A NEW EU research initiative hopes to add two healthy years to the lives of older people. It is part of a wider plan to boost innovation and tackle major challenges faced by society, said Irish commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.
She was speaking yesterday during the opening address at the fourth Science Foundation Ireland summit in Athlone. The two-day meeting brought together about 260 scientists funded under the foundation’s programmes, and also leading business people.
Research into ageing was just one part of the Europe 2020 Strategy for Jobs and Growth approved by member states earlier this year, the commissioner said. Its goal was to get Europe’s economy going again by investing in research and innovation.
On October 6th, she launched the “Innovation Union” initiative to help make innovation an active part of each member state’s development policy. It included plans to set up cross-community research partnerships, with the first to focus on “active and healthy ageing”, Ms Geoghegan-Quinn said. This had the goal “of adding two healthy years to the lives of older people”, she said.
The commission was determined to stick with its goal of investing 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in research, as defined within the 2020 strategy, she said. This had the potential to create up to 3.7 million jobs and increase GDP by €800 billion by 2025. Investment in research and innovation would help speed up recovery, said Ms Geoghegan-Quinn.
The performance of foundation-funded researchers and their commercial partners had a “clear bearing” on Ireland’s perception abroad and could influence investors, Minister of State for Science, Conor Lenihan said yesterday.
He presented two prizes, including the foundation’s researcher of the year award to Prof Jean-Pierre Colinge of the Tyndall National Institute in Cork for his development of a new type of computer chip. Mr Lenihan also announced the winner of the research image competition, Prof Malini Olivo of NUI Galway.
A number of foundation-funded scientists presented research findings at yesterday’s meeting.
Prof Louise Kenny, professor of obstetrics at University College Cork, described finding a way to identify babies suffering from growth restriction while still in the womb.
Dr Ron Pinhasi, also of University College Cork, described his study of human-Neanderthal interactions more than 39,000 years ago in the Caucasus region.