Draft submission to Innovation Task Force

“… Excellent education requires excellent teachers. While teaching introductory courses requires didactic skills, teaching at the advanced bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level requires a true understanding of the subject matter. Only researchers who have moved the knowledge frontier can teach at the frontier of knowledge; and only professors like that can give students the skills, self-confidence and inspiration to innovate. Top people are rare and in high demand. Universities abroad offer senior positions with few management and teaching obligations. Ireland can only attract and keep top researchers if it offers similar conditions. This automatically creates a body of curiosity-driven (or fundamental) research …” (more)

[Richard Tol, Irish Economy, 31 August]

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