The Cabinet will today receive the long-delayed spending plans that map out State expenditure on scientific research over the coming years. The plans detail billions of euro worth of funding to be spent by a range of departments between now and 2013.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mícheál Martin will present the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) to Cabinet, delivered after protracted negotiations between his own department and the Department of Education and Science.
The Cabinet is expected to discuss and approve the document quickly, allowing publication of the SIP before the end of this month.
The plan was largely completed months ago, and was expected to be discussed at Cabinet and released last January. This was delayed, however, after the political furore that surrounded the departure from office last November of the State's first chief science advisor, Barry McSweeney, over his doctoral degree, which came from an unrecognised US college.
Mr McSweeney was heavily involved in developing the spending plans detailed in the SIP and his move to the Department of Communications slowed the document's completion.
The research spending will form an important part of the Government's next national development plan which runs until 2013.
The SIP details all funding related to scientific research disbursed through a number of departments including Enterprise Trade and Employment, Education and Science, Health and Agriculture.
The value of the plan has been closely guarded but it runs into billions of euro given that the existing science budget for 2000-2006 was worth €2.54 billion.
