EAIR Forum Cork 2024

Track 3: Sustaining Research Excellence

Track Chairs: Dr David O’Connell, Dr Jessica Nooij

Sustaining competitive and effective research systems that foster deep connections between research, innovation, and education, and which address complex and dynamic societal challenges that extend beyond disciplines and international borders, require strategies that strengthen research excellence and deliver impact. Key to success in this regard is attracting, developing, and retaining researcher talent, embedding the ethos of co-creation, and fostering collaborative inter-disciplinarity at institutional, national, international and systems levels.
 
The impetus of research excellence approaches also requires that a focus is maintained on ensuring:

 

  • Added value
  • Agile administrative structures
  • Effective management of ever-increasing compliance requirements
  • Effective community and research end-user engagement
  • Adequate resourcing and appropriate funding models
  • Appropriate institutional autonomy
  • An appropriate balance between the effective forces for collaboration and competition

 

It is also important to be mindful that performativity underlies policies pertaining to research excellence, in the form of global rankings, research output levels and assessment, and demands for increased institutional research prestige.
 
The challenge of resourcing and sustaining research excellence also raises important questions including:

 

  • What mechanisms and initiatives can be mobilised by institutions to develop transformational strategies for building research capacity, strengthening and sustaining research excellence, and encouraging stakeholder participation via co- creation frameworks?
  • Climate action and digital transformation are the recognised twin transitions that are driving much behaviour and action globally, and are set to underpin all countries’ longer-term development – how are our institutions supporting, and how will they be supported, in delivering the research and innovation component of these critical agendas?
  • More generally, what is the role of institutions, and what value can they add, in strengthening connections between societal actors and key political agendas and policymakers, both nationally and internationally?
  • What do institutions need to consider in terms of promoting and embedding research integrity, responsible academic practices, and ensuring the well-being of their researchers throughout their career trajectories?
  • What is the impact of increasingly transparent approaches to research outputs, evaluation, and dissemination? How will institutions embed the principles of Open Research including the responsible use of metrics and responsible research assessment (RRA), and what will this mean for research practices, researcher careers, and the accessibility, dissemination, and impact of research?

This track is chaired by:

David O'Connell


Dr David O’Connell

Jessica Nooj


Dr Jessica Nooij

Track Details

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Sustainable Travel Ideas for the EAIR Cork Forum

Travelling from Europe

Visitors from Europe can travel via Eurostar from Paris to London and from there by train to Wales and by boat to Dublin. Travellers can then take the train or bus to Cork. Alternatively, there is a daily boat connection from Roscoff or Calais (in Northern France) directly to Ringaskiddy, Cork.  

Link for Direct Ferries: https://www.directferries.ie/

Travelling from the UK

There are ways to travel to and from Ireland without flying, as there are train and bus services that link with ferry services across the Irish Sea which connect several ports in England, Wales and Scotland with Irish ferry ports of Rosslare, Dublin or Belfast with ongoing travel by car, bus or train. 

Cross County Rail Services

Where taking a flight is necessary, attendees are encouraged to consider direct flights to Ireland (Cork, Dublin) airports and to use cross country rail services where a direct flight to Cork is not possible.

Link for Irish rail: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/

Travel options in Cork

Cork is a city where active travel options are both available and encouraged – walking and cycling.  Visitors to Cork City can get a 3 day TFI bike subscription.

Link to TFI Bike Subscription: https://www.bikeshare.ie/pricing-and-subscriptions.html

All accommodation options and EAIR Forum venues in Cork can be accessed easily by foot. 

Offsetting Travel Emissions

Forum attendees are invited to offset the unfavourable impact of air travel by combining attendance at the Cork forum with other meetings in Ireland, the UK and Europe. 

Forum attendees who wish to consider sustainable travel options may also wish to combine their attendance at the Cork EAIR Forum with their annual holiday and by so doing minimise the number of air flights taken in 2024.