Established in 2006, ISKS has the following aims and objectives:
- To further the interdisciplinary study of knowledge in society
- To provide excellent graduate research education
- To plan and guide research in a strategic and focussed way
- To facilitate collaborative research
- To enhance the reputation of the University nationally and internationally
To further the interdisciplinary study of knowledge in society: A number of recent reports by national and international agencies (e.g. OECD, HEA, RIA) have highlighted the centrality of new modes of knowledge to continued economic and social growth. Within this context, ISKS offers expertise in examining the construction and dissemination of knowledge by and in society, with particular emphasis on the cultural, political, linguistic, historical, legal aspects of these processes A key distinguishing element of this focus is its multi- and interdisciplinary nature, which will straddle the traditional barriers between the social and natural sciences.
To provide excellent graduate research education: The ISKS graduate education programme is intended to enhance the graduate student experience, improve completion and progression rates and ensure excellent quality in graduate research. Along with structured fourth level seminars and training, ISKS will also host international summer schools (starting in 2008).
To plan and guide research in a strategic and focussed way: The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences already host a number of successful research units and centres . ISKS brings together expertise from the centres, from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in general, and from other Faculties of the University to create a critical mass of researchers and resources. ISKS is designed to complement the work done in the current research centres, by providing a higher level of research infrastructure and resources for all centres and faculty, and by enabling centres and individuals to exploit funding, training and other opportunities.
To facilitate collaborative research: ISKS aims to bring together individual faculty from the existing research centres and faculty who are not currently members of research units or centres to facilitate collaborative research. A further objective of ISKS is to help those members of faculty who wish to become more research-active to do so, principally through training, collaboration and support.
To enhance the reputation of the University nationally and internationally: ISKS aims to establish Limerick as a national and international centre of excellence in research, which brings together the Humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. A visiting scholars programme will bring leading international scholars to ISKS and a graduate education programme will enable students in the Institute to benefit from local and international expertise and advice (e.g. through annual summer schools and participation in national graduate education programmes). A key element in this strategic focus is the recruitment and retention of excellent researchers in cognate areas.
