ADDRESS BY MR. NOEL TREACY, T.D., MINISTER FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND COMMERCE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE GALWAY SCIENCE FESTIVAL IN THE GALWAY-MAYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ON TUESDAY, 27TH OCTOBER, 1998

I am truly honoured and delighted to launch this historic Galway Science and Technology Festival. It is historic because it is the first such science festival in any part of Ireland, North or South.

Since becoming Minister for Science and Technology I have been keen to promote much greater public awareness of these matters. It came as some surprise therefore that as a nation with a great fondness for festivals -whether it is arts, racing, oysters or just the local community having its own day out - we did not have a festival based on science and technology. You might think that science and technology is not an area that lends itself to public participation and certainly not public entertainment. But anybody thinking like that, is totally wrong.

The major cities in Europe all have science and technology festivals. And not only are these festivals held in the major cities - but even a community seemingly remote as the Orkney Islands, has an Annual Science Festival.

Edinburgh is probably the best-known Science Festival in Europe and has been in existence for the last ten years. This year's Edinburgh Science Festival contained some 270 events. What makes it different, exciting and attractive is that not only does it demonstrate Science and Technology to the public at large but it also has a serious commercial and tourism dimension, along-with a very strong international dimension. Also, it is my hope and expectation that over the next few years this new Galway Science Festival will develop to become a serious rival to its Edinburgh counterpart as the premier Science and Technology Festival in Europe. There is no doubt whatever but that we have the necessary ingredients to do so, here in this great western capital.

Science and technology impacts on our everyday lives. It is in our education system at all levels. It is a hugely important part of modern medicine whether it is the drugs which our doctors prescribe or the equipment and operating procedures in our excellent hospitals.

Science impacts on our environment whether it's clean technologies to make our manufacturing industries more environmentally friendly or the preservation of our lakes rivers and coasts. It is in our agriculture - the prevention of disease, the improvement of crops, the quality and safety of our wonderful food. It is in our arts, media and sport whether it is the material out of which hurleys are made or new methods for treating sporting injuries, or even the maroon and white at full speed, on the national stage.

But of most significance it is the key to jobs, skills and industrial development. There has been impressive growth in employment in the high technology sector in the Counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. In 1993 there were 6,500 people employed in the sector and by the end of 1997 it had increased to 10,000 people, an increase of over 50%.

Ireland can no longer compete on the basis of low costs, natural resources, or currency exchange rates. Our future is in high-tech, highly skilled, innovative products and companies which can sell on the world market.

It is those companies which have high skilled workforce, carry out R&D and apply technology to produce modern innovative products which will create the economic growth and employment of the future.

We need only look at the sectors driving new job announcements and recent company expansions to be convinced of this fact.

However, we must not become complacemt. It is not enough to say that present technological developments are driving current economic growth. We also need to plan to ensure that the Celtic Tiger phenonomen continues into the next century and this means developing capabilities in those technologies which will underpin important sectors of the economy in the future.

It was for this reason, that last March, I asked the Irish Council for Science Technology and Innovation to undertake Ireland's first ever Technology Foresight Initiative. It is a process, increasingly used by Governments of industrially advanced economies to systematically identify emerging technologies that will be critical to our long term competitiveness. In other words, we are identifying the actions which we need to take TODAY to ensure that we are well placed to exploit future opportunities.

One of the major features of the foresight exercise is that it facilitates participation, inputs and discussion from all of the 'players' in the national science, technology and innovation system - education and training establishments; research institutes; enterprise; trade unions; representative bodies; Government Departments; State Agencies and Local Authorities.

This is a partnership approach, which in many spheres, Ireland of the 90's has embraced very successfully to the benefit of all. The results of Technology Foresight will become available in January next and our Government will consider the recommendations in the final Report as part of its overall strategy on post 1999 funding and economic development generally as we move into the new Millennium.

All of the ingredients which I have just mentioned and which make for a successful Science and Technology Festival are here in Galway. In particular the exceedingly strong research and technological focus of our Third Level Colleges, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, and the high-tech content of our outstanding industrial infrastructure - demonstrates that regardless of location, a regional community can be a high-tech community if it marshalls the necessary resources.

While Galway Science and Technology Festival will have both a public awareness and, in time, a commercial and tourism dimension, it is more strategically about developing Galway as a self-contained high-tech conclave and being recognised as such both nationally and internationally.

This means that, as well as attracting and developing high-tech companies, carrying on research in the colleges and transferring that knowledge out in terms of products and skills, we will have a community which is positively disposed towards scientific and technological development. We are proud of this region's reputation in that regard. This results in the development of our school children, who will see the future relevance and exciting career options in the field of science and technology, as future graduates, employees and entrepeneurs, here in the West.

The development of our science and technology competence is a national objective which I, as the Minister responsible, am seeking to bring about. Our Government has invested significantly in all facets of S&T ranging from the introduction of a science curriculum at primary school level through to significant investment in our third level colleges and in industrial R&D.

Indeed I am proud to say that the recognition that S&T is about school children as much as it is about industry is recognised in my unique appointment as Minister for Science and Technology, in both the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Education and Science.

The main reason why I believe a Science and Technology Festival in Galway will be successful is because of the regional focus and the commitment of various parts of our community.

Not only does it involve the obvious players such as the education and industry sectors, but, reflecting the breadth of impact of S&T in our daily lives, it also involves the local authorities, state agencies and other organisations such as the Army and Gardai, E.S.B., Telecom and many more.

This Science and Technology Festival is aimed at a number of audiences;

• for the public there will be the demonstration of how science and technology is having a growing impact on our everyday lives

• for primary school children there will be the fun and excitement of discovering new things

• for second level pupils they will see the career options that are open to them

• for the third level colleges and companies there will be the opportunity to demonstrate their activities and their successes

• and for the media there is opportunity to give coverage to something which generally hasn't received a great deal of attention but for which I believe there is a great public appetite.

I would like to thank the Festival Board, which has worked extremely hard in developing this Festival and in particular its Chairman Sean Uas O'Muircheartaigh from GMIT and its Secretary Mr. Bernard Kirk of the Galway Education Centre, alongwith their fellow directors. I would also like to thank all of those who are contributing to the week's events. Already I am looking forward to working with you in planning a bigger and better festival for this time next year and going on from there to place the Galway Science and Technology Festival among the leading festivals of the country and a leader among its peers in the world.