Professor Willie Donnelly:

I would like to make an important final comment, which I will put in this context. I go back to what Enterprise Ireland said about creating an industry that should not have been in Waterford. I could have solved the problem with the conflict of interest and saved myself a journey up here because as the PI of one of the world leading telecommunications research groups, I created IP. I could have licensed the IP to FDIs, my financial partners, including Cisco, Intel, IBM. That IP would have gone out of the south east and it would not have created jobs in the region. I took a decision to focus on creating employment in the south east. Of course, that created conflict but the institute was mature enough, had these structures and was aware enough of those conflicts. What I am proud of today as the first vice-president of research in WIT and as its president is that at least 600 families are raising children and working in Waterford who ordinarily would not have been. They are contributing to the social and cultural life of Waterford. This is a blackspot. We take our responsibility as an institute seriously regarding the economic, social and cultural development of Waterford. I have no doubt and I am clear when I look in the mirror that Willie Donnelly did everything as he was supposed to do and my commitment was not for financial gain. It happened as a side effect and my commitment was to the social and economic development of a region that I care passionately for. I am a Kildare man; I am not even a south east man. I do not know anything about hurling.