Eight expert panels highlight areas of technological growth

The State's first Technology Foresight Exercise has been conducted over the past 12 months under its chairman, Mr Brian Sweeney…

The State's first Technology Foresight Exercise has been conducted over the past 12 months under its chairman, Mr Brian Sweeney, chairman of Siemens Ireland. Its objective was to attempt to cast forward to 2015 and try to anticipate how Ireland might best benefit from a technological future. Eight panels were assembled, drawing on a wide body of experience and expertise from academia, industry, business and finance. Each panel in turn produced its own report and drawing on these the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation produced its own overview. The following are short descriptions of the findings of the eight panels.

Health and Life Sciences

The panel agreed that one horizontal technology was influencing the development of the health and life science industries, biotechnology. It urges Government to establish and fund a national biotechnology investment programme to build a viable biotechnology infrastructure. The aim is to create so-called "clustering conditions" to connect the interrelated elements needed for research, commercialisation and delivery of biotechnology innovation. This could help consolidate older chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech industries, the food and drink sector and agriculture.

Information and Communications Technologies

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The core recommendation from this panel is the creation of a centre for advanced informatics at an estimated cost of £250 million over five years, which would attract and inspire a new generation of ICT researchers. It suggests the minimum size for such a team would be 200 professionals and that Ireland should aim to develop a centre to this size within a three-year period. The panel described quality ICT education as the key to success in this sector and recommends a centre for the teaching of science. It also calls for a new class of venture company with an understanding of the high-tech sector.

Materials and Manufacturing Processes

Manufacturing companies need to change their culture by investing in information technology and moving towards products and services that add value, the panel recommends. It urges stronger linkages to the third-level research sector for access to skilled personnel. It calls for the existing programmes in advanced technology to be strengthened to ensure they become the recognised interface between industry and the third-level sector. There needs to be investment in product design education and efforts are required to attract product design companies to Ireland.

Natural Resources (Agri-food, Marine, Forestry)

Centres of excellence are needed in areas of vital strategic importance including biotechnology, the panel determined. It identified the need for a national manpower programme for science and technology and grants and tax incentives to encourage agri-food industry investment. Biotechnology research was also identified as necessary in the marine and forestry sub-sectors dealt with by this panel. Marine required the development of sustainable harvesting and production methods.

Chemical and Pharmaceutical

The panel identified four "future-proofed" strategies to enable this sector to flourish, starting with the creation of a ministerial-level task force to make Ireland the most favourable location in the world to establish such companies. It seeks a £50 million investment over five years to create five national centres of excellence in key chemical and pharmaceutical technologies. It wants another £200 million to support a "research voucher" scheme to reduce research costs and support from the HEA to ensure the availability of quality research back-up in third-level institutions. Enterprise Ireland should make the nurturing of the indigenous sector one of its highest priorities.

Transport and Logistics

The transport and logistics sectors are central to sustained economic development but there is lack of co-ordination between the sectors, this panel found. It called for the appointment of a Minister for Transport incorporating logistics, integrated national and regional planning under a body such as the National Transport Authority and the creation of a forum which linked Government with the business sector. It also called for public and private sector research into areas such as inter-modal transport, demand management, telematics and land use development.

Energy

This panel considered how Ireland should manage its energy demand in light of our commitments under the Kyoto Climate Change Protocol. It identified strategic technologies including wave energy, co-generation and condensing boiler technology and IT requirements. It wants a multi-annual research, development and demonstration programme for new and renewable energy technologies and suggested Ireland should become a centre of excellence and expertise in the provision and export of emissions treating services and products.

Construction and Infrastructure

The sector needs research spending equivalent to 1 per cent of annual construction output, the panel argues. Indicative costs suggest spending on strategic technologies worth £696 million over the next 15 years, 60 per cent from the industry and 40 per cent from the State. Strategic technologies in this sector include smart materials, advanced prefabrication technology and robotics. The sector will benefit from research into materials technology and from more application of information technology to improve efficiency.