European scientist says Irish funding is mean

The European Science Foundation could not have found a more rounded professional to serve as secretary general. Prof Enric Banda, who took over the top position last summer, has been around the block in the science world.

He is a geophysicist, and spent 20 years as a working scientist in research, and also in the private sector. He was a manager in a number of science agencies in his native Spain, eventually becoming the director of the Earth Sciences Institute in Barcelona and then general secretary of the national research and development plan.

He entered politics as secretary of state for universities and research, and as such he chaired the research council during the 1995 Spanish EU presidency.

He believes this varied career gives him a unique perspective on the mechanics that allow scientific research to take place, enabling him to be at once the poacher, the gamekeeper and even the game.

He is on tour, meeting each of the 65 constituent research bodies in 22 countries that together make up the ESF.

The bodies here include Enterprise Ireland, the Health Research Board and the Royal Irish Academy.

"From the ESF we see Ireland as a tiger economy within the European scene," he said in Dublin late last week.

"It has enjoyed more growth than other European countries. This used to be Spain in terms of research and development and now it is Ireland."

Now that Ireland has brought in the high-technology companies, it must keep up the momentum by an even greater investment in research, particularly basic research, he said.

"The basic research has to be there. The only problem politically in defending basic research is the long-term aspects," he admitted.

"Politicians tend to want results tomorrow because the next election will be the day after tomorrow. But still, somebody has to tell the politicians and citizens that investment in basic research is long term and gives much better dividends in the future.

"Politicians should be aware of that and sell basic research to the public in social terms. Society at large and the scientific community should not forgive a government for not being a little bit more risky in investing in these longterm goals."

He said scientists here must also learn to work closely with industry. "There has been a lot of noise about the transfer of technology from academia to industry. This is past now."

Now the key was partnership between the two sides.

If a good partnership existed, then you did not transfer technology, you transferred knowledge, "and technology will be a consequence of that".

He believes Ireland would be better served by modifying the present balance between public and private funding for Irish science.

"I think the balance of 40 per cent public sector to 60 per cent private sector is slightly too high on the private side. I don't mean there should be less investment from them, but more public investment."

He also spoke of Ireland's research spending which, at 1.4 per cent of GDP, "is still below the EU average, but it is well above Italy at about 1 per cent and Spain at about 0.9 per cent."

He praised the quality of Irish science and scientists.

"Ireland has excellent scientists and they should be seen on the international scene; they should be there more often than they are. I think this is due to a rather mean basic research scene in Ireland."