IRELAND’S ABILITY to compete for research funding received a boost yesterday after it was ranked eighth in the world for the quality of its research in the area of materials science.
Data compiled by Thomson Reuters shows that Ireland has punched above its weight in this field – which includes nanoscience – for the past decade, and is ranked well ahead of larger countries such as France, Canada and Australia. The data also revealed that many of Ireland’s top-rated research papers were prepared in Trinity College’s nanoscience institute, Crann.
Professor John Boland, director of Crann, said that global recognition of the quality of the work being done here was essential for attracting international funding. “These rankings are critical as they increase Ireland’s competitiveness amongst research institutes around the world who compete for non-exchequer and corporate funding for research programmes,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking at a medical symposium at Dublin’s Science Gallery yesterday, Minister for Science Conor Lenihan commended the work of Irish and international research communities in the area of translational medicine, which focuses on “translating” scientific discoveries into medical advances.
The strong international component of the symposium, which was organised by Science Foundation Ireland, and the involvement of the prestigious journal Science Translational Medicine showed that Ireland is “very much open for business”, Minister Lenihan said.
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