Research spending has increased significantly over the past decade but further investment is required if expenditure on scientific research is to meet planned targets, according to the Government's chief scientific adviser.
In his first major public statement on research investment since taking office this year on January 1st, Prof Patrick Cunningham noted Ireland had now reached the OECD average for spending on research.
Investment by the private sector and Government had reached 1.6 per cent as a proportion of Gross National Product (GNP), up from 1.4 per cent.
He added, however, that Ireland would have to "up its game" if it was to reach the Government's own target of 2.5 per cent of GNP by 2013. "Despite our improvement it will be a challenge to reach that target," Prof Cunningham said.
His comments came yesterday during an address to an international conference of the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers at University College Dublin.
Goals set by the National Development Plan 2007-2013 (NDP) had set a target of 2.5 per cent of GNP by 2013, Prof Cunningham told the conference. While achieving the OECD average represented "good progress", the 2.5 per cent target was still some way off.
"In that respect we still have a big job of work to do but we have the policy commitment in the National Development Plan, the resources and the structures with which to do it," he said.
The expenditure figures from the science advisory body, Forfás showed that spending on research in third-level institutions had trebled in the past decade from €200 million to €600 million. Business spending on research has now passed the €1.5 billion mark, up 17 per cent in 2006.
The NDP details research spending worth €8.2 billion, with one-third from the State and two-thirds from the private sector. "That is roughly the proportionate split of the spending now," Prof Cunningham said.
"As the Government increases its spending substantially, the challenge is to ensure the private sector does so too."
Responding to Prof Cunningham's comments, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin said increased spending was closing the research gap with our international competitors. He acknowledged it was "undeniably a challenge to realise the ambitious goals" set by the Government's science strategy. But these goals were "underpinned" by funding from the NDP and a co-ordinated approach involving Government, enterprise agencies and the higher education sector.
Prof Cunningham said efforts to achieve a knowledge economy were supported by the university sector and the science community in general.
"We are certainly not among Europe's leaders yet and there is a major challenge ahead to get us there. But Ireland now has the resources, the policy commitment and the structures to achieve this ambition."