IRELAND: Plan to double PhD graduates slips off track

A government policy drawn up four years ago to double the output of PhD students in Ireland is midway through its term, reports The Post. But now there are questions about whether the plan is on the right track and if it still has the merit it once had.

In 2004 an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) review found that Ireland was lagging significantly behind most of its EU neighbours in PhDs. In response, a government strategy was drawn up to cover the period between 2006 and 2013.

Part of the aim of the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation on "delivering the smart economy" was a sizeable expansion in the number of graduates going on to complete doctoral research, particularly in the areas of science, ICT and biotechnology. While funding for this was flush during the Celtic tiger period, it has contracted significantly and almost no new PhDs are being funded by major bodies such as Science Foundation Ireland this year.
Full report on The Post site