The Government is to spend an unprecedented £1.9 billion on science over seven years under the National Development Plan, and within the next few weeks it will decide how to spend £560 million of that total. This is the amount committed under the heading Technology Foresight, and will be invested for research efforts in two areas, biotechnology and computing.
The Cabinet was to have decided how to spend the £560 million before Christmas but discussions are still under way. It is now thought that a decision will not be taken until some time in early February, with a final announcement on the foresight plans and on a new national science foundation expected soon after.
In an effort to broaden debate on the foresight issue, for the next two weeks Science Today will offer independent views of how the money should be spent to bring about the greatest benefit to the taxpayer and the State.
The first view is by one of Ireland's leading scientists, Prof David McConnell, who in his report this morning argues that Ireland should adopt the spending methods used by the US government and by two of the world's most important funders of research, the Wellcome Trust and the Howard Hughes Foundation.