James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last week saw the announcement of the prestigious European Research Council grants in recognition of basic research and applied research across Europe. Unfortunately for a country that has punched above its weight in previous years, on this occasion, Ireland received only one of more than 400 such grants awarded. This is often seen as a barometer of the domestic system. It is no surprise. This is the inevitable outcome of the deliberate sidelining of basic research over the last decade, since the Government took office and the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government changed the law in 2012. People such as Professor Brian MacCraith of the Irish Universities Association have been to the fore, saying that the research sector is now in crisis. Basic research, primary research and early stage research need attention. The funding profile needs to be rebalanced. If not, we will not have the downstream research following on. Is the Taoiseach aware of these issues? If he is, what action does the Government propose to take?

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