The 11th annual HEIR conference, addressing the challenges and opportunities for institutional research in a changing higher education landscape, begins today at RCSI. The conference brings together a community of higher education professionals with an interest in using or providing information and analysis to inform institutional planning, policy formation and decision-making.

The annual conference of the UK and Ireland Higher Education Institutional Research (HEIR) Network will focus on the way in which data analysis and evidenced based decision making play an important role in strategic planning for higher education institutions.

The conference will be opened by Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD. It will be addressed by international speakers including Louise Simpson, co-founding Director of The Knowledge Partnership UK, and Director of The World 100 Reputation Network, Professor David Gibson, Director of Learning Futures at Curtin University in Australia and UNESCO Chair of Data Science in Higher Education Learning and Teaching and Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, Emeritus Professor, Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Speaking ahead of the opening of today’s conference, Professor Hannah McGee, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, RCSI, said: “In the modern world where data and information is central to management decision making it is important to focus on the permanently changing higher education landscape and foresee and adjust to challenges and opportunities. Delegates from over fifty institutions and ten countries are gathered at RCSI to share and reflect on international experiences.”

“We are delighted to host a conference focused on such contemporary issues and uniquely aimed at both professional and academic staff responsible for institutional data and research that is used to inform HEI decision-making in the areas of strategic planning, teaching and learning, quality, institutional performance and institutional effectiveness,” added Professor McGee.

Addressing the importance of institutional research at RCSI, Professor McGee said: “Data analysis and insight is an important strategic agenda for RCSI. Institutional research provides our Senior Management Team with important analysis supporting strategic areas such as research intelligence and institutional performance in university rankings.”

RCSI’s ranking in the top 2% of universities worldwide (including first in Ireland for research citations) in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2018) is a testament to the world-class healthcare education we provide and the outstanding contribution of our research community to scientific understanding in healthcare. We are committed to continuous improvement and strive to enter the top 1% of universities worldwide.