Vol. 518 No. 6
1 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach further to Parliamentary Question No. 12 of 28 March 2000, the nature of his detailed discussion with the Ireland-America Economic Advisory Board about the European MediaLab Initiative; the actions, if any, he promised to undertake on his return relating to this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9728/00]
As I said in my answer to Question No. 12 of 28 March 2000, at the meeting of the Ireland-America Economic Advisory Board we had a detailed discussion on developments in the Irish economy. This included presentations on e-commerce developments in Ireland and the related MediaLab Europe initiative. This project, which will be developed in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is expected to contribute to improving Ireland's e-commerce capability, primarily by increasing research and development activity in this area. The members of the advisory board seemed to be of the view that it was an important and worthwhile initiative. I did not promise to undertake any actions related to this project on my return to Ireland.
Am I to understand that MediaLab will be conducting educational activities in Ireland?
MediaLabEurope will part of a multi-media village on which there is still much work to be done. It will be a research and development institute specialising in the initial stages in Internet and digital industry applications. It is being developed by the Government in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and will be modelled on the institute's world famous media laboratory. The Irish project, like the one in the United States, will be led by Professor Nicholas Negroponte and will be a third level institute with undergraduate and post-graduate students. The bulk of the operating revenue will come from industry sponsorship and, in the initial years, from the State.
Will the degrees, diplomas and certificates granted by the institute be recognised as degrees, diplomas and certificates of Massachusetts Institute of Technology; in other words, will they have the academic approval of the MIT to the same degree as similar activities located in the institute in Massachusetts?
In the first instance the degrees will be linked to an Irish university, in respect of which discussions will take place shortly, with an equivalence with the standards, procedures and reputation of the MIT. It is hoped that they will form the basis of an MIT European degree to be granted to undergraduates and post-graduates of what will be MIT Europe.
Could it not be said that the fact that the MIT, which is receiving assistance for this project and is supporting it, is not willing to grant its own degrees to graduates of the facility in Dublin is an indication of a lack of adequate confidence on its part in the project?
The institute has not yet been established and the MIT does not wish to find itself in conflict with Irish universities. In the initial stages therefore it is far better for it to enter into an arrangement with an Irish institute or institutes. The intention is that from day one there will be an equivalence with its standards and that over time the degrees will form the basis of a European MIT degree. The project is still in its infancy.
Why on earth would the MIT grant degrees on its own authority to students who pass its examinations in a facility which it will establish in Ireland with the aid of the Government cause any problem with any other Irish university?
The Deputy may not be aware that some institutes are concerned that the institute will not duplicate work already being done by them. There is an effort to ensure the project commences on the right basis. There is no point speculating; in the initial stages it is intended that degrees will be linked to an Irish university or universities with an equivalence with the standards of the MIT and that over time they will form the basis of a European degree under the name of MIT Europe.
Is one to infer from what the Taoiseach is saying that Irish universities want to operate some sort of closed shop and do not want any competition?
We want to ensure the project will work. It is not the case that Irish universities do not want competition. That is not the intention. In the initial stages MediaLab, an institute of world renown – this is its first time to locate outside the MIT – is expected to focus on technology in education, electronic commerce and digital expression. It has produced remarkable inventions and, in the past six months or so, made an enormous move forward in digital sound involving a new means of digitally producing and distributing sound. Its inventions have been very different to the kind of research and development taking place elsewhere.
Ireland is making many moves in research and development. A few years ago we allocated practically no resources to research and development but we are moving to a position where about £2 billion is allocated for research and development projects in the national development plan. These projects are listed in the foresight programme.
We wish to ensure that MIT and other projects in the multimedia village over time can have good relationships with research and development, which is a new feature of our educational institutes. We want to avoid conflict, as does MIT. It did not come to Ireland to create conflict and it wants to work with the educational institutions here.
Would the Taoiseach agree that the MediaLab project is a unique hybrid between a research and development project and a post-graduate school? Would he also agree that the nature of that hybrid is that it is being funded, from the taxpayers' point of view, by a Vote from the Taoiseach's Estimate and not from the Departments of Education and Science or Enterprise, Trade and Employment?
I understand that the money involved amounts to £30 million. Will the Taoiseach indicate whether, as part of the detailed contract which has all but been agreed but is in draft form, there is a clear commitment that there will be degree recognition by MIT at the end of a transitional period? Will he also indicate whether that is implied by his use of a very strange academic hybrid, an MIT equivalence degree? Will he further indicate whether, subject to proper satisfactory progress, there will be a European MIT certification for this research laboratory which is part innovation and part education?
"Equivalence" is the word MIT is using. It is not the word I am using from day one.
It is the word the Taoiseach is using in the House.
Yes it is, but it is the word MIT used in the discussions. MIT hopes to move quickly to what the Deputy suggested, namely an MIT Europe degree, which would be clearly based on its degree. However, initially it would prefer to link with the colleges. There has been much comment in the colleges—
Sorry, if the Taoiseach would defer, we are giving £30 million of taxpayers' money, which I support, which is clearly for research and development with an educational dimension. Does the small print ensure, subject to normal guarantees, that at the end of the transitional period of three, four, eight years or however long it happens to be, there will be an MIT imprimatur on the degree that will emerge from MediaLab? Yes or no?
On the MIT Europe degree?
Yes.
Yes, but it will not be in the initial stage.
Mr. J. Bruton: Is it not unusual that a third level institution, for that is what this is, is being set up and a lot of money being put into it without knowing from the outset what authority will accredit the degrees that will be won by students from the institution? The Taoiseach has not been able to tell the House what university or institute of technology will grant the degrees, even though the money has been committed to the establishment of the institution. When will we know who will be granting the degrees and what standard of recognition they will have internationally?
MIT is a world-renowned institution. It is still negotiating the contract to set up MIT Europe in Ireland which, hopefully, will be finished this summer. It is looking at locations and there will be a development company to run the institution. MIT is very conscious and anxious to ensure that it has good relationships with Irish universities. In the initial stage, with the equivalence in standards, the standards in the courses will be same as MIT, Massachusetts, in the areas I mentioned. Over time, and I am not sure that MIT has worked out what time that is but it is in the period stated by Deputy Quinn, there will be an MIT Europe degree. Those are the answers to the questions.
The discussions are on going. It does not yet have a location. The development board is not yet in place. We must give the commitments on resources to engage it. Deputies would have read the articles stating that there are several other places in Europe which wanted MIT, and we are lucky that it is coming to Ireland.
The reason the Vote is in my Department is that most Departments have been involved in the preliminary discussions along with the technology foresight programme, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. It will move to whichever Department will take responsibility for it and whichever development company will answer for it to Government level. That is the present position. As the discussions are finalised and the contract is available, that will become a public document.
