EU Commissioner praises tech training

Participation in EU-sponsored research programmes could be an important selling point for Ireland in attracting investment according to the Commissioner responsible for research and innovation, Ms Edith Cresson.

Ireland's "economic transformation" had been attributed to its investment in research and technological skills training and to a policy of attracting high technology investment, she said.

"In both respects, Ireland is in tune with the primary rationale" behind the next EU research budget, "namely that future prosperity is based on competitiveness in a knowledge-based society".

Ms Cresson was responding to questions from The Irish Times on Irish participation in the Fifth Framework Programme, the Community's funding mechanism which fuels collaborative scientific research and development.

The Commission and the EU Parliament are still in negotiations concerning the five-year budget which will be between £11 billion and £12.8 billion when the package is agreed.

The Fourth Framework concludes at the end of this year. It involved the participation of 1,162 Irish organisations including companies, universities and research organisations, said Ms Cresson.

"These efforts have led to the conclusion of 488 contracts over the period, out of a total of 8,367. In absolute terms this places Ireland in seventh place among the EU member countries," behind Britain, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain in descending order.