The Higher Education Authority is the statutory planning and policy development body for higher education and research in Ireland.  The HEA has wide advisory powers throughout the whole of the third-level education sector.

The mission of the Department of Education and Skills is to provide high-quality education which will (a) enable individuals to achieve their full potential and to participate fully as members of society; and (b) contribute to Ireland’s social, cultural and economic development.

As the National Agency for the Erasmus+ programme in Ireland, the HEA works in close conjunction with the the Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC).