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Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr Enda Kenny, T.D. at the closing of the Intel European Research and Innovation Conference 13 October 2011

Thursday 13th October, 2011

 

Introduction

Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be here with you today as part of Intel Technology Week.

 I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the very significant contribution Intel makes to Ireland in terms of employment, economic growth and driving innovation.

 Since I have been elected Taoiseach I have travelled all over the country and have seen at first hand the cutting edge research and innovation that is taking place.

 I have met researchers in immunology, developers of video games, learnt about innovative projects in wind and wave energy and seen at first hand cloud technology that has reduced hospital waiting lists.

 I have found this truly inspiring.

And I know that Intel are world leaders in research and innovation – producing breakthroughs that will transform all our lives in the years head.

I note that the theme of the Conference is a ‘

smart, sustainable and inclusive society’

and its exciting to think of the potential of technology to help achieve that ambition.

I’m also delighted that you are hosting this Conference in Ireland and that so many senior researchers and executives have come here to participate.

I hope you had an enjoyable and productive visit and that we can build more partnerships between Intel and Ireland in the years ahead.

 

Ireland’s Economic Outlook

And I believe that Ireland will continue to be a great place to invest.

 Our real economy is strong.

 After three years of contraction the economy is now returning to growth and we expect that growth to continue at a steady pace.

Our exports continue to perform strongly with a 7% increase recorded in the first quarter of this year. A similar increase is forecast for the year as a whole.

Crucially, our balance of payments is now in surplus – a key indicator of economic sustainability.

Our competitiveness has improved significantly, our labour costs have fallen and we expect this trend to continue this year and next.

And we have no intention of standing still.

The Government is working tirelessly to tackle the economic challenges facing the country.

Innovation

A key aspect of our strategy for economic recovery is investment in research and innovation – which has trebled over the past decade.

In the mid-1980s, it is true to say that Ireland was effectively a third world country in terms of the impact of its scientific research.

But through our trebling of research and development spending over the past  decade we are now in the top 20 in the world for the quality and relevance of our scientific research.

More specifically, Ireland is currently ranked:

-       3

rd

in the world for the quality of research in Immunology;

-       8

th

in the world for the quality of research in Materials Science; and

-      1

st

in the world in the area of genetics and genomics.

While the Government is under intense pressure to cut spending, we recognise that research plays an important role in economic development and in attracting high value investment to Ireland.

It is also important to stress that, contrary to popular belief, a significant amount of spending on research and development comes from industry.

Two-thirds of our total expenditure on R&D comes from the private sector, which is a healthy balance in line with EU targets.

 The key challenge now is to ensure that we maximize the economic and commercial benefit from this investment.

With that in mind, we are currently identifying a limited number of priority areas for future public research expenditure.

This exercise, led by Jim O’Hara, formerly of Intel, has conducted extensive analysis and consultation.

Its Report is close to completion and will provide a blueprint for where we need to concentrate our research investment in the future.

We are also working to increase the efficiency and ease of transforming research into commercial products and services.

Dr. Jim Mountjoy is overseeing development of a new IP protocol to ensure Ireland is best in class when it comes to the transfer of technologies to our enterprise base.

We must also increase the number of partnerships and collaborations between industry and research bodies.

Towards this end, we have recently announced technology centres in cloud computing, manufacturing and energy efficiency research.

These will build on the good work of the existing CSETs, Competence Centres and Strategic Research Clusters.

I know Intel plays an active part in many of these collaborations and is undertaking cutting-edge research in a wide range of areas including cloud computing, networking, advanced manufacturing and security.

 

Education system

And for our part, Government needs to do more in ensuring that our education system meets the needs of our high-tech enterprise base.

 I know that there are some industry concerns about the numbers of students who are choosing and excelling in STEM subjects.

 The introduction of Bonus Points for Maths in 2012 and the mainstreaming of Project Maths will assist in this.

We are also close to finalising an Action Plan to address the high level skills needs of the ICT sector. 

The Plan establishes very ambitious targets for increasing the annual output of ICT computing and electronic engineering graduates by 2018.

 In the interim it identifies a range of actions to increase the domestic supply of high level ICT graduates through the provision of conversion and re skilling opportunities for graduates from other disciplines.

My ambition is for this Government to make real and lasting reforms that will leave us with an education system worthy of 21

st

century students. I want to see our universities and colleges become hot beds of creativity, imagination and entrepreneurship that is flexible in response to economic developments.

 

Conclusion

These reforms are essential because one of Ireland’s strengths is its young population.

We must ensure that their skills and abilities match our dreams for the future.

As the late great Steve Jobs said: “It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led”

As today’s event demonstrates Intel is leading the way when it comes to innovation and high-end research.

And my Government is committed to supporting you in this.

 We will lead Ireland to recovery.

 Innovation and R & D will be vital in this effort.

 I wish you every success.

 Thank-you.

 

ENDS.