Address by Mr. Noel Treacy, T.D., Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce at the Launch of the CORDIS Ireland R&D Information Service Dublin, 15th September 1998

I was delighted to accept the invitation to officially launch the CORDIS Ireland R&D Information Service which is an innovative and exciting new development in the provision of National and International R&D Information.

The CORDIS Ireland R&D Information Service has been developed to provide Irish companies, businesses and educational establishments with a wide range of information on R&D developments and activities at European and National level. This new service is based on a model first established in the Irish Presidency of the European Union in 1996.

Our Office of Science and Technology, at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, co-operated with CORDIS then to provide information on R&D News at European and National levels. One of the main features of the Irish Presidency Site was the publication, for the first time I believe, of an Irish Government White Paper on the Internet. The White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation has been one of the most browsed and downloaded documents on the CORDIS site. The Irish Presidency Service pages are still hosted on CORDIS and indeed CORDIS have continued to offer this valuable service to subsequent member State Presidencies.

This role of providing up to date information is the first part of providing the benefits of the Information Society. The timeliness of the posting of information can be impressive. Not only can current information be available, but reports setting out context and data to facilitate informed decision making are also available in real time.

Today we are happy to cooperage further with CORDIS. The New Irish Service will provide information on;

• The Irish Office of Science and Technology
• National Science and Technology Programmes
• R&D News & Policy
• Information on the European Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) and participation opportunities
• Contact details for all research areas covered by FP5 and other R&D and Innovation support programmes
• Details of Irish participation in EU R&D programmes and activities
• Irish R&D success stories, case studies and profiles of EU projects

The site will be updated with relevant information from the Office of Science and Technology and elsewhere. The underpinning linked sites should prove a vital source of further relevant information.

Dissemination of Information is a key function of any organisation. Wealth creation is dependent on exploiting research results. That exploitation of research results may be direct or indirect. Through the CORDIS Ireland R&D Information Service, our Office of Science and Technology will endeavour to enhance the potential for the exploitation of R&D through the dissemination of the results of research.

The web site will host Irish success stories related to research funded from European and National funds. Whilst highlighting the benefits of research, these success stories will also provide browsers with other useful information such as potential partners, links to other relevant web pages and contact information.

A key feature of the new service will be information on the European Union's Fifth Framework Programme. Our Office of Science and Technology will use this Service to promote the valuable opportunities, which the Framework Programme offers researchers.

Through the tight integration with CORDIS databases and Irish R&D information, users of the service will be able to maximise the potential for finding;

• research partners both within Ireland and also overseas
• opportunities to exploit technologies developed under the Fourth Framework Programme
• up-to-date information on current calls for proposals
• contact information for assistance in developing proposals
• documentation detailing the areas of research under the Framework Programme
• Information brochures on Fifth Framework Programmes as well as work programmes and application forms when available
• Contact details of Irish researchers
• Information on R&D performers in Ireland with links to relevant Web sites where appropriate.

In the future I hope that the CORDIS service may be expanded to become a one stop shop for all EU Research Programmes as well as National Research Schemes in all Member States. CORDIS have informed me that the service will be extended to all Member States eventually. It will therefore act as a common source of information on Member States Research Policies as well giving information on who is doing what and where.

In the past this information may have been compiled in paper based publications with limited circulation or published in electronic form on diverse computer systems. Today, however we see the first shoots of a common structure for European R&D Information provided by Member States. This will assist not only policy makers but also end users in extracting the added value one can obtain from mining this information.

Good Communication pathways are the corner stones of knowledge acquisition. Through this enhanced collaboration with the European Commission's CORDIS Service we are building the foundations on which information users may build successful partnerships, exploit European Research and ultimately improve the competitiveness of the European Community.

As I mentioned earlier, Ireland was to the fore when we assisted CORDIS with the creation of the European Presidency Service. Ireland continues to take the lead in many aspects of the Information Society and today we hope to ensure that Ireland and indeed Europe reap the full benefits from the potential of this new era.

The fruits of the Fourth Framework Programme are only now coming into the consumer consciousness. The Information Technology Programme, the Telematics Programme and the Advanced Communications Technologies Programme, all have fused into the Fifth Framework Programme's Information Society Theme.

We have heard of the application of this new knowledge in recent months with the use of Transport Telematics to reduce traffic congestion and improve road safety. We are rapidly approaching the dawn of digital television, advanced mobile communications are now closer than ever with the recent agreement on the UMTS standard, and many of the technologies used were developed in the Framework Programme. Equally Irish companies and third level researchers are ensuring that Ireland will reap the benefits from participation in the Framework.

The pace of change has stepped up a gear and Governments must respond adequately and with sufficient speed to ensure that we are not left behind.

I believe that this Government's actions in relation to ensuring that Ireland is positioned to optimise the economic benefits of the Information Society speak for themselves. A few examples of this are..

• The establishment of the Information Society Commission.
• The £250 million Education Fund to ensure a skilled pool of people, in our Country.
• The publication of a national policy paper on encryption and digital signatures, and
• The establishment of the Advisory Committee for Telecommunications (ACT)

We will continue to ensure that the Irish consumers, wherever they are located and regardless of socio-economic position, can avail of the rewards of this new technology and that Irish industry is capable of exploiting the market opportunities, which these new technologies bring.

The CORDIS Ireland R&D Information Service being launched here today, will in its own way, play a very important role in assisting in the essential transfer of knowledge. By providing information seekers with the means of quickly accessing the knowledge, which they require, we will ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge to succeed. I would also like to stress that whilst it is important to provide information it is also necessary that the information evolve to respond to the needs of the users. To that end I call upon Irish R&D performers to play their role in ensuring that this site meets their needs by providing relevant information on their R&D activities to our office.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the European Parliament Service, in Ireland, for hosting this launch.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the European Commission for providing Ireland with this valuable Service.