Paraic McQuaid

paraic.mcquaid@iadt.ie

Paraic Mc Quaid is a lecturer and researcher in cultural policy in IADT. He is a Creation Bridge for the Elevate Programme and programme chair for the Post grad and Masters in Cultural Event Management. Paraic continues his practice-based research in sculpture and collaborative arts practice in parallel to his academic writing. Paraic was an expert assessor for the Creative Europe fund from 2013-2015 and is expert author for the Compendium of Cultural Policies since 2017. Paraic’s recent research has focused on Basic Income for Artists, Freedom of Artistic Expression and Arts and Climate Policy. In 2024 he has presented papers have been presented at Basic Income Earth Network conference in Bath University, the International Conference of Cultural Policy Research in Warsaw Universtiy, and International Cultural Policy Conference of the Compendium of Cultural Policies in Podgorica University. In 2025 he has an article published by the Boekman Foundation on Arts and Climate Policy, and an article on Basic Income for Artists published in the Cultural Trends International Journal.

Recent Publications:
I was approached by the Boekmann Foundation in Amsterdam to write an article about Arts and Sustainability in Ireland for a special issue of their journal ‘Towards Sustainable Arts – Global Edition’. The article was published in June 2025. Here is a link

Cultural Trends international journal asked myself and Satu Teppo to write an article about the Basic Income pilot in Ireland. This peer reviewed article was published in July 2025:

Compendium of Cultural Policies, www.cultrualpolicies.net
I am currently writing the updated long profile of the Compendium of Cultural Policies profile of Ireland. This I hope to have complete by January 2026.

Recent and upcoming conferences and international meetings:

2nd September: Zagreb, Croatia
I was invited by IRMO (Institute for Development and International Relations) to give an expert talk on the Basic Income for Artists Pilot in their library room in their offices. This talk was attended by professional artists, arts researchers, and Ministry of Culture. Subsequent to this I have been contacted for interview by a Croatian journalist wanting to write a piece about the BIA.

International Conference of Cultural Policy: 16th & 17th October: Luxembourg:
I attended the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends International Conference in Luxembourg, 16th October and contributed to the plan of future work plan of the compendium during the Annual Assembly meeting the following day 17th October. The compendium has interesting plans to respond to the need for monitoring of freedom of expression.

Krakow 4th December
I have been invited by the Polish Ministry of Culture to an international discussion forum entitled ”Culture and Creative Sectors’ Future in the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034’ in Krakow on the 4th December to advise on the upcoming European Commission Culture funding 2028-2032. Important to this new round of funding is the Culture Compass. There is emphasis on Freedom of Expression and on upholding cultural values.

More news and updates

The TU RISE IADT Elevate Programme hosted an XR Design Sprint bringing together enterprises and creative practitioners to explore real-world applications of immersive technologies through collaborative, hands-on innovation. Over five days, participants developed early-stage concepts across education, culture and creative industries, supported by design thinking and industry expertise.

The TU RISE Elevate team was delighted to attend Amplify 2026, hosted by the IRDG Innovation Network, where Aisling Cox and Dorota Zurek gained valuable insights into innovation, R&D and collaboration. Thank you to the IRDG team for delivering such an inspiring event.

We were delighted to take part in the IADT Summer School on Research & Social Justice, which brought together researchers, educators and community partners to explore the role of research in creating positive social impact. Thank you to everyone who contributed to such an inspiring and engaging event.