At a recent conferring ceremony, UCD's president Dr Art Cosgrove spoke out against proposals to establish two new research institutes, as suggested in the "Technology Foresight" document, which was produced by the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (ICSTI). "Proposals to establish new research institutes should be viewed with caution," he warned. "Stand-alone institutes would not have the capacity to match the scale of interdisciplinarity available within the universities." The ICSTI document identifies information and communication technologies and biotechnology as niche areas of focus. "They are strategic technologies for the continued development of important national sectors," according to the ICSTI task force.

"In the context of the development of existing indigenous firms, the attraction of a new phase of multinational companies to Ireland and the creation of new technology-based enterprises, the Irish economy must develop a credible base of knowledge and activities in these key technologies. Competing in these technologies means competing with the best in the world. "A world-class research capability in selected niches of these two enabling technologies is an essential foundation for future growth."

There are two models for spending the "Technology Foresight" funds, suggests the ICSTI's Shane O'Mara. "You can concentrate resources on a model which builds a building and employs a lot of people, or you can follow the US's distributed research model, where you farm out research projects on the basis of scientific excellence and create a virtual institute." The latter model, O'Mara argues, is preferable. "I would be concerned that a greenfield site would mean that third-level research and teaching would be adversely affected. As it is, third-level computer departments worldwide are understrength."

"The way the research is to be conducted has to be approached with great care," comments TCD's Tom Mitchell. "Great care must be taken to ensure that things are carefully managed to bring about partnership and collaboration between all the research resources in the country. That's the way to go. We're a small country and need to pool our research capacity."