The SFI-funded Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSETs) have been urged by Science and Technology Minister Conor Lenihan TD to continue to push the boundaries of research because the stakes have never been higher.
Minister Lenihan was addressing a workshop attended by the directors of the various CSETs based around Ireland, which are in effect large-scale research centres that compete on the international stage.
Each of the CSETs has a role to play in winning research contracts, attracting scientific talent, working with local industry and attracting overseas industry to Ireland.
The purpose of today’s workshop was to discuss technology transfer, knowledge exchange, intellectual property and project management.
“The CSET is a model of the future that is very much working in our present. But the stakes have never been higher, and we strongly urge you to push the boundaries in each and every way,” the Minister told the CSET directors.
“Measurable results emanating from CSETs will strengthen science’s hand and raise its profile at what is now a pivotal stage in determining how – and when – we initiate our economic regeneration,” Minister Lenihan concluded.
The CSETs were described by the director general of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Frank Gannon as the blueprint for how collaborative research is conducted in Ireland, especially in terms of industry-academic partnership.
“CSET funding spans a five-year period; continued scientific excellence in all areas is a requirement for funding and therefore it is essential that we gather to assess progress and structures on an ongoing basis over that time,” Gannon said.
By John Kennedy
Pictured: Professor Frank Gannon, SFI Director General, and Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan TD
Picture Conor McCabe/Jason Clarke Photography
