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Minister Rabbitte addresses premier scientific conference being held in Dublin 

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte T.D., this evening addressed a conference outlining the value of engineering and science to Ireland’s economy. In a subject closely related to the work of his own Department, Minister Rabbitte addressed an audience of engineers, scientists, academic professionals as well as industry leaders, both national and international.

Speaking at the conference, Minister Rabbitte outlined the Governments ambition to ensure that Ireland is to the fore in the development of a digital economy. ‘Next generation networks, emerging technology and energy efficient data centres are all areas which are highly relevant to today’s conference as well as timely for Ireland’s economic recovery’, Minister Rabbitte said. ‘These innovative solutions will be critical in addressing our economic challenges. Previous private and public sector investment has already ensured that Ireland is well placed and highly successful in attracting multinational ICT manufacturers as well as companies like Google and Facebook. Continuation of this investment will mean continuation of economic benefits.’

In his concluding remarks, Minister Rabbitte pointed to Ireland’s strong history of scholars in the fields of engineering and science. The same expertise will help harness our creativity and vision to deliver sustainable solutions for the future.

The Minister noted that the hosting of this international conference and the TMForum in Dublin this week, represent a vote of confidence in Ireland as a good place to do business and a centre for telecommunications activity and innovation in Europe. The Minister will address the TMForum tomorrow morning (Tuesday 24^th May).

‘If we are to take full advantage of this opportunity, it is vital that we address the shortfall of engineering graduates. The need for enhanced electronic engineering and digital skills is a global and national phenomenon. We have seen promising signs from Government initiatives which have lead to increased acceptance of university places for computing, science and engineering, something we must build on.’