Royal Irish Academy Brexit Survey Results

In response to the UKs decision to leave the EU, the Royal Irish Academy established a high-level taskforce to consider the implications of this decision on the research and higher education sectors in the North and South. The Taskforce conducted a survey of the academic community to assess their views on the issue.

The survey found that:

• When asked to respond to the statement ‘Brexit is likely to impact negatively on North- South collaboration in the medium to long-term’, 77% of respondents either ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’.
• 79% of respondents ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that collaborations between U.K and Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) are very important in their academic/research field, highlighting the need to continue to facilitate such collaborations post-Brexit.  
• The shared land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland was recognised as a unique and important issue: respondents frequently drew attention to the importance of an open border to allow academic and research staff and students to travel freely.

The survey will be followed by a data release later this summer. The full survey report can be read here