Net Results/Jamie Smyth: Technology enthusiasts have had much to celebrate over the past month with a spate of investment announcements from the likes of Bell Labs, Intel and IBM.

Once again US investment is flowing into Ireland at speeds reminiscent of the halcyon days of the Celtic Tiger, when hardly a week went by without a new project success for IDA Ireland.

Clearly, the Government's strategy of developing a more research-based economy is beginning to bear fruit as Science Foundation Ireland builds UP its reputation in the US.

The decision to appoint the State's first chief science adviser and establish a new Cabinet committee to co-ordinate policy also reflects that science, technology and innovation are still high up the Government's priority list.

And with the European Commission this week sanctioning the R&D tax credits, which were promised in the last budget, there is every chance that Ireland can become a real research centre.

This would be an impressive achievement for the State, which up until recently has been languishing at the bottom of the European league in terms of spending on research.

The most recent statistics available show that the amount of money spent on R&D by the State and private firms amounts to 1.27 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), nowhere close to the EU target of achieving 3 per cent by 2010.

Clearly, there is still some way to go before Ireland can claim to be a leader in R&D. But there are signs the State is moving in the right direction.

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The Government's research strategy is certainly far more focused than its current technology in education policy

The Department of Education published a tender this week outlining its plan to hook up all 4,000 schools to broadband services by September 30th 2005.

Better late than never, I suppose.

High-speed internet is the key to transforming the use of computers for teaching in the classroom by eliminating the lengthy delays common with dial-up networks.

Broadband will open up the internet as a fantastic research tool for teachers in a classroom setting.

A PC connected to the web in every classroom should be a short-term goal for schools to enable teachers or pupils to source information on demand.

Unfortunately there is a real danger that €18 million worth of broadband capacity will be squandered in schools due to a lack of hardware.

Despite spending €150 million on ICT equipment for schools since 1998 the Republic has one of the lowest levels of computer use in second level schools in OECD states. Among the main difficulties cited in a recent OECD report is getting access to specified computer rooms in schools.

A shortage of computers is one issue. There is one computer for every 12 primary school students and one computer for every 10 second level students, according to a 2002 census of equipment.

But it is likely many of the existing computers will be too old to use broadband properly and will have to be replaced. Unfortunately, the Department of Education does not have an ICT strategy at the moment following the lapsing of its previous plan in December 2003.

Last October the Department told The Irish Times a new policy document was being drafted. This week it gave the same response to the question.

Clearly, key issues such as the central procurement of ICT equipment, the training of teaching staff, and the funding are not yet resolved. But time is quickly running out if the Department is going to meet its broadband target for 1st October 2005.

This is hardly the example that the Government should set if it is serious about reversing the drop in students taking up computer, science and technology courses.

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One big Government project which has drawn some negative comment is the State's decision to press ahead with the construction of the €170 million regional fibre networks.

Eircom, with most to lose from the project, criticised the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, for squandering taxpayers' money on duplicate metropolitan networks.

It argues that it is bringing broadband to the masses already and is now facing a State-subsidised competitor, which has few of the debt issues that it faces.

The Minister hit back this week, publishing a briefing note on the issue and accusing Eircom of doing nothing on broadband for 21 months during construction of the first networks in 2001.

He certainly has a point. For three years Eircom management spent more time working out lucrative share options schemes than upgrading its network. So most consumers will feel it has got its just desserts.