Ireland's brightest students and researchers could be "poached" by overseas universities because of recent Government cutbacks at third level, the heads of science at the State's seven universities have warned.
The deans of science said the freezing of funds for research infrastructure at third level could ultimately make it impossible to attract and keep Irish and international researchers in their universities.
The deans, who met late last week in DCU, have taken the unusual step of issuing a public statement because of their disappointment with the cutbacks announced in the recent Estimates by the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy.
"The infrastructure of this country and indeed this economy is not just the roads network," said Prof Paul Giller of UCC.
"We are dismayed that just when we had reached the stage where scientific research is seen as a well-paid and rewarding career in Ireland, the Government is reducing its support for putting the infrastructure in place," added Prof Julian Ross of the University of Limerick.
"After the downturn in the global economy there was genuine concern that Ireland would experience widespread job losses.
"The only way to insulate ourselves against the prospect of returning to the doom and gloom of the 1980s is to create an environment that facilitates keeping our brightest here rather than have them poached by overseas universities," said Prof Malcolm Smyth of DCU.
Prof Smyth hosted his fellow deans last week in DCU's newly opened research and engineering centre, which was largely paid for with funds from the first year of the programme for research in third-level institutions.
It currently employs 400 researchers. The centre is regarded by university figures as a good example of how research funding has been used.
"Despite the benefit of multinationals to local economies in terms of the salaries of their staff and the links they make with local suppliers, they inevitably repatriate their profits.
"If we wish to create real wealth in this country we must encourage the development of indigenous industry that can operate on the global marketplace. Our best prospects are in the areas of knowledge and information.
"These are driven by fundamental research of the kind funded by the HEA and the Government," said Prof Ann Burnell of NUI Maynooth.
The deans also urged the Government to make sure the recommendations in the Task Force on the Physical Sciences were implemented so that interest in science was maintained at second level and developed at primary level.
"Rather than making cuts at this stage, the Government should be investing in the infrastructure of primary, secondary and tertiary education. This infrastructure underpins our knowledge-based society," said Prof Giller.