Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. This is Science Week Ireland and it should not go unobserved in the Dáil. One of the most interesting aspects of budget 2006 was the announcement of the strategic innovation fund for fourth level education. Investment in intellectual capital has been a hallmark of our economic prosperity and has brought us to where we are today. The establishment of the strategic initiative fund is a clear expression on the part of Government of the important role it plays in the process of learning, learning at the pinnacle of inquiry. This is investment at the cutting edge, the research and development sector.

Complacency is the single biggest threat facing our economy. External forces of change have required us to surmount ever higher hurdles to sustain success. Our economy has moved from a low cost one to one where added value is now a necessity. While we continue to generate more jobs than can be filled, the type of job has changed significantly from those in the manufacturing sector to those supporting Ireland's knowledge economy. The basis for future growth and prosperity is investment in that knowledge economy. The strategic innovation fund is a sound bedrock to underpin this goal.

Exploration, innovation and inquiry are the essence of science. The enterprise strategy group report, Ahead of the Curve, clearly identifies that this is where our competitive advantage and future lie. It is in the schools and science labs of today that the foundation of Ireland's future economic success is built. Government has shown leadership, but there is more to do. We must support an environment which facilitates collaboration between enterprise and academia. Internationally, public support for business sector research and development has moved strongly towards co-operative research. The institutes of technology are very well placed to support innovative enterprise through technical consulting and collaboration on close-to-market research projects. In my constituency, the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art and Design is particularly proactive on this front.

Climate change offers Ireland limitless opportunities in finding solutions to the challenges it presents. Research in biofuels and alternative renewable energies are areas where Ireland could be a world leader given our geographic location which provides optimum conditions for wind turbines and the growth of biomass. These are areas where scientific inquiry is at an early stage and I have often said we could be the global research and development capital of renewable energies. This is an ambition which the strategic innovation fund could help Ireland realise.

While it is understandable that responsibility for science currently resides in the Department of Education and Science, there is an argument for transferring this responsibility in the next administration into the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Given the strategic change in direction which Ireland is required to make to keep the economy progressing, this is an idea worth considering. Given the obvious role science will play at the heart of this new strategy, in addition to the importance of fostering our entrepreneurial spirit, a base in our Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment would make most sense.

Science will be the fulcrum of Ireland's economic growth, investment in science today means a strong economy tomorrow. As politicians that is what we should be providing for future generations.

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank Deputy Fiona O'Malley for raising this matter on the Adjournment. I am taking this adjournment on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Martin, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Science Week Ireland is the celebration and demonstration of science, engineering and technology in Ireland. People of all ages are given the opportunity and encouraged to explore, discover, experiment or invent their way to a better understanding of Irish innovation and its relevance to Ireland's economic prosperity through hundreds of events held nationwide.

This marks the tenth year of Science Week Ireland and this year the theme is science in our future. It is examining emerging technologies, the latest movements in science and engineering and also predictions as to what science might uncover in the future. Science Week Ireland highlights that the science, engineering and technology industry and education sector develops cutting edge innovations and provide skilled jobs. It contributes hugely to the Irish economy and is relevant to us all in our everyday lives, often in surprising ways. It leads to exciting career options and develops creativity in our children.

Science Week Ireland is running from 12 to 19 November 2006 and it is a key event in the calendar of the discover science and engineering awareness programme. This year it will be bigger than ever and there has been a strong response from all the partners throughout the country with over 370 events taking place nationwide. For example, in the Minister's native Cork more than 7,000 people are expected to visit the Discovery 06 event centred in Cork City Hall where there will be over 50 exhibits and workshops.

The awareness of science, which this week promotes, is critically important given that the development of the knowledge-based economy is one of the key challenges and opportunities facing Ireland. Deputy Fiona O'Malley put that very well in her contribution. We know that the factors which have contributed to our economic success will not be sufficient to sustain our recent achievements. Increasing international competition is creating pressure for improvements in efficiency, quality and productivity and a growing need for innovation. These pressures will increase and intensify. It will require courageous, forward-looking steps to achieve real strategic change, show tangible medium-term results and shape the future.

The Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation, SSTI, is a whole Government approach which addresses these very demanding challenges. This strategy was launched by Government on 18 June 2006 and constitutes one of the principal pillars of the National Development Plan 2007-2013. It strives towards a vision by 2013 of an Ireland internationally renowned for the excellence of its research and at the forefront in generating and using new knowledge for economic and social progress, within an innovation driven culture.

The strategy will see additional investment of €3.854 billion over the period 2006 to 2013. It will move Ireland forward significantly in areas such as the output of PhDs, Government expenditure on research and development and business expenditure on research and development. The strategy provides for the continued development of a world-class research system underpinned by the essential physical and human infrastructure, almost doubling the number of PhD graduates over its lifespan. Top level researchers will be drawn both from home-grown talent and the brightest that can be attracted from overseas.

The strategy proposes mechanisms to ensure that the investment in research is turned into commercial value to the greatest extent possible. In regard to enterprise, the strategy sets out structures and mechanisms to enhance supports to industry and encourage firms to become more engaged in research and development. Detailed targets are set for this, encapsulated in the goal of increasing business expenditure on research and development from the current level of €1.1 billion to €2.5 billion by 2013.

The strategy has significant implications for the education system as a whole, with curriculum and teacher training improvements focused on ensuring that science is a core element for all students from school entry right through to eventual career choice. A broad agenda is set out in the strategy for public sector research across all key research performing departments. This research will yield important social and economic benefits across areas such as agriculture and food, marine, health, environment and energy.

Under the strategy it is proposed to upscale research across all disciplines, both the physical sciences and the humanities and social sciences. This approach is founded in a belief in the intrinsic value of scholarship, to democratic society and to the work of universities as communities of knowledge and discourse. In addition, there are compelling social and economic reasons to further develop our capabilities in the humanities and social sciences. We must understand the rapid changes taking place in the Irish economy and society as these can help inform a better approach to public policy and decisions. We must also create creative and analytical skills in the context of the global economy, which is increasingly dominated by knowledge industries.