Strong links need to be established between universities and the health service to guarantee real medical breakthroughs, a conference at University College Cork was told yesterday.
Dr Ruth Barrington, chief executive of the Health Research Board (HRB), also said the health service in Ireland should be viewed as a resource for economic growth and development.
"It [the health service] is still seen unfortunately as a black hole which absorbs resources. The analogy I would make is that in the 1960s we used to think of our educational system as a drain on public resources. But from then onwards we saw education as the key to unlocking the potential of our people.
"The health service is the key to unlock the potential of people to contribute to social development through research, innovation and the application of new ideas." Dr Barrington, who was speaking at the "Integrating Health Research - Sharing Visions" conference, said the HRB was working with the Health Service Executive to build a research mindset in order to mirror the kind of activity which has been going on in universities over the last 10 years.
Dr Barrington said it was important to note that today's research is tomorrow's healthcare and that research in the past has transformed our modern healthcare. It was vital for universities and the health service to work together on research as this would lead to real medical breakthroughs in the future, she said.
"Getting the basic scientist to talk to the people who understand the patients and the clients of the health service and getting that two-way conversation around research is going to bring benefits to better health.
"It is also going to lead to new product development and have an economic spin-off down the road," Dr Barrington said.
Prof Geraldine McCarthy, head of UCC's school of nursing and midwifery, said the conference was organised to bridge a gap in research.
"If some of my staff are involved in research and care of the elderly, well there are doctors, pharmacists and therapists who are also conducting projects around that. But we never meet to talk about it. So the conference really is an attempt to bring us together," Prof McCarthy said.