The science budget, handled by the Office of Science and Technology, has fallen by 2 per cent in the Estimates, which will reduce spending during 1999 by £475,000. The 1999 allocation to the OST is £25,414,000 compared to £25,889,000 for 1998. The OST, which is within the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, uses these funds to support third-level research, grants to graduate students, the Programmes for Advanced Technology and EU-related programmes.
The Exchequer can recoup up to 75 per cent of the total spend from the EU. The cut resulted from "savings" achieved by the OST, according to a spokesman. "We will have to sit down and spread the burden across the programme," he said yesterday. Where the cuts were made could be important, said Dr John Donovan, executive secretary of the Irish Research Scientists' Association. "It is going to depend where it falls. That £475,000 is real cash that people won't be able to spend. It is a bad precedent."