Downturn won't affect State's investment in RD

THE GOVERNMENT remains committed to its planned investment in scientific research despite the apparent downturn in the economy. The commitment is "all the more important" given growing competition from low-labour-cost countries, according to Minister of State Jimmy Devins.

The National Development Plan includes public and private science, technology and innovation spending worth €8.2 billion over its lifetime, he said.

"The finance is in the National Development Plan for 2007 to 2013. It is vitally important and the Government is totally committed to substantial and significant investment," Dr Devins said.

Dr Devins was speaking in Dublin after presenting an award at the inaugural Enterprise Ireland Applied Research Forum. The forum is designed to help tell scientists how to commercialise their research discoveries.

"Our researchers are at the cutting edge and they are supplying the ideas that will be turned into jobs in the future," he said.

It was becoming more difficult for Ireland to compete for jobs against low-cost economies, something that made it "all the more important" for Ireland to invest in research, he said. Ireland continues to make steady progress towards a knowledge economy and the creation of jobs associated with innovation. "But we must drive it forward," he said.

He acknowledged it takes time to bring discoveries out of the labs but it is important to speed up the rate at which research was commercialised. "We can't have that on a 10-, 15- or 20-year cycle. That is too long," said Dr Devins.

Enterprise Ireland's Applied Research Forum brought together several hundred delegates including research scientists and business people. They heard about commercialisation success stories before breaking into workshops.

Dr Devins presented the forum's "One To Watch" award, given to the researcher whose commercialisation efforts were deemed to have the greatest potential.

Computer scientist Dr Declan Dagger captured the award for his Trinity College spin-out company ETU, EmpowerTheUser. The company has developed two systems that support e-learning, the delivery of education via computers and other technologies.