Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)

Today's motion is a very important milestone in Ireland's journey as a modern knowledge society where research, innovation and international co-operation are placed at the centre of national development. The decision to seek associate membership of CERN is not just a symbolic act; it is a declaration of intent and a clear statement that Ireland sees itself as a serious player in global scientific research. It aligns us with over 20 European countries that recognise that investment in science is not a luxury but a strategic necessity. It is a gateway to opportunity for our universities, our industries and, above all, our students and researchers. It opens the door to participation in groundbreaking projects, collaborations with some of the brightest minds in the world and access to world-class infrastructure.

Countries of a comparable size to us such as Norway and Portugal have reaped significant rewards for their involvement. They have not only seen the scientific benefits but also the commercial and reputational gains. Their universities attract more international talent and their students gain exposure to frontier science. Their industries secure contracts and research and development partnerships that might otherwise be out of reach. However, if we are serious about competing on this stage, we must look at our own house because international partnerships are only going to get stronger as the domestic system supports them. To that end, we need to look at the fact that science is not just in laboratories; it starts in our classrooms here at home. When we look at, for example, our current school system, it really struggles to cultivate the scientists and engineers of tomorrow. An example of that would be the leaving certificate, in respect of which reform is overdue. It is still driven by rote learning and leaves little space for experimentation or cross-disciplinary thinking, skills that are really necessary in this modern scientific innovation.

The recent ASTI ballots highlighted frustrations around workload, school infrastructure and limited resources for STEM teaching. According to a 2023 survey of the Irish Science Teachers Association, over 40% of Irish secondary schools lack dedicated laboratory facilities. If we are going to compete and have the brilliant minds we have here going to places like CERN, they need to have those laboratories in the classroom when they are starting on their scientific journey. They also face a shortage of qualified STEM teachers. The Teaching Council's own data shows consistent recruitment difficulties, particularly in physics and computer science. If we cannot find staff for our schools with these specialist teachers, we are narrowing the pipeline of people going on to university and third level to study STEM. Our universities punch well above their weight in global rankings but the system is under increased strain. Core public funding remains below the EU average and has not kept pace with the rising number of students or the demands of high-impact research. Instead, many third level institutes rely heavily on external and private sources, sometimes at the expense of independent, long-term academic inquiry. It is not just about the infrastructure; it is also about the PhD students. We need to address how PhD students are furthering research here and how they are being paid for that. We need to review that model. These students are so important to research and we cannot treat them as an afterthought. We really must ensure their terms and conditions are put on a suitable standing. Then there are postdocs. The postdoc land is so important. You can get a doctorate but it is what you do with that afterwards. What are the possibilities for those postdocs? How are they resourced? What are the opportunities to further that sort of research? We need to do that further.

I am aware of an institute called the Helmholtz-Zentrum in Dresden in Germany. My son visited it as part of transition year for science. It was an amazing institute for a young person to visit to explore the things they are doing there. He described it as being life-changing for him. That is the path he wants to go on. I know this opportunity is not available for every single child in this country but would it not be fantastic if we had a zentrum or an institute like that here so that children do not have to travel? We would have it here so that transition year students who think they might be interested in getting to do STEM would have that opportunity to explore in a real institute and a real laboratory what is going on.

When they are able to engage on a real rather than theoretical level, that is where the love will come from for them.

The Social Democrats are delighted that we are going to have associate membership of CERN, and while we are very proud of that, there are a number of things we need to bear in mind. If we are going to continue with CERN into the future, we need to get our own house in order. What we are looking for is modern science laboratories in every school. I would go so far as to say that we have to start at primary and pre-primary level because the exploration of STEM is so important from as early an age as possible. That is how people become passionate about it and when people have passion for learning, we will have great minds and great people involved. We need to have fully qualified teachers for all STEM subjects and a sustainable funding model for third level education on a multi-annual basis. We also need to have a living wage for PhD students and a clear post-doctoral pathway. I would love to see a national centre of research excellence for all things STEM.

I congratulate the Minister and all of those involved in this. It is a great day and we can only improve on this. I am not criticising here. I really just want to say that it is a great day and let us try to make it even better.

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