Consortium
University College Cork (UCC) sees research, education, and policy influence as interconnected elements that can drive societal progress and economic growth. They are committed to make a positive impact through its research and innovation (R&I) efforts.
Their aim is to transform HEIs towards a more financially sustainable research and innovation ecosystem that enhances excellence and world-class research.
OUR GOALS
UCC recognizes the need for innovative funding approaches among new demands, such as the green and digital transition, and seeks to address challenges like over-reliance on limited funding sources, brain drain, and fragmented support systems for researchers.
Through its Living Lab, UCC engages stakeholders to co-create solutions, enabling strategic investment, institutional autonomy, and deeper societal collaboration to future-proof its research and innovation capabilities.
INTERVENTION AREAS
UCC university started working on CATALISI project with the 1 big domains and 1 intervention area – namely
Finance
- Sustainability in campus operations.
UCC story OF TRANSFORMATION
Challenges
Finance
- Low research investment for research and innovation.
- Over-reliance on small number of large-scale research centers creates financial risk.
- Research income often covers only direct project costs, with inadequate institutional overheads to support the full cost of running research projects, such as administrative and support services.
- Lack of mechanisms to retain overhead funds for strategic initiatives or capacity-building efforts, limiting the institution’s ability to invest in long-term sustainability.
- Brain drain and attracting and sustaining a pipeline of research talent.
- Securing pre- and post-award grant support for researchers
- External funding agencies increasingly dictate research priorities, limiting HEIs ability to pursue institutionally driven research agendas.
- There is a disconnect between research systems and societal actors, funding bodies, and policymakers.
methodology
Finance
- “Living Lab” approach, where stakeholders from academia, business, public administration, and civil society collaborate to identify challenges and co-create solutions.
- Building a strategic model of income allocation that balances the need for financial sustainability with the flexibility to invest in long-term goals, such as talent retention and support for Open Science initiatives.
- Actively involve a wide range of stakeholders (quadruple helix model) to gather diverse perspectives and needs, ensuring that the transformation process is informed by both internal and external partners.
- advocate for greater institutional autonomy by influencing funding policies and creating systems that support more diverse and institutionally determined research priorities.
OUTCOMES \ ACCOMPLISHMENTS
UCC recently published (December 2024) an Economic and Societal Impact Report: UCCEconomicandSocietalImpact2024.pdf, which is an assessment of the impact of UCC’s activities in its region, nationally and internationally. This peer reviewed report and the methodologies its uses, intersects and aligns well with the impact focus at the core of the CATALISI initiative.
Team
The UCC team is ideally positioned to drive transformation due to their extensive expertise, strong institutional foundations, and proven track record in research, innovation, and community engagement. UCC is Ireland’s leading research institution, consistently ranking at the top for competitively won research income.
The UCC team is led by experts like Dr. Martin Galvin and David Hogan, who have a deep understanding of higher education reform, Dr. David O’Connell, who brings extensive experience in research support and policy development, Ciara O’Halloran for community engagement
UCC Head of Research Culture, Engagement and Impact, Co-Chair of the European University Alliances Living Lab Hub, Expert Advisor to the Council of Europe. Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation
Dr. David O’Connel
UCC Director of Research Support and Policy Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation
Programme Officer Office of Research Culture, Engagement and Impact Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation (UCC)
Matteo Pallocca
UCC CATALISI Research Support Officer
Data and Institutional Research Officer Strategic Planning and Institutional Research Office Office of the UCC Rector/ President