An often unseen aspect of Ireland's third-level educational institutions is research. Researchers in our colleges and universities are constantly working on projects which could have profound implications for all of us in years to come.

The reason why this research is not more visible to the public is because of its essentially non-commercial nature. These institutions tend to concentrate on what is known as basic research as opposed to applied research.

Basic research is carried out partly in the pure pursuit of knowledge and partly because of a perceived need for additional knowledge in that area. There is no commercial motivation to it. Applied research tends to take the results of basic research which have a commercial potential and further refine them to realise that potential.

While there is no question that both forms of research activity should take place, there has long been an argument in scientific and academic circles in favour of increased funding for basic research which was often cast in a Cinderella role. Things changed during the past five years with the establishment of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI). Under this programme third-level institutions were able to apply for funding for research activities and RCSI has received some £10 million in funding as a result of the first two calls for proposals under it.

The origins of modern research at RCSI were in the Richmond Hospital laboratories in the 1960s. Beaumont Hospital replaced the Richmond and Jervis Street Hospitals in 1989 as the college's major affiliated hospital, incorporating excellent research laboratories.

Subsequently, through income from overseas activities, the college provided - and continues to provide - direct and indirect funding for research. Several building programmes, mainly financed through external fund-raising, have provided space for research purposes.

These include the development of custom-built research laboratories at rooftop level in the RCSI's St Stephen's Green campus and the new £10 million, 48,000 sq ft clinical sciences building at Beaumont Hospital. This building is the first of its kind in Ireland and incorporates stateof-the-art teaching facilities, as well as space for postgraduate teaching, surgical training, clinical research and in-patient and out-patient facilities.

"Up until the HEA funding, research in higher education was poorly funded," says the director of the RCSI's research office, Dr Vivian O'Gorman. "Until this funding came along there was nothing except project level grants which didn't really allow for the development of research strategies. With the HEA funding we have been able to develop a strategy and define the core objectives of our research programme."

The core objectives of the RCSI research mission cover nine areas:

Science - to stimulate and strengthen research relevant to human health

People - to promote training and career development

Environment - to create and nurture a productive environment for research

Research resources - to support the development of high quality research programmes

Exploitation - to encourage the exploitation of the fruits of RCSI research

Communication - to publicise the college's research achievements as part of a strategy of promoting the public understanding of science

Professionalism - to maintain and develop professional standards and business management in our activities

User needs - to take account of the research needs of the relevant user communities, notably in the health service and public health, in industry and in government

Partnership - to develop partnerships with others providing, purchasing or sponsoring research within Ireland and abroad.

The HEA has also played a role in the development of the RCSI's physical research infrastructure. "The HEA funding is divided between capital and current, and we received some capital funding for the new Beaumont facility," says Dr O'Gorman. "This was a literal shot in the arm for our infrastructure. The Beaumont facility's emphasis is on clinical research and the in-and-out patient facilities are dedicated to this field. The laboratory in Beaumont is our clinical research centre."

OF course, the HEA is not the only source of research funding for the college. "We have close links with partners in industry in terms of research funding," he says. "Professor Desmond Fitzgerald recently received £500,000 in funding for unrestricted cardio-vascular research over the next five years. This grant came from Bristol Myers Squibb and it's the first time they have given such a grant to a college in this country."

The unrestricted nature of this funding means that prof Fitzgerald and his team are free to explore the frontiers of cardiovascular knowledge without operating to anyone else's commercial agenda.

With more than 100 postgraduate students now actively involved in research projects in the college, Dr O'Gorman is working on meeting their needs into the future. "We are in the process of setting up a research office in the college," he says. "Our research activity has grown exponentially over the past few years and we are putting together a team to support and assist this activity as well as to look at commercialisation of projects."