Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Science Week is an event that takes place every November. This year, it started on Sunday last and ends on the coming Sunday, 14 November. It is run by Science Foundation Ireland.

Science Week includes a wide variety of events involving industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers, researchers and students and there are events all over the country. I would urge everyone to get involved in the creating-our-future conversation and to attend a Science Week event.

Science Week has been such an important week in our calendar since 1995 and every year it gets bigger and better. There are enough events that we could nearly have a science month.

As a proud person from County Kildare, a small sample of those events taking place in Kildare are a reptile superpowers workshop, presentations on the science of "Star Wars" and on sustainable living and an event called Let Us Talk Bats, as well as a Women in STEM event. In fact, there are over 40 events - something for everyone.

Covid-19 has been incredibly challenging for everyone and we have seen the best of what science research has to offer in providing solutions and creating a better future for us all. Irish scientists, doctors and researchers have played a fundamental role throughout the pandemic and County Kildare is punching above its weight in this regard. Professor Teresa Lambe from Kilcullen played a key role in the team that developed the AstraZeneca vaccine. I welcome the establishment of a bursary fund in Professor Lambe's name and we will encourage female students to follow a path of study in the area of science.

We have Professor Philip Nolan of Maynooth University, who has been the chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET's modelling advisory group since March 2020 and we have the workers of Pfizer in Newbridge, who have really gone the extra mile.

The Government needs to do more to encourage the study of science. Third level education remains underfunded in this country. While we have a high transition rate from post-primary to third level, the Government provided colleges with 50% less funding per student. It has also negatively impacted the quality of third level education provision and the ability of higher education institutes to produce high-quality research. Sinn Féin believes that higher education needs an increase in annual recurrent funding of €180 million in order to deliver high-quality educational research and we will deliver this investment in government.

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