Two events point to the continued evolution of Government science policy. The State's first chief science adviser took up his new position last week and, at the same time, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste attended a two-hour "science summit" at Dublin Castle.
The two events indicate a continued engagement by the Government in its stated aim of creating a knowledge-based economy here, based on brainpower rather than brawnpower. The goal is to become the originator of new knowledge and then capitalise on it, a move from the existing situation where scientists in other countries originate innovations and we are left to build them. While the latter paradigm has served us well, delivering the vaunted Celtic Tiger economy, the Government now acknowledges our future economic growth will come from innovation. Mr Ahern said as much to the 300 scientists who attended the summit, organised by research funder Science Foundation Ireland.
The meeting brought the Taoiseach and Tánaiste face- to-face with some of the State's leading research scientists, who described their work and why it would pay dividends in the coming years. Trinity College biochemist, Prof Luke O'Neill, assured Mr Ahern and the assembled guests that someone in the room would, within the next two, three or four years, announce a ground breaking discovery of international importance.
More striking than the conduct of the meeting itself was the involvement of both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. Both remained for the full two hours, listening to the points being made directly to them. Mr Ahern then made his closing comments, not from a script but as a live response to what he had heard. Optimists will view this as an indication that the Government continues to keep scientific research at the core of its policy programme, pointing also at Ms Harney's references to Mr Ahern's role as chair of the new Cabinet committee on science and technology.
Even sceptics will take heart given the appointment of Dr Barry McSweeney as the Government's first chief science adviser. Dr McSweeney left a prominent post as head of the EU's largest directorate-general, the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy. A doughty Munsterman, he will be no pushover if the Government shirks the responsibility now facing it - a reaffirmation of current policy on State funding for research.
Mr Ahern and Ms Harney hinted at fresh funding proposals but neither talked figures. In this regard, it is time to prove that a knowledge-based economy is the goal. Show us the money.