Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I am delighted to be here to speak about this important year for Irish science and, most particularly, the Euroscience Open Forum, ESOF, 2012, which is being held in our capital city this summer. The programme for Dublin City of Science 2012 has been up and running since its launch on 26 January. This is very much an historic year for science in Ireland. We have already seen the science theme to the fore during the St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin. The centrepiece of the year will be the largest science meeting in Europe, the ESOF, which we will be privileged to host from 11 to 15 July in the new convention centre in Dublin.

Preparations for the prestigious ESOF are at a very advanced stage as we seek to showcase Ireland and our scientific prowess to the very best of our ability. As London is preparing to host the summer Olympic Games shortly, Dublin is essentially hosting the European scientific equivalent. ESOF 2012 will place Dublin and Ireland at the centre of world science for a period next month, with lasting positive consequences for Ireland's scientific reputation. It will connect with the people of Dublin and the rest of Ireland via the Science in the City events, in addition to the many initiatives running country-wide as part of the public engagement programme.

The ESOF is a biennial, pan-European meeting, dedicated wholly to scientific research and innovation. It is the largest and most prestigious general science meeting in Europe and it is held in a European city every two years. It was first held in Stockholm in 2004, followed by Munich in 2006, Barcelona in 2008 and Turin in 2010. The ESOF can be described as a multidisciplinary, general science meeting and it aims to showcase the latest advances in science and technology and promote dialogue on their role in society and public policy. It aims to stimulate and provoke public interest, excitement and debate about these subjects.

The ESOF conference is unique in that it is both international and multidisciplinary. It presents breakthroughs in many disciplines as varied as mathematics, music, geography and genetics through a range of formats, including lectures, workshops and lunches. Moreover, the ESOF presents and discusses the frontiers of scientific and technological research in Europe, contributing to the development of a tangible European scientific identity. It also bridges the gap between science and society and stimulates policies to support scientific research.

The ESOF is the brainchild of the Euroscience organisation which was founded in 1997 by members of Europe's research community to provide an open forum for debate on science and technology and research policies in Europe, strengthen the links between science and society and contribute to the creation of an integrated space for science and technology in Europe. It also aims to link research organisations and policies at national and EU levels, strive for a greater role for the European Union in research and influence science and technology policies.

When it was first proposed in 2007 that Ireland should compete to bring the ESOF to Dublin, the motivation was very much to highlight, on the international stage, the benefits and fruits of Ireland's decade-long programme of significant investment in science and research. Beginning in the late 1990s, Ireland began to invest considerable resources in science, technology and innovation as a means of pursuing economic development. In the ensuing decade public investment in research through the Higher Education Authority, Science Foundation Ireland and the other research-funding agencies increased by approximately 14 % per year, which was twice the rate of growth in GDP at the time. In total, some 3,200 new scientific posts have been added to our third level institutions. In the past five years publication rates have almost doubled and the rate of citation of Irish science output, the standard measure of quality, is now above US and European Union average levels. Moreover, business research and development investment has increased in parallel. Figures from IDA Ireland indicate that, last year alone, nearly half of foreign direct investment was in research and development projects, which is most encouraging and promising.

Our research and science infrastructure, in terms of the physical capital and the equipment in our laboratories, in addition to the intellectual capital in our scientists, is a key legacy from the boom years. These investments have created real and enduring value and will now play a central role in our economic recovery. With this in mind, a coalition of public and private groups, including the Government, third level institutions and industry, worked together for six months, beginning in 2007, to prepare a bid to bring the large-scale ESOF event to Dublin for 2012. This bid was subsequently submitted to Euroscience and the good news that Dublin was successful in the face of stiff competition from the competing city of Vienna was received in Strasbourg in autumn 2008. I acknowledge the role of the chief scientific adviser to the Government, Professor Patrick Cunningham, and his diligent team by reason of their important work in the bid phase and all the preparations for this year's significant events.

The main ESOF programme will be held in the convention centre in Dublin and it is hoped will attract in the region of 5,000 scientists, business leaders, senior EU and government officials, international scientific media and science graduates and enthusiasts to our shores to discuss the best of Irish and European science. The programme will cover all of the current major global scientific challenges, including those in the areas of health, food, energy and climate change. It will also cover fundamental issues such as the origin of the universe and human evolution. Traditionally, the Euroscience Open Forum, ESOF, has focused on the natural sciences, that is, physics, chemistry, biology, etc. However, in view of Ireland's rich literary and cultural heritage, it was decided, for this conference, to broaden the remit to include the humanities, arts and social sciences. Indeed, the confluence of science, technology, society and culture will be a pervasive theme over the course of the whole meeting. An exciting list of international keynote speakers will address the conference, including: - and I cite a non-exhaustive list - Jocelyn Bell Burnell, president of the Institute of Physics, United Kingdom; Charles Bolden, a NASA administrator; Peter Doherty, a Nobel prize-winner in immunology, University of Melbourne; James Watson, a Nobel prize-winner in genetics, Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory; and Jules Hoffmann, a Nobel prize-winner in immunology and the research director at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France. One also will have the opportunity to hear about science from humanitarian and human development perspectives and these viewpoints will be provided by Sir Bob Geldof and former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner, Mary Robinson, respectively. Moreover, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, will give a keynote address on policy day, which will be Friday, 13 July.

The scientific programme for the five-day conference is acknowledged as being among the best ever and one can safely say the Dublin conference is already taking shape to be the best and brightest ESOF to date. Across the five days of the conference, there will be more than 150 science, careers andscience-2-business sessions, with more than 500 speakers, including 27 keynote speakers and, incredibly, five Nobel laureates, many panel discussions, an interactive exhibition, a busy marketplace and a lively social programme. The science-2-business programme promises to be an excellent one and the 14 workshops over the course of four days will be extremely informative and valuable, for all concerned, in terms of highlighting the process of transforming the outputs of publicly-funded research into successful business innovations and outcomes. The programme will enable and facilitate delegates of all backgrounds to obtain knowledge and advice, as well as to make valuable contacts, relevant to whatever stage of the journey from scientific discovery to business formation they currently are on. The marketplace exhibition is another exciting element of the science-2-business programme and it will provide a meeting point for the different elements of the business start-up ecosystem, such as venture capital and a number of advisory services. This marketplace will provide researchers with the opportunity to obtain expert advice and valuable contacts to assist them on their journey. Furthermore, and as part of the marketplace, I have been informed there also will be a "Careers Expo", enabling researchers, of all ages and levels of experience, to meet and engage with leading international employers from the biomedical and engineering sectors. I consider this to be a key element of the programme because ultimately, our greatest economic challenge is to create jobs and ensure we have people who are adequately skilled to take up those jobs.

The benefits to Ireland during and following ESOF are numerous. There will be an immediate economic impact from the approximately 5,000 international visitors who are expected to attend. Fáilte Ireland estimates that each delegate at a business conference contributes approximately €1,500 to the economy. At a strategic level, the event will provide a platform to showcase the best of Irish science and research across all disciplines and reinforce the international image of Ireland as a leading centre of scientific and research excellence. Domestically, it also is intended that the year will leave a positive legacy by serving as a catalyst for enhancing the understanding and appreciation of science, particularly in the eyes of our young people. In addition, to maximise the overall economic impact of hosting the July event, a campaign has been under way to encourage all scientific, academic and professional associations to target the bringing of international conferences in their areas of specialty to Ireland during 2012 and there has been success to date in this regard. ESOF has partnered with 37 conferences that focus the spotlight on Ireland as a scientific hub. There are also several satellite events surrounding the ESOF conference that are intrinsically linked to the forum. These include the Marie Curie Actions Conference, which will attract more than 4,000 Marie Curie fellows to Dublin, the European Union Science Events Association, EUSEA, annual conference of 2012 and the Robert Boyle summer school in Waterford.

Members will be aware that for 2012, Dublin is the self-proclaimed city of science and this ties in nicely with our hosting of the Euroscience Open Forum. The Dublin City of Science 2012 festival will consist of a year-long programme of science celebration that aims to engage the public to create a greater understanding and interest in science. Outside of the ESOF conference, the Dublin City of Science 2012 festival is there to be enjoyed by all and is all about opening people's minds to science. A total of 160 events will take place as part of this festival, as well as the science in the city programme element of the ESOF conference itself, all of which will serve to celebrate and promote the best of Irish and European science. The Dublin City of Science 2012 festival is delivering science in a new way, through arts and cultural activities, and there are interesting events for all audiences, from those with little scientific knowledge to the more science-literate, which encompass all age groups. The festival provides a new opportunity for science engagement with young people and is seeking to spark an interest in those not currently engaged. Festivals are also taking place in Cork, namely, the CuriousCity festival and the Discovery Science Festival and in Galway, where the Galway Science and Technology Festival will take place in the autumn. It is hoped that science and the wonder of discovery will be celebrated nationwide throughout the course of this significant year for science and technology in Ireland. The events running as part of the Dublin City of Science 2012 festival include theatre and dance, tours and trails, street performances, exhibitions, public talks and lectures, all of which will include a core science message. To this end, everyone is being encouraged to find further details on the festival's website, dublinscience2012.ie. A central objective for the aforementioned festival is to raise awareness of science and of the possibilities for careers in science and this year presents a great opportunity to engage with the public on the theme of science.

On the matter of Ireland's science heritage, Ireland has an extremely rich culture of science that goes back as far as the Irish monks who set up monasteries across the European Continent in the Middle Ages. We have an outstanding scientific heritage in which we should take pride and we shouldpass on this positive legacy to our children. It is clear the Irish have a proven aptitude for science and innovation, with Robert Boyle, John Tyndall and Francis Beaufort being just a few of our most famous scientists.

As the Minister of State with responsibility for research and innovation, Members will all appreciate that I consider science to be a core part of employment creation and retention. It is through strategic investment, working with Science Foundation Ireland and in close collaboration with Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, other State agencies and the commercial sector, that Ireland is now perceived internationally as an emergent scientific influencer. Many Members will be aware that our scientific research capabilities have been dramatically enhanced over the past decade and Ireland has leaped up the international rankings in terms of the quality of its research. Ireland is now in the top 20 countries in overall scientific global rankings and is excelling in a range of key disciplines, including immunology, materials science and computer science. Arising from this strengthened research system, we have established a strong base of enterprise in Ireland across a range of key sectors. Nine of the top ten global pharmaceutical companies are located in Ireland and 11 of the top 12 global medical technology companies have a manufacturing base here.

As for the funding of ESOF and the Dublin City of Science 2012 festival, the Government, through my own Department, has provided significant funding to support the initiative. In addition, extensive fundraising has been undertaken and this has resulted in resources being raised from industry and international organisations. Key sponsors and supporters include the European Commission, Robert Bosch Stiftung, IBM, Intel, Janssen, EirGrid, Bord Gáis, the Marine Institute, the Abbott Fund and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology, COST, framework, as well as Elsevier, Teagasc and Dublin City Council. Expenditure of €6 million is being supported by revenue from the Exchequer, sponsorship, exhibition rental, registration fees and support from the European Commission. Euroscience Open Forum, ESOF, Dublin City of Science 2012 has received extensive sponsorship from enterprise.

We are fortunate we have been able to count on broad support from all sides from the outset of ESOF Dublin City of Science initiative. We will be counting on that support even more as we ensure the year itself and the central conference will be a significant success for all. The hosting of the ESOF 2012 and the associated designating of Dublin as city of science for this year is a significant achievement and milestone for all of us, whether we are scientists, members of the general public, public representatives, from industry, from academia, from the community and voluntary sectors or from the arts and cultural sphere. There is substantial prestige surrounding Dublin's successful bid to host the renowned ESOF for 2012.

I acknowledge the role of the many stakeholders involved in the process to bring ESOF to Dublin and those who have developed the accompanying Dublin city of science programme which is being rolled out over the course of the year. They include the office of the chief scientific adviser, Forfás, the Dublin city of science local organising committee, the many associated working groups and committees and everyone who has volunteered to make this initiative happen.

I wish all Members an enjoyable and positive experience at the ESOF and Dublin City of Science 2012. I hope they will spread the word about these events as Dublin gets ready to assume the centre stage of European science and register to participate at esof2012.org.