.I am very pleased to be here today to present the first ever National Science and Technology Journalism Awards. These Awards provide me as Minister with responsibility for Science, Technology and Commerce with the opportunity to acknowledge the excellent work which our Media are doing in highlighting Science and Technology issues and to thank you all most sincerely for your efforts in this regard.

These Awards are organised as part of the Science, Technology and Innovation Awareness Programme which is managed by Forfas on behalf of our Office of Science and Technology at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The chief rationale behind the STI Awareness Programme is that by increasing awareness of the importance and relevance of Science and Technology to our daily lives, we will as a nation, also increase our scientific and technological knowledge and literacy. This will allow Ireland as a people and as an economy to be ready to exploit future technological challenges into the new Millennium ahead.

I am delighted that, for the very first time, a serious attempt has been made to pay tribute to the professionalism and excellence of a great number of people in a specialised area of journalism. I have to admit that when I launched these Awards back in August, it occurred to me that many people might regard this as a very much a niche market or a kind of "club" judging itself. However, I was delighted and impressed by the fact that in the first year of this competition, over fifty high quality entries were received.

I have been told by the judges that they were very impressed by the high standard - both in terms of the quality of science and the writing involved!

The other fascinating thing about the entries was that they covered a wide range of media outlets, including both print and broadcast media. If we wanted illustration of the increasing pervasiveness of Science and Technology in our lives, it can be found in the diversity of subjects tackled by all those who chose to enter this Awards competition.

Indeed, a recent editorial in one of our national newspapers makes the point well. Research, Technological Development and Innovation, it says, is to be the new "buzzword". Its effective application will be vital to embedding our best manufacturing companies, and to attracting new ones by enticing them with the presence of a strong research base in particular sectors.

Research, Technological Development and Innovation is a major priority for our Government, and indeed for the country. The strategy set out in our recently-published National Development Plan 2000 - 2006 makes it emphatically clear that the link between Research, Technological Development and Innovation and sustained economic growth is vital to Ireland's future competitiveness.

That is the reason that we as a Government are determined to develop the intellectual infrastructure as well as the physical one; why we are committed to developing a world-class research environment in our Higher Education facilities and in our State Research Institutions; and why we are setting out to ensure a vibrant and dynamic pool of high-calibre graduates at every level. We want more than just to service the skills needs of existing and new companies. We also want to produce high class graduates who can with confidence, start their own companies in the Science and Technology fields.

That is the philosophy behind our approach. It is fully backed up with practical commitments which are set out in detail in the National Development Plan. Between now and 2006, for example, we will be investing £550 million in the education sector, to facilitate a major capital investment programme, and to boost the human potential that already exists in research, science and technology.

We will also be investing a further £381 million in industry, to embed an R&D culture into firms which already have a technological capacity, and to support the requirements of those companies who don't have an R&D function at present. Side by side with this investment, we will also be supporting a number of large-scale projects, aimed at radically increasing the collaboration between what one might call the "supply and demand" sides of the National System of Innovation - that is - Industry on the one hand, and our Colleges, Research Organisations and Agencies on the other. We are setting aside more than £200 million to develop such collaboration networks.

However, the major new initiative in the National Development Plan is the establishment of a Technology Foresight Fund of £560m over seven years, for investment in niche technologies which will be central to our long term economic development up to the year 2,015. Our officials and myself have had detailed discussions with the various interests in the S&T Community on the appropriate mechanism required to implement, administer and oversee this Fund. Based on these discussions the Tanaiste and I will be bringing specific proposals to Government fairly soon.

These are just some examples of the types of investment to which the Government is committing in the years ahead. Overall, the total investment in Research, Technological Development, and Innovation will be £1.95 billion up to 2006. It is our intention, as I have said, that it will equip us with the physical, intellectual, and skills infrastructure that Ireland needs well into the next century.

You will appreciate therefore, that this is a very exciting time - with a huge level of activities for journalists to report on, analyse, and even criticise! We are after all, spending taxpayers money and it is vital that we get a good return on this expenditure.

There is in short therefore, great scope for a significant increase in science and technology journalism, having regard to the huge upsurge in S&T activity throughout our national economy. I have no doubt, but that as a consequence of this increased activity, the importance of these new, timely and innovative Journalism Awards will grow in leaps and bounds in the years ahead.

We all have a part to play in increasing awareness of S&T issues. I as Minister have to convince my Cabinet colleagues of the need for on-going, wise public investment in S&T, while you the Journalists in the print and broadcast media, must report and highlight the various ongoing issues so that the public at large are comfortable with, and understand these ongoing developments. By working together, we will, I believe achieve this goal.

Let me turn now to to-day's event and sincerely congratulate all of the winners here today, and all who took part in this competition. As such, there were no winners or losers! The quality and calibre of S&T journalism in Ireland represents a genuine contribution to the broadest public and community interests. Your capacity to inform, to entertain while at the same time, contribute to public knowledge and awareness of S&T through your in-depth knowledge of your subject, is a genuine asset to the whole country. My congratulations to you all.

Finally, I want to thank and acknowledge the wonderful support of Mr. William Burgess and Mr. Rory Caren of IBM for generously sponsoring these Awards. I also want to thank the Judging Panel for their time and effort over the last few months. Your dedication and example has set the way and indeed a very high standard for others to follow. In particular, I want to thank your wonderful Chairman, Mr. Pat Kenny for bringing it all together into the three Categories. of winners which, I will announce in a few minutes.