Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will try to get through all the questions. I thank the Senators for their support for and recognition of the importance of Innovation 2020 and the science strategy. This House certainly understands the importance of investing in research and development. This is taxpayers' money and we have a duty to invest it properly. We have had this discussion before about following the money and tracking it to ensure we are getting a return on it. We are trying to do that. We are trying to put in place the procedures and the metrics to measure the return to which I refer.

I say it often to the various lecturers across all disciplines. I ask them to help us track their students so that we can see where they are going. These students are having major influence when they leave Trinity College Dublin or other universities, be it UCD or DCU. They are heading out into industry and they have an influence across many areas in society. Consider William C. Campbell, who won the Nobel Prize. He is an Irish person abroad. We want to have someone from here, funded by Ireland through the taxpayer, to do likewise.

Part of measuring the return on taxpayers' money is to follow our people to see where they are and what they are doing. As well as all the other methods of measuring spin-outs, companies and jobs, we need to track these people. This will help us win more money. Much of what we are trying to do with the science strategy involves constructing a roadmap in order to develop and make a business case for increased investment of taxpayers' money and private investment. Advocating STEM subjects and encouraging young people to take them up, which is where Senator White started, is so important.

I have asked the research community and all those who are doing great work about this. I have visited all the different facilities around the country and the potential is there but what is being developed behind the scenes and is coming through in all the research centres needs to be talked about more. We need to show off. Researchers are probably quiet by nature. We need them to talk more about what they are doing and to get young people interested in them in order that they might follow their stories. It goes back again to parents and grandparents who are making decisions for students-----