Dr Patrick Galvin, chairman of Waterford Wedgewood who chaired the judging panel for the Price Waterhouse - The Irish Times Innovation Awards said future innovation would be highly dependent on an "increase in the number of places in engineering, the sciences and technology" in universities.

He said this would require "major investment in third-level infrastructure and facilities". Speaking at the presentation of the awards in Dublin, he added that there were "plenty of qualified applicants at school leaving age for courses in these areas, but there are not enough places".

He said everyone had witnessed Irish business being transformed by science and technology. But this would not continue if an awareness among "our science and engineering graduates of their potential inventiveness" was not developed, he added.

While more places were needed, Dr Galvin warned against separate sets of graduates with only one specific skill.

"What we need are graduates who are comfortable with a number of different disciplines".

He congratulated all the winners of the Price Waterhouse - The Irish Times Innovation awards which he said were about "using knowledge, brain skills and imagination to put technology to better use".

He echoed a call by Forfas chief executive, Mr John Travers, for "all those touched by the sciences through their businesses to take a keen interest in developments and to participate in the Science, Technology and Innovation Awareness Programme".