Spatial profiling of HEIs and the potential for regional innovation systems in Ireland

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Spatial profiling of HEIs and the potential for
regional innovation systems in Ireland

• Prof. Rob Kitchin
• NIRSA, NUI Maynooth

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Higher Education Economic Development

• Context Innovation Ireland (2010) Smart
  Economy (2010)
• National innovation ecosystem complex entities
• Entrepreneurs and enterprises
• Investment in RD
• Education system, particularly HEIs (critical
  thinking, creativity and innovation)
• Finance (venture capital)
• Tax and regulatory environment
• Public policy and institutions
• Knowledge is the currency of the innovation
  economy and the education system is pivotal in
  making innovation happen (Innovation Ireland, p.
  3)

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Higher Education Landscape

• Context Higher Education Strategy (2011)
• Key functions
• teaching and learning
• research and knowledge transfer
• external engagement
• Themes Increased participation, new types of
  graduates, support for economic, social and
  cultural development internationalisation
• A new framework for HE
• mission differentiation
• regional clusters link with National Spatial
  Strategy
• directed diversity - end of laissez faire in
  higher education

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Higher Education Regional Organisation

• Context existing functional territories of HEIs
• HEIs in Ireland have a well defined set of
  functional territories which map regionally
• Some overlap of catchments, but fairly
  differentiated
• No one institution has a truly national catchment
• Differentiation of vertical linkages

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The Universities
NUIM
DCU
UCD
TCD
NUIG
UL
UCC
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IoTs
CIT
DIT
DKIT
GMIT
ITS
WIT
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Higher Education Population Dynamics

• 1991-2011 increase of over 1m (almost 30)
• Strong lt19 demographic growth in next two decades
• Regionally differentiated in pop demographics and
  education profile re. lifelong learning

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National Age Profiles

• Third-level population potentials (15-19 age
  cohort) have actually been in decline since 2002
• State decrease of -9.6 between 02 and 11
• 283,019 within the 15-19 age cohort recorded in
  the 2011 Census
• Meath is the only Local Authority with an
  increase (2)

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National Age Profiles

• Massive bulk of population coming down the line
  in all regions/local authorities and catchments
• State increases of
• 28.3 in 0-4 Age Cohort between 2002 and 2011
• 21.5 in 5-9 Age Cohort between 2002 and 2011
• In ten years time this could lead to very high
  levels of Higher Education enrolment

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Regional Age Profile Projections

• Between 2006 and 2026 the number of young persons
  (i.e. those aged 0-14 years) is projected to
  increase by 28.8 in the State as a whole
• Projected Increases will vary across the regions
  (based on CSO Regional Population Projections
  2006-2026)

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Example NUIM Catchment

• Approx 5,500 enrolments to NUIM over the last 3
  years (based on IT Feeder Schools not inc.
  mature/international, etc)
• Main catchment Kildare (16.6), Dublin City
  (12.4), Meath (9.5), South Dublin (9.5), Fingal
  (8.6), Louth (5.8), Westmeath (4.1) and Offaly
  (3.4)
• Current 15-19 Age Cohort 104,095
• Current 10-14 Age Cohort 110,355
• Current 5-9 Age Cohort 121,504
• Current 0-4 Age Cohort 139,949 (projected
  enrolment 7,394)

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Higher Education Regional Innovation System

• Given these contexts (economic policy, HE
  strategy, existing regionalisation, population
  dynamics) one path forward is the active
  development of HE-led regional innovation systems
• Within regions, autonomous but connected HEIs
  work in competitive collaboration, sharing and
  aligning HE provision and engaging with a
  regions civil society and public/private sectors
• At the same time retain and encourage diagonal
  and vertical linkages (cross-regional and
  international). Universities are national
  drivers of growth, not just regional drivers
• This has already begun to happen through SIF,
  PRTLI, SFI initiatives and HEI strategic
  alliances, industry partnerships

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Higher Education RISs

• From districts clusters to regional
  innovation systems (RIS)
• RIS is more generic emphasis on economic and
  social relations and networks spanning the public
  private sectors within regions embedded in
  national and global production systems.
• Regional Innovation Platforms ? Constructed
  Regional Advantage
• Regions recognised as key drivers of innovation
  key attributes include density of actors,
  connectedness, knowledge bases, flexibility and
  mobility in labour markets
• HEIs as key players in regional innovation
  ecosystems focus on human capital formation and
  enhancement, knowledge spillovers, translation
  and knowledge transfer mechanisms, catalysts for
  strategic partnerships, global networking gt
  potential for enduring transformations

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RIS, types of HEI and mix

• Knowledge domains, providers and diffusion
• Analytical know why blue skies RD
• Synthetic know how applied science
  engineering,
• Symbolic know who creative arts humanities
• In reality each type provided by most HEIs, but
  intensity and density of provision varies by HEI
  and region
• Institutional diversity a strength, but greater
  impact via system coherence
• Highest levels of innovation and added value when
  all 3 combined
• RIS seeks to provide all three through
  collaboration and alignment to regional profile
• Need to recognize that
• HEI is complementary to regional development, but
  it is not subservient to it.
• the diverse roles of HEIs as sites of learning
  and the value of Engaged rather than
  Entrepreneurial approach

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Types of Higher Education Institutions

• Humboldt / Newman University --- focus on
  formation of the person
• Engaged University --- origins in late C19th US
  land-grant universities
• Entrepreneurial University --- triple helix
  model based on new relationships between
  academia, industry and government.

• Entrepreneurial University
• Knowledge as a commodity to generate revenue for
  providers
• Knowledge value often determined by external
  agents guided by economic rationality
• Subservient to economic and political interests

• Engaged University
• Knowledge as a public good supported by open
  science
• Knowledge value determined by peer assessment
  within the university system on basis of
  cognitive rationality
• Autonomy and fiduciary system are fundamental

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Conclusions

• HEIs are to come under increasing pressure over
  next two decades
• Huge demographic pressures to expand
• Political pressure to serve society and economy
  in more explicit ways to provide more
  differentiated HEI landscape
• Public/political pressure to be recognised as
  world class institutions
• Under-resourced and uncoordinated incremental
  expansion problematic, at same time needs to be
  self-organising and organic and to retain
  autonomy
• One path forward is regional innovation systems
  that complement and strengthen regional economies
  whilst scaling to national and international HEI
  landscape
• Links together autonomous institutions into
  strategic alliances to provide complementary and
  differentiated HE teaching, research and
  engagement
• Such RIS in development, but at early stages
• Requires alignment of other government policy
  such as National Spatial Strategy and National
  Development Plan and investment

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• www.airo.ie
• airomaps.nuim.ie/HEIcatchments
• Rob.Kitchin_at_nuim.ie