Speech by Mr Micháel Martin TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment at the Science Summit Reception in Mansion House

26 November 2007

Professor Gannon, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to this evening’s reception in the Mansion House, as part of Science Foundation Ireland’s 2007 Science Summit. I want to extend a warm welcome to Dublin to the European Commissioner Janez Potocnik, Commissioner for Science and Research, who is providing great leadership in shaping the direction of EU science & research policy and also to Nobel Laureate Professor Werner Arber, who addressed the SFI Summit earlier to-day. The gathering this evening, as part of the SFI Science Summit is a great indication of the growing strength and quality of the Irish research community.

Ireland is a country with a strong scientific heritage, one that we are not perhaps as familiar with as our literary heritage. But in the world of science and technology many of the names of our famous scientists are as well known as the literary greats such as Yeats, Joyce and Shaw. This scientific heritage includes George Boole, who gave his name to Boolean algebra, when he devised it while he was conducting research at University College Cork. In addition, Quaternions, a hypercomplex set of numbers accounting for four dimensions, were discovered by Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton as part of a more general class of hypercomplex algebra he discovered. Today, they are used to perform calculations that help design 3-D graphics in computer games, keep spacecraft aloft, and guide robots on assembly lines. George Stoney first coined the term “electron” during his research into the atom and Irish women Katherine Lonsdale, the first woman admitted to Great Britain’s Royal Society, carried out groundbreaking work in x-ray crystallography.

The SFI Walton Fellowship Award is named after Ernest Thomas Sinclair Walton who won the 1951 Nobel Prize in physics and Sir George Gabriel Stokes, the Irish mathematician and physicist, made several important contributions to fluid dynamics, optics and maths physics gives his name to the SFI Stokes Professorship and Lectureship programme. It is a scientific heritage of which we should be very proud.

The SFI Science Summit 2007 brings together over 350 researchers who are supported by SFI funding and aims to highlight the ongoing development and growth of world-class scientific research in Ireland. You are the current generation of Irish researchers, who like those in the past that contributed to great discoveries, will lead the innovation and discoveries of the future. You are, in effect, laying the foundations for the establishment of Ireland as a global knowledge based economy.

While those researchers who made the discoveries of the past did so largely in the absence of any substantial Government financial support, this Government recognises that investment in scientific research is vital to Ireland’s long-term economic and social development. We understand that the successful economies of the future will be those that embrace knowledge and learn how to use it.

The Irish economy is open to global markets and influences. This provides us with enormous opportunities but also exposes us to a number of serious challenges to our ongoing and future prosperity. These include globalisation, off-shore outsourcing and an enlarged EU, with new members competing for inward investment. It is because of this openness that we are acutely aware of the need to remain competitive in world markets and to continually review and adjust our policy to reflect changing circumstances. This Government is committed to leading the delivery of a knowledge based economy here in Ireland and to providing scientific leadership across the EU, to contribute to the development of a European knowledge economy and the European Research Area.

Ireland is very supportive of the Commissioner Potocnik’s efforts over recent months to re-focus debate on the European Research Area (ERA) and to intensify dialogue on the future of science and technology in Europe. The Commissioner is to be congratulated for stimulating debate through the publication of the ERA Green Paper.

In Ireland’s formal response to the ERA Green Paper we have drawn attention to the high degree of complementarity between the European agenda in this area and our own national priorities as set out in the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-2013. It is in Ireland’s interests to see a strengthened ERA and a key element of our Strategy for STI relates to Ireland’s interaction with the rest of Europe and the rest of the world.

I understand that the Commission will be producing detailed texts and proposals from 2008 onwards to take forward the ideas in its Green Paper, bearing in mind the priorities and concerns of the member states. We look forward to making further progress under the Slovenian and French presidencies next year.

The Government has made a major commitment, through the substantial investment set out in the Strategy for Science, Technology & Innovation (SSTI) and National Development Plan (NDP) 2007-2013, to making the transition to a knowledge-economy by funding world-class research in Ireland. 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 spend provided for under the previous NDP 2000-2006, bringing Ireland into line with R&D performance in leading countries. It is very much part of the overall Lisbon goal and Barcelona challenge, agreed by EU governments, which sets out the objective that 3% of European GDP will be spent on research by 2010. Within this overall objective 2% of this amount is expected to come from industry. Ireland wants to play a lead role, as part of this long-term agenda, of making the EU the most competitive dynamic economy in the world.

To achieve and sustain the goal we have set ourselves, a partnership approach will be crucial. That is, the scientific research community in our higher education institutions, working with their colleagues in industry for the greater good of our economy and society. In short, industry- academic partnerships will need to be nurtured and developed. I want to see our universities as engines of innovation, with our scientists and engineers at the core of economic development. The partnership approach also extends to inter-institutional collaboration as well as an integrated inter-agency approach. We have put in place the structural framework, the funding and the research infrastructure to enable you, the SFI scientists who have passed the quality requirements, as part of the peer review process to help us meet our objectives.

Investment in research can be perceived as risky, as not all of this investment will see an immediate return. Some of you may not succeed in all of your endeavors, but among the audience this evening, are scientists who are leading innovation and discovery. If we, in Government, did not to invest in you and other highly skilled individuals and the research teams that you lead, it would be detrimental to Ireland’s long-term economic growth and social development. The eminent researchers that SFI supports are the future of Irish innovation and research, and through them, we are building our greatest resource of all - human talent. Creating a knowledge economy is a strategic objective for Ireland and that needs investment in talented people.

The establishment of SFI itself was a risk, but it was one which was necessary in the context of maintaining competitiveness in the long term and nurturing the scientific talent that would deliver this competitiveness. Six years on from this decision it is regarded as a good investment and this has been acknowledged in the report of the International Evaluation Panel:- Science Foundation Ireland: The First Five Years 2001-2005. This panel was chaired by Professor Sir Richard Brook, Director of The Leverhulme Trust in London. Overall the panel commended the government for having the vision to establish SFI and SFI itself for its remarkable achievements and recommended that it is of paramount importance that SFI awards continue to be decided on the criteria of research excellence above all else. So while you researchers have passed the quality test, there is a serious challenge for you in delivering on our national objectives. We cannot be complacent and the publication of the SSTI places increased responsibility on all stakeholders.

SFI, with an allocation of €1.4 billion over the period of the SSTI, is a vital agency implementing Government policy and is making excellent progress in establishing Ireland as an international location for scientific research. Its establishment 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. As we all know, knowledge and talent are portable and in a globalised world, businesses are increasingly making location decisions based on the quality of a nation’s talent, knowledge and innovative capacity. Therefore, we need to continue to build on the growing international recognition that Ireland is an attractive location for research.

SFI will continue its efforts to build world-class research teams; increase the number of Principal Investigators and high quality researchers; and therefore, contribute to increasing the output of PhDs, which is a key objective of SSTI.

To-date SFI has committed over €921m and approved over 1,771 awards. Earlier this month, I announced SFI research investment awards amounting to €87 million across a number of groundbreaking industry-academic projects. This is the largest funding award made by SFI under its Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) and the new Strategic Research Clusters (SRC) programmes. These researchers are playing a pivotal role in growing partnerships with industry involving a total of 48 distinct companies and capturing the interest of both multinational corporations and indigenous companies. As a result of this investment in these new research clusters approximately 490 highly qualified personnel, including, senior researchers (PrincipaI Investigators), Post Docs, and PhD Students will participate in cutting edge research projects.

A good indicator of the quality of scientific research currently under way in Ireland is the high level of connectivity arising from industrial collaboration. To date, over 400 different companies are collaborating with scientists supported by SFI and some 42% of SFI backed scientists are now collaborating with industry. This is a vital element of our overall strategy.

The Government is now proactively delivering on its commitment under SSTI. Recent indicators both national and international show that we are now clearly moving in the right direction and that the significant investment is beginning to have an impact.

• A recent Forfás survey has indicated the Third level expenditure on Research and Development exceeded €600m for first time – a growth rate of over 7% p.a. (in real terms) since 2004;

• The publication of world university rankings by the prestigious Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) shows; universities here are reaping the benefit of this increased investment from SFI, the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) and other funding sources. Trinity College Dublin has moved up to 53rd place, while University College Dublin (UCD) has broken into the elite top 200 for the first time, climbing to 177th. University College Cork (UCC) and Dublin City University (DCU) have risen more than 100 places - into the top 300. I congratulate the Institutions involved on their achievements.

• The additional research activity is opening the way, in turn, for Irish academics to receive more citations in international journals. This was clearly demonstrated by the recent publication analysis 2000-2006 in Immunology citations, where Ireland is ranked second worldwide, ahead even of the USA.

• Total R&D spending in Ireland across all performing sectors (GERD) increased by 14.3% to €2.33 billion in 2006.

• The latest R&D performed in the business sector (BERD) rose to an estimated €1.56 billion in 2006, almost double the level recorded in 2000.

• On the human resources side, the number of employed researchers has risen dramatically since 2000, in parallel with the strong increases in R&D investment. The ratio of full-time adjusted equivalent researchers per thousand in employment has risen from 5.0 in 2000 to 6.0 in 2006, and is now in line with the EU average and only slightly below the OECD average.

• In January 2007, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor measured an early stage entrepreneurship rate of 7.4% in Ireland, ranking Ireland 2nd in the EU and 7^th among OECD countries for entrepreneurial activity.

These are only early signals that we are now moving in the right direction. IDA Ireland has been at the forefront of attracting to Ireland and encouraging those companies already here to undertake research and development activities here. 54 R&D investment projects were supported by IDA Ireland in 2006 involving a total investment of almost €470m. These investments will all create the jobs for highly skilled people and many of the companies are working with SFI supported researchers in higher level institutions.

Realising the commercial potential of Irish-based R&D is also a major priority under the SSTI and Enterprise Ireland has a key role in achieving this objective. Its aim is to accelerate the commercialisation of research by stimulating and facilitating interaction between industry and the research infrastructure.

Ireland’s research efforts have benefited greatly from transnational collaboration through the promotion of scientific excellence, access to state-of-the-art facilities and enhanced researcher mobility and networking. The EU Seventh Framework Programme, with a budget of €50.5 billion, provides a valuable opportunity for Irish industry, third level institutions and research organisations to win funding that will enable them to participate with other organisations in Europe and elsewhere in cutting - edge research and to develop and intensify research and business networks.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of Commissioner Potocnik, on introducing new funding initiatives under FP7 to ensure a tight connection between European research funding and the needs of European industry. Ireland, in common with other member states, has continuously emphasised the importance of the Framework Programme to the enterprise base. Enterprises need to see the direct relevance of European research programmes to their future development.

The Commissioner and his team are to be congratulated for introducing new funding initiatives that will be industry driven and bring together, in the optimal manner, funding from a variety of sources to address important research challenges.

Joint Technology Initiatives and other related activities in the areas of innovative medicines, nanotechnology, aeronautics, embedded systems and technologies for independent living, are all priority areas for Europe that link directly to the needs of industry and to wider societal needs.

From the Irish Government’s perspective, we are committed to the successful roll-out of these new initiatives and we will play our part to ensure that they can be successfully embedded as an integral part of the European research landscape.

Ireland’s future depends on exploiting ideas and the creativity of talented researchers. This places new pressures on the scientific community. In the past being a good scientist meant producing new knowledge, publishing this work and presenting research results to the scientific community. The scientists of the future will continue in this vein. However, there are new challenges; 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. The real impact will be judged on how we turn Brains into Business.

SFI will continue to play a major role in selecting the scientific priorities for Ireland, funding of basic sciences and providing the scientific community with the support it needs in its future challenges and adventures.

We are moving ahead on a number of fronts to meet the targets of SSTI and certainly I believe through the efforts of SFI’s existing programmes and new programmes in 2008, we will continue to achieve and sustain our excellence in research from which our economy will reap rewards.

We all have a job to do in terms of delivering both national and international objectives. The key to our success will be seeing the outputs of your current research in terms of new innovations and discoveries that will directly impact on peoples lives, that is, that they will lead to jobs, improvements in healthcare, new products and services. This is an exciting time for the Irish research community and I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts in the years ahead.

Thank You.

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