EU Commissioner commends Tyndall’s Industry Engagement
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EU Commissioner commends Tyndall’s Industry Engagement
29.11.2011

On a recent visit to Tyndall National Institute, UCC, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Ms Máire Geoghegan-Quinn referred to the many scientific and technological breakthroughs at Tyndall. “However, it is the application of that research and your track record of industry engagement that sets you apart.”  She continued: “Tyndall has clearly demonstrated that we can achieve Europe's full potential if we integrate research and innovation and provide seamless and coherent support from idea to market. This is precisely the philosophy behind the Innovation Union initiative that I launched last year. Our goal is no less than to make the European Union an Innovation Union.” She said that the successful link between education, research, and Irish industry at Tyndall shows that focusing research and innovation policy on specific areas is a key factor in persuading industry to invest (see speech below).

Picture: Dr Michael Murphy, UCC President; Roland Pfleger, VP & GM Respiratory & Monitoring Solutions; Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn EU Commissioner for Research Innovation and Science; Lord Mayor Terry Shannon; Michael Hill; Country Manager for Applied Materials Ireland and Field Service Operations Director of Applied Materials Global Services (AGS) for the Northern Europe Region; Professor Roger Whatmore, Tyndall CEO

 

Speech of Commissioner Máire GEOGHEGAN-QUINN “Promoting Excellence in Science under Horizon 2020”, Tyndall National Institute, UCC, 24 November 2011

I am delighted to be here today at the Tyndall National Institute. It has been a real pleasure to meet you all and to see at first hand the ground-breaking, excellent research that you are carrying out.

Research is Tyndall’s core activity and the many scientific and technological breakthroughs reported are testimony to the quality of research conducted here. However, it is the application of that research and your track record of industry engagement that sets you apart.

Tyndall has clearly demonstrated that we can achieve Europe's full potential if we integrate research and innovation and provide seamless and coherent support from idea to market.

This is precisely the philosophy behind the Innovation Union initiative that I launched last year. Our goal is no less than to make the European Union an Innovation Union.

Innovation Union contains a programme of detailed policy proposals and actions to be undertaken at the European level, in the Member States and regions, and by governments, administrations, research institutes, universities and companies.

Innovation Union aims to strengthen every link in the innovation chain, from "frontier" or "blue sky" research, to the transfer of this research into successful commercial products and services. In other words: creating a smooth path from lab to market.

Let me briefly mention the three main aspects of Innovation Union:

First, the EU needs to prioritise research and innovation as the motor for growth. We need an integrated and strategic approach, whereby our objectives shape our policies in all relevant areas, an approach whereby research and innovation policy is steered at the highest political level. We got that high-level steer when Innovation Union was enthusiastically endorsed by European Union leaders during their Summit discussions on research and innovation at the beginning of the year.

Secondly, we are focusing efforts on improving conditions so that Europe is more attractive for scientists and entrepreneurs. We are taking action at European level on key issues such as completion of the European Research Area; a European patent, public procurement of innovative products and services, better access to financing, and the creation of a digital single market.

Thirdly, while it is necessary to reduce deficits, it is also critical to safeguard investment in areas on which our future economy will depend.

This is "smart" fiscal consolidation: we cannot risk our future growth and competitiveness by cutting back now on the investment in education, research and innovation that is necessary for long-term and sustained recovery. Investment in these areas has the potential to create more wealth and jobs than it costs.

But it is not enough to maintain or increase investment, we need to make it more effective, and get more innovation for our euro. We need to make these investments more effective by modernising our university systems and strengthening collaboration between academia and industry – UCC and the Tyndall Institute are beacons of excellence in this respect. We must nurture high growth companies, and better use public support to leverage private investment in innovation.

Most of the key policy decisions and actions needed to create an Innovation Union must be taken at national and regional level. Achieving a true innovation economy may require reforms across a wide range of policy areas – education, skills, taxation and many others.

We are asking Member States and regions, research institutes, universities and companies to do a lot, to carry out deep-rooted reform. But we are not shirking our responsibility to take firm action at European level. We are committed to a smart EU budget, a modern and forward-looking budget, to support Innovation Union.

This is the only kind of budget that we can justify to taxpayers, and in times of austerity, we will invest public money even more efficiently - we cannot attract the most brilliant scientists and most innovative companies with an incoherent set of funding instruments, or with complex and bureaucratic rules. Cutting red-tape means that EU-funded scientists can spend more time in the lab

Next week, the European Commission will propose to the Member States and the European Parliament a new policy instrument – Horizon 2020 - to begin when the current 7th Framework Programme for Research ends in 2013.

Bringing together all of the relevant EU instruments for research and innovation, Horizon 2020 will allow us to put in place truly crosscutting strategies that cover the whole innovation system, from research to technological development, to demonstration and market uptake.

It will be structured around three distinct, but mutually reinforcing pillars, in line with our Europe 2020 priorities and in support of Innovation Union.

The first pillar, 'Excellence in the science base', will strengthen the EU's excellence in science, through actions supporting frontier research, in particular through the very successful European Research Council. Excellent research is the foundation on which Innovation Union, and our push for growth and jobs, is based.

The second pillar, 'Creating industrial leadership and competitive frameworks,' will support business research and innovation. Actions will cover: increasing investment in enabling and industrial technologies; facilitating access to finance, and providing EU-wide support for innovation in SMEs.

The third pillar, 'Tackling societal challenges', will focus on the major challenges of: health, demographic change and well-being; food security and the bio-based economy; secure, clean and efficient energy; smart, green and integrated transport; resource efficiency and climate action, including raw materials; and inclusive, innovative and secure societies.

Tyndall's research is very relevant to many of these challenges, particularly health, energy and raw materials to name just a few.

We will ensure that our proposals for Horizon 2020 strike the right balance between fundamental and applied research, and excellence will always be the main criterion for funding.

I am confident that you will have much to offer Horizon 2020. Tyndall has already had great success in the research framework programmes, securing well over 50 million Euro from FP6 and FP7. This contributes to Ireland's outstanding success in obtaining European research funding – over 330 million Euro so far under FP7.

Tyndall has its strengths in the areas of photonics, electronics, materials and nanotechnologies - we have heard presentations on some of these areas this afternoon.

The Commission has highlighted these four areas, as well as biotechnologies and advanced manufacturing and processing, as Key Enabling Technologies (the so-called KETs), that underpin the competitiveness of European industry and enhance its capacity to respond to societal challenges.

Tyndall's long-proven capacity as a research provider to bridge the gap between science and industry makes you an ideal player in the KET arena, where global competition is fierce.

Like Tyndall, the European Commission values the importance of international collaboration in improving the quality of European research – and with this in mind, we will publish next autumn a Communication aimed at boosting international cooperation in research, innovation and science.

And you have also shown great commitment to the education of young scientists through your Masters, PhD and Post-Doc programmes.

Together with Tyndall's strong links to industry, all the necessary elements are there for innovation to flourish.

The decision of the Irish Government last year to host the International Energy Research Centre (IERC) at Tyndall National Institute in Cork is an additional element that significantly reinforces the role Tyndall plays in this forward-looking innovation eco-system of universities, research centres and industrial companies.

The successful link between education, research, and Irish industry at Tyndall shows that focusing research and innovation policy on specific areas is a key factor in persuading industry to invest.

And you are proving that we can smooth the path from lab to market by deploying the best scientists to carry out the basic research and by letting engineers and researchers working with industry translate it into useful technologies.

So I would like to congratulate you on today's announcement of important investments by two companies – Covidien and Applied Materials.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I could be accused of being over ambitious or unrealistic when I say that the European Union must become an Innovation Union. I am all too aware of the problems and obstacles. But I am also very conscious of the opportunities to be grasped by our most forward-looking research institutes.

So I would like to thank the Tyndall National Institute for reassuring me that we do have the knowledge, the drive and the energy in Europe to reach our innovation goals. You are proof that we are on the right track.

Thank you.

ENDS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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