I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Enterprise Ireland/ British Council Research Visits Scheme. It is also, I believe, the 10th Anniversary of the British Council in Ireland. The Council set up an office in Dublin in 1990 and in that same year a joint programme for an exchange of researchers between the UK and Ireland was established.In the ten years the programme has been in operation, over three hundred exchanges have taken place in areas ranging from plasma physics to biomedicine and from earthquakes to food engineering. Many of the research projects undertaken also successfully bid for EU contracts and other international research funding.

Both our countries have gained from the strengthening of links between our researchers. The aim of the Scheme is to facilitate collaboration in areas of mutual interest by enhancing the transfer of research and teaching expertise and also providing opportunities for young researchers. These researchers benefit from access to equipment and facilities not available in their own institutions. Assistance towards travel and subsistence costs to help Irish and UK researchers to develop collaborative research projects is also provided. Many young researchers who participated in the Scheme have received invaluable training and experience, which they otherwise would not have received.

I am also very impressed with the range of research carried out, covering as it does, the natural sciences, engineering, and economic and management sciences.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention briefly proposed trade and business co-operation under the Good Friday Agreement through the North/South Trade and Business Development Implementation Body.

This body will be set up to exchange information and co-ordinate work on trade, business development and related matters in areas where the two administrations specifically agree that it would be in their mutual interest.

Under this particular initiative it is envisaged that co-operation will enable companies to undertake joint product and process development of commercial benefit with assistance and co-operation from relevant third level institutions. In addition, co-operation at a pre- competitive research stage, targeted at commercially focused research and encouraging particular projects which bring together researchers, companies and institutions North and South, will also be encouraged.

In the longer term, it is hoped that a number of new approaches to cross border business development, with a specific emphasis on Science and Technology, will result. I am talking about measures to cement and formalise on-going industry and third level collaboration North & South, implementation of an Innovation Award Scheme on a North/South Basis, graduate placement initiatives, and the implementation of a Science and Technology awareness programme on a North/South basis. In addition, it is likely that we will explore options for improved access to International S&T support on a North/South basis including the promotion of and participation in the EU Fifth Framework Programme, EUREKA and the European Space Agency Programmes.

Finally, may I compliment all of you gathered here today. I would also like to thank Mr Harold Fish for his kind words and look forward to future co-operation between Enterprise Ireland and the British Council .