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Professorships in Technological Universities – A Regional Imperative for the West & Northwest.
Speaking at an event in Sligo today, Dr Orla Flynn, President of Atlantic Technological University (ATU), called for urgent government action to establish Professorships within the Technological University sector, highlighting their importance for regional growth, skills development, and innovation.
600 Professors in Ireland, not one above the Dublin Galway Axis!
Speaking at an event in Sligo today, Dr Orla Flynn, President of Atlantic Technological University (ATU), called for urgent government action to establish Professorships within the Technological University sector, highlighting their importance for regional growth, skills development, and innovation.
Dr Flynn said the creation of Technological Universities has been a landmark in Irish higher education, designed to boost skills, drive discovery, and intensify innovation in the regions; “ATU is an anchor for regional development in the west and north west. Our role is to provide practice-focused, research-informed education that links directly to the needs of enterprise and communities across this region. But without Professorships, we are hampered in building the research capacity and innovation ecosystem required to deliver on our promise.”
She explained that Professors play a pivotal role in any university by teaching and mentoring the next generation of students, including PhD supervision, while also leading research teams, attracting competitive funding, and tackling real-world problems in collaboration with industry partners. Professors also strengthen international networks, raising the profile of their universities and regions on the global stage, and act as vital connectors between enterprise and academia in areas such as offshore wind, biotech, and precision engineering, key industries in the region.
Currently, legacy universities employ between 10 and 15 percent of their staff at Professor level, while the TU sector has none. Without action, Dr Flynn warned, TUs like ATU risk losing senior academics to other institutions, leading to a brain drain that limits their ability to compete, attract investment, and fulfil their mandate as engines of regional development.
Research indicates that if Professors accounted for just five percent of TU staff by 2030, postgraduate research student numbers would rise significantly, private R&D funding could grow to more than €50 million annually, EU Horizon research funding could reach €80 million per year, and the overall economic impact nationally would be in the region of €2.8 billion. For the west and northwest, these gains would translate into direct benefits for SMEs, multinationals, and local communities, fuelling growth in priority areas like the circular bioeconomy, quantum communication, green skills, and marine innovation.
Dr Flynn added, the number of Professors south of the Dublin/Galway axis is totally unbalanced with over 600 professors. There is not a single professor north of that Dublin/Galway line in the Republic of Ireland and the majority, 370, are based in Dublin:
“Professorships are not simply job titles—they are the foundation stones for balanced regional development. They will allow ATU and other TUs to retain and attract world-class talent, support enterprise and communities through knowledge exchange, and prepare students with the advanced skills needed in the future economy. We are asking government to move without delay. Professorships are vital if ATU and the wider TU sector are to deliver on Ireland 2040, Impact 2030, and the ambitions set out in the TU Act. The time to act is now.”
