In contradiction to the prevailing sentiment among university leaders who dismiss their institution’s ranking in the global education scene, Prof Hugh Brady, the leader of Imperial College London, openly acknowledges the importance of such standings. He recently expressed a sense of pride and accomplishment upon Imperial’s ascend to the second position in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QD) worldwide university rankings, outperforming prestigious institutions like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard. Only Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) managed to secure a higher spot.
Brady, who previously held the position of UCD president, witnessed an influx of commendations from Imperial alumni, associates, and friends worldwide. Even though Brady has only been associated with Imperial for two years, he recognises the university’s growing prestige long before his tenure.
Established in 1907, Imperial College initiated its journey with a humble mission to ‘be useful’. The institute emphasises the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – along with business, and its 23,000 enrolled students are highly in demand by employers across the UK.
It has also attracted new sources of investment such as biotechnology and life science start-ups to its recently built White City campus, occupying the site of the former BBC headquarters, along with the UK branch of Novartis.
The example of Imperial’s progress mirrors how universities that initially focused on practical science and technology-based subjects are outpacing traditional elite institutes with centuries-old histories. MIT and California Institute of Technology (ranked 10th) managed to accomplish this feat, while ETH Zurich, Albert Einstein’s alma mater, holds a ranking within the global top 10 (in seventh place).
Parallel to the rise of technology industry, science and technology are also transforming the education sector, Brady asserts. Institutions with a strong emphasis on technology are becoming pivotal in addressing pressing global issues including sustainability, water scarcity, food security, and pandemic readiness. He believes that, for these challenges, technological advancements are indispensable, and universities such as his are essential catalysts for inclusive economic expansion, irrespective of their location, be it London, Dublin, Boston or Berlin.
Despite the global emphasis of Imperial, Brady – a Dublin native – remains attentively involved with higher education in Ireland. Prior to his primary role at UCD, Brady was an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, later becoming UCD’s youngest-ever president at the tender age of 44. His frank and decisive leadership style, often compared to Michael O’Leary’s, proved beneficial, resulting in positive outcomes.
Over his decade-long tenure, lasting until 2013, Brady was instrumental in the evolution of UCD from a lethargic entity to a slim, agile and research-focused institution that made its appearance in the top 100 world rankings for the first time. Currently UCD is in the 126th position, according to the latest listings.
Following this, Brady served as vice-chancellor at Bristol University in 2015, before assuming his current role as president of Imperial in 2022. Brady is a father of three triplets, aged 28, with one holding a degree from UCC, another working in a tech start-up in Dublin, and the last one based in London. Their experiences within academies make him concerned about Irish higher education’s future prospects.
Based on conversations with his children and their peers, Brady asserts that class sizes are ballooning while the number of tutorials are dwindling, indicating a decline in overall educational quality. He believes that compared with the superior funding available to leading American and Asian institutes, the Irish framework is financially struggling.
Brady acknowledges that while UK and Europe face their own difficulties, they have managed to maintain their focus and increase investment in the most research-intensive institutes, acknowledging their significant contributions in fostering talent, enabling research and fuelling innovation.
In stark contrast, investment into Ireland’s leading research-intensive universities is on a downward path, and Brady fears that it may further diminish if funds are rerouted to the newly established ‘technological universities’. Funding for Irish research, he states, was competitive on the global stage prior to the financial crisis but has since significantly trailed behind the UK and leading European nations.
The Chuck Feeney-inspired Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI), an initiative that stimulated world-class research while retaining top-tier talent, was dissolved. The decision to discontinue this transformative funding programme is deeply regretted.
Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) research budget is dwarfed by Imperial’s research income alone, a fact that renders the whole system vulnerable, according to Brady. In the wake of the economic slump, core funding for Irish universities was cut and hasn’t been fully replenished. Moreover, employment restrictions have reduced Irish colleges’ autonomy. Despite this, Brady commends Irish universities for their compelling performance.
Over the last ten years, these institutions have increased their income from international students as a strategy to offset the insufficient funding due to low tuition fees and minor government donations. But what does this mean for students in Ireland? Brady believes their experience is deteriorating, with fewer small group teaching sessions, subpar IT and physical facilities, and a significant reduction in the diversity of research and innovation opportunities.
Irish universities continue to attract top Irish students and excel despite their limited resources, but Brady warns that the quality of student experience is slowly but surely diminishing. This could endanger Ireland’s ability to equip multinational corporations with the skilled workforce they require and also the productivity of local businesses. The worry is that the creeping damage will go unnoticed until it’s irreversible.
Politicians may not see funding higher education as a popular electoral move, however, Brady insists it’s vital for maintaining Ireland’s economic competitiveness. Looking ahead at the upcoming general election, Brady sees an opportunity to inspire a national dialogue about invigorating our universities thus decreasing our reliance on foreign direct investment.
In a world increasingly leaning towards nationalism and protectionism, Brady believes it’s urgent to create a Plan B for our children’s future. This includes fostering homegrown companies and establishing a more robust and sustainable indigenous tech sector.
In order to break this impasse, Brady suggests setting up a cross-party commission or citizen’s assembly dedicated to discussing key initiatives necessary for securing the Irish innovation ecosystem’s competitiveness. This would help cast a wider net on the debate, understand the interconnectedness of the issues at hand, and emphasise their link to economic growth.