Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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I will return to the issue of integration at university or technological university level. I am particularly interested in where the technological university sector is going. In Waterford, where I am from, we had Waterford Institute of Technology, which is now the hub of the new South East Technological University. We have three scientific gateways down there - the Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre, the Siemens Institute and the Walton Institute, which the witnesses probably know about because of the work it is doing in quantum computing. Since the Institute of Physics is both Irish and UK-based, it probably has a voice in terms of trying to integrate in the university sector. These institutes are always trawling for funding. It is always based on competitive applications and it is really more about the Government position of putting in strategic funding to drive the research base. Members of this committee attended a talk from the Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, AMBER, Centre, a research group based in Trinity College, last week. The centre has a wide area of researchers collaborating but, again, it has difficulties in getting money. What role can the Institute of Physics play in trying to signal the importance for both Ireland and the UK to drive investment because we are essentially in the same research hubs and the importance of investment, driving it at that end and how that can create the pathway to bring in more careers at the school side?