A leading third-level researcher has accused the Government of treating academics in Irish universities differently from those in the new £130 million Media Lab in Dublin.
Mr Conor Long, dean of research at Dublin City University (DCU), said yesterday that while academics in Irish universities had their research reviewed by their peers, this was not required of those working in the lab, set up by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He said researchers were rightly subjected to peer review but there was concern that "the same rigours may not be applied to research conducted in Media Lab Europe". Peer review, where academics test each others' work, was needed so public money was not wasted.
He said the Media Lab, to which the Government has paid over £40 million, did not seem to be governed by this requirement and was also not governed by the rigorous checks applied by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which controls research grants for Irish universities.
The lab has argued that because the Government has a seat on its board, all spending and academic research would be subject to scrutiny.
Meanwhile, businessman Mr Denis O'Brien has defended the Government's decision to give MIT the money for the lab, despite concerns about the financial risks involved. Mr O'Brien was instrumental in getting the Government to fund the centre.
As reported in The Irish Times yesterday, the Government gave the money, despite worries over the financial future of the facility and MIT's approach to business matters.
On RTE Radio's News At One, he said: "There's always going to be knockers, and we have that problem in Ireland. You have to take risks if you want to turn Ireland into a digital economy." He said it was "absolute codswallop" to state that other European countries decided not to go ahead with the project after a proposal was put to them by MIT. He added that it was inaccurate to say some European governments took a "pass" on the project.
However a memo of November 19th, 1999 - seen by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and written by Mr Dermot McCarthy, then assistant secretary to the Taoiseach's Department - states: "It is true that some other European countries decided against proceeding with such a project with MIT".