Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, President Irish Universities Association
(IUA), is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Ned Costello as the
new IUA Chief Executive Officer. He will replace Mr Michael
McGrath who is retiring after 10 years with the IUA.
Mr Costello, who will take up duty in early January 2007 is currently
Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and
Employment where he is Head of the Office of Science, Technology and
Innovation. He has been the driving force behind the Government's
Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation which maps out the
future for research and development in Ireland, including plans to
double PhD output in the Sciences and Humanities and to strengthen the
role of the Higher Education system in knowledge transfer and
commercialisation.
In his capacity as head of the OSTI and Chair of the Interdepartmental
Committee on STI, Mr Costello has worked closely with the university
sector, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education
and Science. Previously, he has held a variety of roles within the
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the fields of
Enterprise and Labour Market policy including chairing the Government's
Taskforce on Lifelong Learning. He is currently a Member of the
Boards of Science Foundation Ireland and the Tyndall National Institute
at UCC. Mr Costello holds a Bachelor of Education degree from NUI and
an MSc in Strategic Management from the University of Dublin.
318MMcS
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