It is therefore vital that we ensure the best possible return from our NDP investment. We must ensure co-ordination and synergy across all the RTDI sectors and activities involved. For this reason the Government agreed that we should assess the existing situation and ensure that the RTDI support from Government in the NDP is implemented in the most efficient and effective way. The Government therefore asked the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, ICSTI, to convene a commission to bring forward specific proposals for an appropriate framework for an over-arching national policy for research and technological development.