It is to the great credit of the Tánaiste and the Government that they eventually realised that this could not continue and that, by failing to invest in science, we were putting the future growth of our economy at risk. From that realisation came the commitment to invest over €700 million in scientific research over the period of the current national economic plan. Scientific Foundation Ireland is the vehicle through which that money will be disbursed. The sum of €700 million may seem enormous, but it is not that large when one considers the task we face. In a few short years we will have to convince a sceptical world that we can become a world-class centre for scientific research. We will have succeeded if people come to regard Ireland as a leading international scientific centre.