A new initiative has been launched to boost the number of doctoral students and graduates here.
Figures show while the quantity of PhD graduates has been rising, the number of people beginning or currently pursuing a PhD or other doctoral programme has fallen by almost a tenth since 2009.
The largest decrease has been in the area of Science, Maths and Computing, where the number of people enrolled in a PhD programme has fallen from 2,755 in 2009 to 2,136 last year.
In total last year there were 7,898 people studying in doctoral programmes, compared with 8,641 in 2009.
As a result, the Higher Education Authority (HEA), along with the Institutes of Technology Ireland, Irish Universities Association and Dublin Institute of Technology have launched a new initiative to address the issue.
The National Framework on Doctoral Education will offer employers and higher education institutions guarantees around the level of quality and skills that accompany doctorates achieved here.
The HEA said the framework was necessary to ensure the talent pool and its place in Ireland’s economic development is not taken for granted.
