EUROPE: The EU Commissioner for Research has said Ireland's EU presidency - from January to June next year - is a chance to promote European research and could represent a "turning point" in EU science.
Mr Phillippe Busquin has also warned that Europe can only remain competitive and create jobs if it develops its research and development capacity.
Mr Busquin, who met the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, during a short visit to Dublin in the run-up to the Irish presidency,said it was very important for it to organise meetings between industry and researchers.
During his visit, he also discussed Irish science policy with civil servants and visited research centres at Trinity College Dublin and Teagasc's National Food Centre in Dunsany, Co Meath.
Mr Busquin urged Ms Harney to set up new linkages between industry and academic researchers.
He said the European Commission had organised a meeting for April 2004 involving all of Europe's research universities where they would discuss their role "in the knowledge society".
He said researchers played a "very important economic role" in helping to develop products from fundamental research.
"We must explain to Europe that we can keep our \ place in the world only through research and development," Mr Busquin said.
"It is very important that the Irish presidency give an impulse in this area," he added.
"In my view the Irish presidency is a turning point because you have many ideas, but now you must implement more at the member state level and also begin to prepare for the seventh framework programme."
He said the EU would begin to put together its next framework research funding programme during the Irish presidency and would lay plans to fund research through 2013.
Mr Busquin said he expected to see larger budgets for European research but the real issue would be one of efficiency.
"It is not more money for more money, it is more a need to be more efficient. We must develop better links between enterprise and the university research centres and enable better co-ordination at the European level."