Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

It is fair to say that over the last decade in particular, Ireland has made some commendable efforts to foster a culture of scientific creativity and collaboration within the academic institutions and industry, and also in terms of policy development.

You have to give credit where it is due. Obviously, it could be said that Science Week lies at the heart of this movement because it is a flagship initiative that predated the foundation of Science Foundation Ireland and its merger with the Irish Research Council to form Research Ireland. From these humble beginnings, Science Week has grown into a national celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As the Minister of State mentioned, this year marks its 30th anniversary. It is good to see that in 2025, the Government has allocated almost €850,000 to support 36 projects in 14 regional festivals, engaging communities across the country. The theme of Science Week - "Then. Today. Tomorrow" - invites everyone to reflect on past achievements, current challenges and future possibilities. Just opposite the gates of this institution, the Houses of the Oireachtas, we have one of the Science Week exhibitions, the Museum of the Moon exhibition, by the artist Luke Jerram. It is taking place in Merrion Square from today, 13 November, until 15 November. It entails an internally lit 7 m diameter sphere featuring a 120 dpi NASA map of the moon's surface. The scale is approximately 1:500,000, meaning each centimetre represents 5 km of the moon's terrain. It looks like a very interesting feature and I would encourage anyone to pop across and have a look. It is going to be more interesting when it is dark. There are so many other interesting events around the country.

Science Week is more than just a series of events, however. It is supposed to be a strategic tool for public engagement, especially with our young people. Through exhibitions, school visits and community initiatives, it brings science into everyday life. It is supposed to demystify research and showcase our innovation, and it encourages young people to imagine themselves as the scientists, engineers and inventors of the future.

It is also very important at a time of misinformation and disinformation where science is not just questioned but blatantly ignored, manipulated by opportunistic charlatans for self-promotion and financial gain, politicised and often used as a tool, as I have said in previous speeches, by bad actors and rogue states to threaten our way of life. You have only to look at Facebook to see the stuff that is spouted, along with the so-called YouTube experts. Deputy Hayes mentioned the climate change deniers, those totally against vaccines without looking at and balancing up the research, and the chemtrail conspiracists – you name it. People go down the rabbit hole one way or another and then they jump into other echo chambers.

I welcome the input of successive Governments in the development of Science Week. Beyond Science Week, Ireland has invested in research and infrastructure through innovation hubs, public engagement initiatives for funding calls and strong partnerships with academic institutions. These efforts align with current national goals to position Ireland as a global leader. The question remains as to whether Ireland is a global leader in research and development. The answer is mixed. We have shown leadership in some ways. According to the UK Science and Innovation Network country summary, we are first in the world for knowledge diffusion, third for knowledge impact, sixth for university–industry research and development collaboration and 15th for overall scientific research quality. With regard to subject-specific excellence, we are second globally for agricultural sciences, fourth in immunology and neuroscience behaviour, sixth in microbiology and seventh in pharmacology and toxicology. Of course, we have also been successful in securing EU funding, such as the €1 billion from the EU's Horizon 2020 programme.

Like others, I welcomed the news earlier this year that Ireland had officially joined the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, as an associate member. I was honoured to be able to pair with the relevant Minister, Deputy James Lawless, so he could attend the launch. It is very important to be an associate member.

We have a lot done but we do have more to do because, despite the successes we have had, there are many areas where policy commitments and financial commitments fall short. In this regard, compare investment levels with those of other countries. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett, mentioned an average rate of 3% across the EU. Ireland invests less than 1.5%, or maybe 1.7%, of GDP on research and development, depending on the year. This is below the EU average and it is significantly lower than the rates of countries like South Korea, Israel, Germany and the US, whose rates are 4.8%, 5.4%, 3.1% and 3.5%, respectively. Even though the US is regressing owing to its anti-science agenda, it is still investing over twice as much as we are in research and development.

Other speakers have mentioned various areas where we are falling down. An example is our outdated equipment. I will not go too much into this subject but it is certainly an issue as part of the overall investment deficit, as are the pay and conditions of academic staff, particularly researchers and PhD students, who need better allowances and stipends.

Let us consider schools. While funding for Science Week has increased, it still represents a small fraction of the broader science budget, which itself, as I referred to in terms of research and development, could do with an increase, based on the figures in other developed countries. Long-term investment in science education at primary and secondary levels needs to be increased because it remains inconsistent. Many schools still lack access to modern laboratory facilities or dedicated STEM educators, especially but not exclusively in rural areas.

Ireland continues to face challenges in gender equality in STEM areas, which I focused on a lot when I was mayor of South Dublin County Council back in 2017–2018. While we have initiatives like Smart Futures and STEM Passport for Inclusion to try to close the gender gap, girls in Ireland are still less likely to pursue science subjects at leaving certificate level than peers in countries like Finland or Estonia, and especially the likes of South Korea, which I have referred to. The uptake of physics and computer science among Irish girls lags behind the EU average and female representation in engineering and technology courses is still very much disproportionately low. It is not just about numbers; it is about the system, cultural issues, stereotypes, the lack of visible female role models and the lack of career guidance. We have to do more to challenge all these norms and create a new norm – a new inclusive pathway for STEM for girls.

One issue I am looking at now is that of same-sex schools, which I believe are now outdated. While there is a model for parental preferences, it should be like Australia, where you have to go to a private school if you want to go to a same-sex school. All schools in the country should be co-educational. We have a historic issue, in that the religious were the instigators of the education system in this country. Boards of management are autonomous but every single same-sex boys' or girls' school in the country should consider merging with another. Science is one angle, but so too is access to playing pitches and other facilities. There is a huge imbalance and it is very unfair on our girls.

Science Week is a welcome event but it needs to be more wide-ranging. We possibly need a Science Month for starters and then progress to sustained year-round engagement through curriculum reform, teacher training and appropriate industry partnerships. Science should not just be subject to a once-a-year celebration. So, what can be done? We need to increase the funding for STEM education, as I have said, expand the mentorship and outreach programmes that connect girls with female scientists and engineers and integrate science and critical thinking into the national curriculum.

There are proposals to increase public research and development investment, which are welcome, and I have a few ideas in this regard that I would like considered. We could be a leader in artificial intelligence and definitely in the field of renewable technology, especially as we have seen some movement in offshore wind. We need to investigate wave energy as well, along with all other types of climate technology. We must also consider pharmaceuticals and particularly the making of new inventions from scratch.

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