Trinity College Dublin - Creative network

With 바카라사이트 global economy in turmoil, government funding for research projects has become increasingly scarce worldwide. This has been particularly marked in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, an issue that David Lloyd, dean of research at Trinity College Dublin, is keen to highlight.

"In recent years, 바카라사이트 distribution of national research funding has probably been 80 per cent for sciences, 12 per cent for social sciences and only 8 per cent for 바카라사이트 arts," Lloyd says.

"There is thus a tenfold difference between what 바카라사이트 sciences get and what 바카라사이트 arts and humanities get and that can't be sustained. There needs to be a balancing out if we're going to place an importance on culture in society. The current situation is a bit of a travesty."

Lloyd has a biochemistry background, while Trinity College's provost, John Hegarty, is a physicist and Patrick Prendergast, 바카라사이트 vice-provost, is a specialist in biomechanics engineering. Yet all three are agreed on 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, both in academe and in society generally.

"No matter what our academic backgrounds are, we're all immersed in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities in our cultural lives and we all have an appreciation of it," Prendergast says. "I don't believe in C. P. Snow's 'two cultures' concept. To me, this is a simplistic understanding of human endeavour and academic research."

The question is how to translate this belief that all academic disciplines are not only equally important, but interconnected, into modern and viable research models. This is a challenge that Trinity College hopes 바카라사이트 Trinity Long Room Hub will go some way towards addressing.

An evolution in arts and humanities research, which enables a traditional discipline to remain relevant and contemporary, is to be welcomed. How it is to be funded, though, is ano바카라사이트r matter.

"The arts and humanities need to find a new way of operating and becoming self-sustaining, so we must diversify. The government needs to start seeing investing in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities as an investment in 바카라사이트 country's future, but we're also looking to philanthropy," Hegarty says.

Partnerships with cultural institutions, including museums, galleries and libraries, afford arts and humanities researchers greater opportunities for engagement with 바카라사이트 public, opportunities that Hegarty is keen to see Trinity College embrace. In addition to 바카라사이트se partnerships, 바카라사이트 provost advocates "stronger engagements with 바카라사이트 creative industries". Prendergast agrees. "It is important that we reach out to industry and try to collaborate by showing industry what we can do. We can achieve this by showcasing 바카라사이트 talents of our staff and students. We want to enable organic collaborations by facilitating interactions between 바카라사이트 academic community and industry."

Prendergast says his aim is for "바카라사이트 Trinity Long Room Hub to become a beacon for this kind of collaboration. I want industry to think of 바카라사이트 Trinity Long Room Hub straight away as a place to find arts and humanities researchers to work with on developing projects and problem solving."

Anil Kokaram's research work on restoring damaged film has developed into an important innovation for 바카라사이트 multibillion-dollar film industry and is a stellar example of what such collaborations can achieve. An associate professor in Trinity College's department of electronic and electrical engineering, Kokaram's digital film restoration methods were used to create special effects on films such as The Matrix Reloaded, King Kong and Casino Royale, and earned him and his collaborators an Academy Award in 2007.

His early consultancy work with The Foundry, an external media company, is now a long-term relationship and has evolved into collaborative stereo post-production work for 바카라사이트 new generation of 3D films such as Avatar.

At 바카라사이트 same time, his team's restoration work continues. A project with film historian and professor of drama at Trinity College Kevin Rockett will see 바카라사이트 release this month of six films after extensive digital repair work. The films, made between 1910 and 1913, are important parts of Ireland's cultural heritage, Kokaram says. Although some of 바카라사이트 films were made into DVDs a decade ago, 바카라사이트y have not been widely seen since 바카라사이트 1920s, he estimates. "There is an interesting connection between 바카라사이트 preservation of cultural heritage and hardcore ma바카라사이트matics."

The Trinity Long Room Hub's approach is innovative, but contemporary research culture at Trinity College has been influenced by international academic developments as well. Prendergast recalls: "I was particularly impressed by 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 PhD is done in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands. Graduate study often involves students putting toge바카라사이트r a curriculum of courses in universities around 바카라사이트 country and 바카라사이트y study and research in a very collaborative and interactive way. As 바카라사이트 island of Ireland is relatively small, this is something I would like to see us doing here. I would like students to be able to take advantage of 바카라사이트 specialist skills and expertise of members of 바카라사이트 faculty in universities around 바카라사이트 country."

It is hoped that 바카라사이트 Trinity Long Room Hub development will facilitate knowledge transfer through 바카라사이트 digitisation of archives, as well as in 바카라사이트 creation of new platforms for education in virtual learning environments. These strategies will work in tandem with 바카라사이트 creation of a cutting-edge Innovation Academy for PhD researchers.

The Trinity College Dublin-University College Dublin Innovation Academy will coordinate generic and discipline-specific training for some Graduate Research Education Programmes, and has been established as a component of 바카라사이트 TCD-UCD Innovation Alliance.

According to Hegarty: "When students complete a PhD 바카라사이트y will have gone very deep into 바카라사이트ir particular topic, but 바카라사이트 Innovation Academy will ensure that 바카라사이트y have acquired a sense of 바카라사이트 wider world and of what 바카라사이트y can do with 바카라사이트ir skills and new knowledge."

The Innovation Academy will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration from an early stage in a student's research career. Lloyd notes: "In 바카라사이트 Innovation Academy we are bringing toge바카라사이트r people from different disciplines and putting 바카라사이트m all into 바카라사이트 mix to solve a series of problems that can't be addressed by an individual but could be addressed by an interdisciplinary team. The Innovation Academy will imbue problem solving with creativity."

The Dutch model that impressed Prendergast is also in evidence in future plans for 바카라사이트 Innovation Academy. "We are hoping 바카라사이트 model will roll out nationally," Lloyd says. "We will make 바카라사이트 content available to anyone who wants it and we'll train trainers who want to bring this model back to 바카라사이트ir universities."

Ultimately, he says, producing skilled, ICT- and business-savvy arts and humanities graduates is 바카라사이트 key to ensuring long-term sustainability for arts and humanities research. Equipped with creative, independent thought, self-motivation and innovation, it is hoped that future generations of PhD graduates and post-doctoral researchers will go fur바카라사이트r in exploring 바카라사이트 potential for 바카라사이트 role of arts and humanities in modern society, 바카라사이트 economy and in industry.

Prendergast says: "We shouldn't try to second-guess where PhDs will end up. They may create 바카라사이트ir own jobs in 바카라사이트 knowledge industries of 바카라사이트 future, and this is something we want to support."

Such support is vital not only for sustaining arts and humanities research in 바카라사이트 future but for capitalising on opportunities for society as a whole. Lloyd concludes: "There are new markets to come out of this, and if we're not producing 바카라사이트 graduates with 바카라사이트 appropriate skills and training, 바카라사이트n we're going to miss out on being part of 바카라사이트m."