland, it has been declining over the past five years or so," he says. "This is because a number of programmes, such as the PRTLI [Programme of Research in Third-Level Institutions], had come to a close. This was happening against a backdrop of increased demand."
That increased demand is particularly evident in digital, AI, ICT and other associated areas. “These skills are not only required in those specific disciplines, they are applicable to almost everything else in commerce, in agriculture, in industry, in the retail world – there is no area of human endeavour which is not impacted by them.”
A programme such as this has been on the SFI agenda for several years. “We’ve never had a structured PhD training programme like this before,” says Ferguson. “It’s all about getting very well-trained PhD students who are fit for employment in industry. We are looking to develop those ‘T-shaped’ people who have the depth of expertise in their own subject along with the breadth of skills to enable them to use that in the most impactful way.”
The programme will be based on a cohort approach, with about 30 PhD students being funded in each of four centres each year over the four years of the programme. With private-sector funding added, this number is anticipated to grow by 20 per cent, to bring the total up to 600. Students can be based in any university or research setting in Ireland and will come together for training, where they will interact with mentors and one another.
‘Taught by the best people’
“How they interact with each other will be very important,” Ferguson says. “This is a key feature of similar international programmes. We also want the students to be taught by the best people. That means having the best people from the higher-education institutions as well as bringing people in from overseas where necessary.”
Another key feature of the programme will be a shift in the balance of power. “In the traditional model, a professor applies for a research grant and then invites students to work on the project once they get the funding. In the Centres for Research Training, students will have the opportunity to choose the projects which are most appealing to them.”
The interdisciplinary nature of the projects to be funded under the programme is also quite interesting. “Projects in data analytics will have to cover different areas like smart agriculture or connected health of financial services, for example. This will help the students get very well-rounded experience. Part of the training will be aimed at helping them make the most intelligent choices on projects in their first year on the programme. Our aim is to help deliver a great student experience and have them recognised as the best-trained PhDs in the world.
“We need to be ambitious and invest in areas of real potential to ensure our future economic competitiveness,” Ferguson continues. “Education is a key element of our future competitiveness, especially at third and postgraduate levels right up to the world-class researchers and research centres Science Foundation Ireland funds. This programme is another step in ensuring we address the needs of our society and help future-proof against the challenges of our ever-changing work environment.”
The closing date for the submission of full proposals for the SFI Centres for Research Training programme is September 5th, 2018.