Second Annual Showcase Event 19th April 2010

The Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes 2007-2011 Second Annual Showcase Event was held on the 19th of April in the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre on O’Connell Street in Dublin.

The purpose of the Annual Showcase event was to exhibit progress made by projects funded under the Programme, and for the project leaders to share and discuss lessons learned and best practice. Ms. Patricia Mulcahy, Centre Administrator, represented CGDE at this event as Dr. Rosarii Griffin (Director CGDE) was unable to attend this event as her flight from Lesotho, Africa was cancelled due to the volcanic ash situation. Nevertheless, in spite of her absence, Dr Griffin contributed to the various presentations with examples of CGDE work illustrating the themes under consideration for this Showcase event.

The day commenced with registration at nine, and an introduction by the Irish Aid and Higher Education Authority. This was followed by a look at the Programme of Strategic Cooperation within the context of Irish Aid’s wider research approach. The day itself was split into two themes: Research Capacity Strengthening and Modalities and Instruments relevant to the development agenda. Professor Ruairi Brugha and Dr Elaine Byrne from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland spoke about Research Capacity Strengthening concepts, meanings, relevance to the development agenda and how to assess them, while Dr Martina Hennessey from Trinity College Dublin looked at modalities and instruments for Research Capacity Strengthening. Within the presentations, all the programme projects were represented, including those of CGDE. This was followed by a coffee break.

After the break, a quick introduction to break-out sessions was given, and the groups each discussed the overall topic of Research Capacity Strengthening and chose one of two additional topics to discuss: a) Why invest in PhD training as a means toward Research Capacity Strengthening; and b) Metrics and Assessment for Research Capacity Strengthening. The groups reported back an hour later and a lively discussion ensued before breaking for lunch.

The second theme began after lunch, and had a focus on Coordination, coherence and knowledge dissemination. Professor Ronnie Munck from Dublin City University spoke about pathways towards sustainability in higher education and development; Ms Arleen Folan from Dundalk Institute of Technology spoke about engagement – building stakeholder involvement from initial needs identification to using research outcomes for policy and advocacy; Professor Patrick Paul Walsh from University College Dublin spoke about international trends around alignment and complementarily in HE cooperation; and Professor Jane Grimson from Trinity College Dublin looked at web portal as a tool of knowledge dissemination. Again, examples from all the programmes, including CGDE’s Ugandan and Lesotho programme projects, were used to illustrate the various points. After a short break, there was another break out session, and each group discussed the overall topic of Sustainability and chose one of two additional topics: Engagement – why, how and with whom, and the role of ICT in terms of coordination coherence knowledge and dissemination. The groups then reported back. The event ended in the late afternoon with matters arising and closing remarks, given by Ms Maire Matthews from Irish Aid and Professor Ronnie Munck.

Overall, the day was very interesting, insightful and beneficial to all the various programmes funded under the Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes (2007 –2011). A repeat event is planned in the Irish Aid Offices in Limerick on May 19th where the discussions already commenced will be further progressed.