€920million Investment Attracts World Class Scientists - Minister Martin Calls on Scientific Leaders to Achieve Economic Success

26^th & 27^th November, 2007

Over 350 leading scientific researchers are attending a two day Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Science Summit in Citywest, Dublin. The Summit is aimed at encouraging and stimulating greater scientific collaboration and will facilitate discussion and debate across diverse scientific areas between leading researchers in Irish third level institutions on key research questions.

Minister Micheál Martin, TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, addressing the SFI Science Summit 2007, called for collaboration between industry and academia to ensure that Government investment in R&D will deliver future economic growth in Ireland.

Minister Martin highlighted the significant increased funding by the government on research and development (R&D) over the coming six years, as part of commitments made in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2007-2013 and the Strategy for Science, Technology & Innovation (SSTI) 2006-2013.

“Through the NDP and SSTI we are committed to providing €8.2 billion to ensure Ireland remains a key location for leading edge research and development, and the quality jobs it can deliver. This represents a tripling of the expenditure provided for under the previous NDP. The governments goal is that by 2013 Ireland will be internationally renowned for the excellence of its research.”.

Noting that the SFI has now committed over €920 million to scientific and engineering research in the third level institutions, Minister Martin said: “Investment by SFI has resulted in a significant increase in the number of world-class scientists here, demonstrating that Ireland is serious about science and offers an environment of competitive excellence”.

The Minister stated that “Ireland’s economic future depends on exploiting ideas and the creativity of talented researchers. A partnership approach is required if we are to achieve our goals, that is the scientific research community in our higher education institution, working with their colleagues in industry for the greater good of our economy and society.

He added “scientists face new challenges, the need to be more politically aware of the future impact of their research and to be commercially and socially aware of the road from science to economic growth and from science to job creation”.

Key note speakers who will address the conference include European Commissioner, Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for Science and Research, Professor Werner Arber, Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology or Medicine 1978 and Professor Lord Robert Winston, Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, London University, and Director of NHS Research and Development for Hammersmith Hospital.

Prof. Frank Gannon, Director General, SFI, said “the researchers attending are all supported by SFI and having passed the international peer review excellence criteria are therefore collectively the top scientists in Ireland. This is an important meeting for all. We will be looking to see how we can work with the universities and research community to deliver on the challenging goals set out in SSTI.”

Prof Gannon added, “SFI now supports many world-class researchers in Ireland, but to achieve the knowledge economy, we need to invest in areas of strategic importance to Ireland. In order for the outcomes of the research we are supporting to have a truly significant impact, the research community must collaborate across institutions and scientific disciplines and to look to industry to ensure the full commercial potential is gained from the research.”

ENDS/1821