The Royal Irish Academy’s policy activities seek to inform and influence science and higher education policy and practice in Ireland. The Academy also advocates for the interests of the scholarly and research community in the sciences, humanities and social sciences within national science research policy. The Academy draws on the expertise of its Members and Academy Committees, and works wherever possible with key stakeholders in the public research system, higher education institutions, and industry.
News:
The National Languages Strategy
Professor Aine Hyland launched the National Languages Strategy, by the RIA Committee for Modern Language, Literary and Cultural Studies, at 1pm on Wednesday 5 October 2011 at Academy House.
Download the the National Languages Strategy here
Download the Executivie Summary here
The National Languages Strategy provides an overview of the position of languages in education in Ireland today, outlines the challenges facing Ireland in its development as a multilingual society and makes recommendations, in relation to language education and more broadly, which seek to meet these challenges and enhance Ireland’s position within an increasingly multilingual global economy.
The National Languages Strategy is aimed primarily at policy decision-makers at national, local and institutional levels across Ireland. It seeks to encourage these key stakeholders to collaborate in the development of a coherent and integrated national policy for languages in education. This policy would ideally put in place a clear and consistent framework for the provision of language education at each level within the education system (primary, post-primary and third levels).
The Academy is pursuing initiatives in the following thematic areas:
RIA Initiatives 2011
Forthcoming - More details
Research Assessment
Includes The appropriateness of key performance indicators to research in arts and humanities disciplines. Ireland’s contribution to the European Debate
Research Capacity
Includes the ‘‘The Role of the University in a Changing World’, a RIA Discourse by Professor Drew Faust, President, Harvard University
Research Capacity page
Research Integrity
Includes Ensuring Research Integrity in Ireland: a discussion document (2010)
Research Integrity page
Science Education
Includes The Future of Graduate Education in Chemistry and Physics: a discussion document (2009)
Science Education page
Making Knowledge Work
Includes the Academy Committee for Geosciences, GSI and GSNI strategy document, Geoscience: Towards a Smarter Economy (2010)
Making knowledge work page
Participation in International Networks
The Academy contributes to international science policy debates through its membership and participation in international scientific networks such as ALLEA (the All European Academies Association), EASAC (European Academies Science Advisory Council) and the ICSU (International Council for Science). More details