Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a necessity for a balanced approach in all types of research. I am coming from an arts background, and as someone who did history and French, in our "brand new" University of Galway, I very much understand that. I understand how, all the elements in a university that drive it to be excellent across all topics and subjects that we must also acknowledge that the research and development aspects are also vitally important for the emergence of the region and for ensuring that people who study in an area like the west and in small towns have the potential to stay working in those areas. That is because of industries, small, local businesses, working with universities and having the potential to work with them to help them with their research and development. That cannot happen if you do not have some levels of research and universities based in those small regional towns. It is crucial that we fight for those technological universities and we do not somehow disdain shiny tech. Look at medtech and what is being done in health around telehealth at a time when we cannot recruit or retain GPs in rural areas. They need to look at how we will use technologies like that to support people living in rural areas. I would never disdain that type of research and innovation. It has been used in so many areas and sectors, including nursing, and other parts of research. It is not solely to do with science or engineering.