Address by Mr. Noel Treacy, T.D., Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce at the UCD Faculty of Science Post Graduate Research Day on Thursday 25th November 1999 at 10.30a.m.

I am very pleased to have been invited here once again to give the opening annual address at this Post Graduate Research Day.

It is just over a year since I last stood here to open the 1998 Post Graduate Research Day- and the optimism that I expressed on that occasion has been borne out by many developments in the science sector-both within Ireland and internationally since then. Science is enjoying a highly creative phase in a variety of fields.

The emergence of new disciplines, the accelerating accumulation of knowledge, and demands for co-operation between the natural and social sciences are having very significant impact on research, education and the transfer of knowledge. There is growing interaction between disciplines and between science and technology, education and industry, laboratories and factories. Major economic and social issues are being raised in relation to the application of scientific discoveries and technological development which is bringing about changes more profound than anything previously experienced.

Throughout the world, research and development is being used as a tool to fuel economic growth. Perhaps the most compelling example of large scale commitment to research is the European Fifth Framework Programme which devotes 15 billion euros to addressing the key technology areas for future economic growth within the European Community.

Many of the areas of emphasis in the Fifth Framework Programme, such as the Information Society measure, coincide with current Irish R&D priorities, and we will of course use these opportunities to their fullest to develop Ireland's capability in these sectors.

At the same time, aside from our European commitments, there is a need for large-scale strategic national planning. We have a duty today to commission research and development which will tackle our national long-term economic needs. It was with this duty in mind that I launched the first ever Irish Technology Foresight initiative in March of 1998. This was the very first step in a process of evaluation and consultation involving Government, industry and the scientific community which aimed to identify the areas where R&D could have the most impact upon Irish life.

You are all no doubt aware that we are now examining the most appropriate mechanisms to implement the Technology Foresight recommendations and we intend to bring proposals to Government very shortly.

This process has been taken to another level with the announcement this month of the details of the new National Development Plan for the years 2000-2006. An overall amount of almost £2bn in funding for Research, Technological Development and Innovation (RTDI) has been allocated over a seven year period, including the proposed £560m investment earmarked for Technology Foresight. This overall substantial increase in funding reflects this Government's acceptance of the strong link between investment in the research and Innovation base of the national economy and sustained economic growth.

Ireland's industrial and economic future depends on us becoming an innovation driven economy. Investment in research, related human resources and the application of enabling technologies will allow Ireland to attract new generations of Foreign Investment and create indigenous firms which are globally competitive. As the global economy becomes more knowledge based, the key to Ireland's continued success is to reposition Irish Industry higher up the economic value chain.

In order to achieve this objective, particular attention will be paid by us to:

• The immediate need of addressing directly R&D issues in firms
• The short to medium term need of creating new and effective systems of collaboration- in particular industry-third level collaboration and...
• The longer term need of preparing for the future through Technology Foresight, and investing in quality research in areas of key economic importance.

And how do these goals impact upon the third level institutes? Like all Research and Development initiatives from this Government, the National Development Plan takes an integrated approach to Science and Technology, which addresses the needs and the responsibilities of all the R&D players- including industry, the Third Level Sector and the Government. Our overall Research Technological Development and Innovation efforts are made up of many components such as:

• teaching S&T undergraduates;
• training university researchers;
• providing adequate research funding and equipment for our third level colleges so that they are able to teach and train as well as carry out industrially relevant research.

In addition we need to:

• help companies fund their industrial R&D which is both expensive and risky;
• facilitate the establishment of new firms arising from technological or research breakthroughs;
• upgrade established sectors of our economy such as Food to allow them compete internationally;
• provide smaller firms with basic technical expertise and skills when technology is not a day to day priority;

And above all we need to:

• develop the research and skills base that makes Ireland an attractive proposition for investment by high tech firms.

All of these elements are linked. There is no point in a massive investment in the education sector if there isn't a demand in industry for the people or the work of researchers. Equally there is no point in massive investment in industrial R&D if the education system is not producing the right people in the right technologies to support that investment.

That is not to play down the role of the Third-Level institutes in achieving economic progress. On the contrary- the importance of the Third-Level sector in creating the Knowledge Based Economy has been recognised for a long time and it is a cornerstone of this Government's Science, Technology and Innovation Policy.

Just a year ago, we in Government, launched the Programme for Research and Development in Third Level Institutions - the largest research programme in the history of Irish Education, at that stage; amounting to £180 million over three years. The programme was designed to draw on public private partnerships to create an unprecedented opportunity to step-change the breadth and quality of research activity in all of our institutions.

Quality research is what today's event is all about. Involvement in high quality research and development leads not just to the discovery of new knowledge, but also to an improved capacity to appreciate and evaluate the advances of knowledge which are taking place internationally. We can say that the graduates assembled here today have, through the efforts of the Science Faculty and through their own skills and diligence, received the best possible preparation for a successful and productive career in Research and Development.

Finally, Chairman, let me thank all here concerned with today's event. I wish all of the participants well and I sincerely congratulate them on their various Papers. It now gives me great pleasure to formally declare today's event open. Thank you all very much.