Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to join you today to officially launch the Academic Alliance between University College Cork and the Irish Management Institute.
I would like to thank Tom McCarthy for the invitation to officially launch the alliance and Barry Dempsey for his kind introduction.
Education Policy
Since my Government assumed power last March, our top priority has been to restore economic growth, protect and create jobs and to rebuild confidence at home and abroad.
John Dewey said: “Education is not a preparation for life, education is life itself.”
The Programme for Government recognises that education lies at the heart of a more cohesive, more equal and more successful Ireland.
Recent research ranked Ireland first both in terms of graduates per 1,000 inhabitants and for the employability of our graduates.
Eight Irish institutions feature in the top 500 in global rankings of more than 15,000 universities worldwide.
Per capita we have the 8th highest number of high-ranking institutions. This is a testament to the strong commitment and efforts of all of you working in higher education today.
But I think we would all agree that we need to adapt our higher education system radically to meet the many challenges facing us.
The National Strategy for Higher Education provides a framework to reposition and reform our higher education sector.
The Government is committed to implementing it in partnership with yourselves and all other stakeholders in the sector.
We are a small country and our Higher Education Institutions are relatively small in scale compared with many of our international competitors.
There is an increasing global trend towards the convergence of academic disciplines and industry sectors.
That is why increased co-operation between Higher Education Institutions is vital. It will ensure that we maximise the benefits from our investment in research and higher education.
Such collaboration will allow us compete on the international stage, creating new and better products and services, and attracting Foreign Direct Investment.
Benefits of the Alliance
For all these reasons, I heartily welcome and endorse this Alliance.
It will be good for both institutions, their staff and students.
And above all, it will be good for Ireland.
In entering this Alliance, University College Cork and the Irish Management Institute recognise their shared objectives and the complementary nature of their assets.
As two of our countries top educational institutes I believe they have a shared vision and the capability to deliver.
UCC is home to a number of major national research institutes and centres. These include the Tyndall Institute, the largest Research Institute in Ireland showcased so wonderfully during the recent visit of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II;
UCC’s research income is consistently amongst the highest in Irish institutions;
Its research in the food area is ranked in the top four in the world by Science Watch in terms of impact;
Its partner in this new Alliance, the IMI, is unique among Executive Education institutes in gaining accreditation for all programmes; and
It has achieved top 60 global ranking from Financial Times for Custom programmes in 2011 for the 3rd year running.
And this Alliance is a commitment by both Partners to continuing excellence.
I know that UCC view this Alliance as providing a strategic opportunity to enhance its executive education offering, building on the current strength of its existing College of Business and Law.
The IMI’s distinctive identity and Dublin campus will be available to UCC for its development.
In turn, UCC will provide the IMI with further research capability and international reach and will further improve the practice of management in Ireland.
The Alliance will enhance the educational and professional experience for students and staff alike.
Both institutions will have the opportunity to enhance their capabilities in numerous research areas.
This is a good development for the national interest.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to conclude by congratulating the leaders in both UCC and IMI for having the vision to identify and harness the strengths of other institutions to their mutual benefit.
This alliance will help to position Ireland internationally at the forefront in management innovation and build our reputation for leadership in business.
With this in mind I wish everyone involved the very best.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.