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Tue 08 Aug 2009We must play to research strengths of universities
OPINION:THE QUESTIONING by the McCarthy report of the economic value of public research is not new but just another twist in the torn attitude that appears in policy circles to investment in science, writes LIAM DONNELLY
Over the past 40 years, Ireland has had a succession of initiatives aimed at linking science with industry, the most notable of which was the establishment of the Programmes of Advanced Technology (Pats) under the 1989-1994 National Development Plan. Rightly or wrongly, the Pats were not regarded as being successful in achieving the expected industrial impact and, by the mid-1990s, political support for public investment in science was at a low ebb.
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