Strategic Innovation Fund

Given the innovative nature of the activities supported by SIF, it was recognised from the start that it is important that SIF activities should be informed by the best available research on relevant aspects of higher education. As part of this commitment to strengthening this evidence-base, it was also recognised as essential that SIF activities should be subject to independent evaluation.

One aspect of the SIF Work Package therefore relates to Higher Education Research. With the support of the Management Group and Board of the Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance, the Higher Education Research Centre at DCU is engaged in a number of formative research projects which feed directly into the further development of SIF activities. These projects are led by Professor Maria Slowey, Director of Higher Education Research and Development in the Office of the Vice-President for Learning Innovation.

The particular focus of HERC is on policy orientated research that brings the research community together with those engaged in policy and practice in higher education from public, private and NGO sectors, as well as representatives of civil society: stimulating debate and facilitating collaboration. HERC is currently involved with two projects directly related to SIF A survey of the experiences and professional development interests of academic staff across the eight member institutions of the DRHEA in relation to teaching and learning. This survey was conducted over December 2010 and January 2011, with responses from 800 academic staff from four universities and four institutes of technology. Preliminary findings have already been fed into the 2011 work plan for the Dublin Centre for Academic Development (DCAD).

The first in a series of reports from this study 'The voice of Irish academics' will be shortly be made available on the HERC blog and at www.drhea.ie. A qualitative process and organisational study of the development and evolution of the Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance. This study involves interviews with key stakeholders involved in the development and organisation of the DRHEA. Other HERC activities include:

• A 12 country comparative study of higher education and lifelong learning.
• A comparative study of research cultures in HE.
• Knowledge exchange: a comparative study of universities and regional engagement.

Higher education in challenging times: questioning the unquestioned is a seminar series aiming to stimulate debate between researchers and those engaged in policy and practice in higher education. At a critical time in Ireland and internationally, it is clear that informed debate is vital to guide the decisions which will shape our higher education systems for decades to come. This series is co-sponsored by the Higher Education Research Centre at DCU, the Dublin Region Higher Education Association and the Higher Education Authority .