There are growing concerns about third-level funding after both Trinity College Dublin and UCD suffered significant drops in the latest world university rankings.
According to the Times Higher Education table, Trinity has fallen from 129th to 131st - while UCD has dropped from 161st out of the top 200.
Rankings editor Phil Baty described it as a "shock result" - and said Ireland needs to invest to stay competitive.
There was better news meanwhile for NUI Galway which has broken into the Top 300 - while the UCC is unchanged from last year's book.
