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"Innovation requires flexibility on all our parts and an environment whereby the traditionally distant worlds of science and enterprise are allowed to work in close proximity," Sean Sherlock T.D., Minister for Research and Innovation, said today (Thursday).

Minister Sherlock was addressing a ‘Science & Industry: Working Together for Economic Recovery’ breakfast forum hosted by Science Foundation Ireland. The event brought together over 120 leading industry and researcher personnel to showcase elements of the top-class research collaborations taking place across Ireland.

The Minister stated "This Government believes that research and the innovation revolution has a key role to play in Ireland’s economy. We have established a platform of real strength in a number of key scientific and strategically important areas."

"We must continue on the path that sees our on-going research investment aligned to our economic needs, to satisfy the imperative to have research with consequences and growing levels of commercialisation and high-value sustainable jobs."

Minister Sherlock added that he was greatly encouraged by the deepening of the connectivity between Irish academia and industry, as evidenced by the 44% increase in collaborations last year between SFI-funded researchers and industry.

In this regard his closing comments described the Government-funded SFI Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology and Strategic Research Clusters as "a proven and sustainable formula that encourages and expedites multidisciplinary engagement, and that now forms the blueprint for commercially-focused, industry-academic alliances".