Ireland needs to double the number of researchers working in the science and technology fields, the Tánaiste has said.
Ms Harney spent the past two days discussing science and technology policy at the OECD in Paris.
Ireland was starting from a very low base, Ms Harney said. "We've increased spending. We've established a foundation to bring basic research to Ireland. We need to double the number of researchers in Ireland [from 7,000] if we're to reach the 3 per cent spend on research and innovation.
"And that in my view is essential because our economic future will depend on being more knowledge-based, more innovative." The "brain drain" to the US was one of the main topics at the meeting. Ms Harney noted that between 30 and 40 per cent of all scientists working in the US were graduates of European universities. "Until relatively recently virtually all our Irish researchers left," she said. "We didn't provide the career opportunities, the investment, the continuity of funding." Ms Harney repeatedly compared the situation in Europe unfavourably with the US.
"US universities have greater academic freedom. And they've a better track record when it comes to turning research into new innovations," she said.
"For example, MIT has generated 4,000 spin-offs [companies springing from the research environment in the university] with revenues of about $232 billion annually. They employ over a million.
"That's just one university. Berkeley, Stanford and Harvard have a terrific track record of close collaboration between industry and education and research. We're trying to to that in Ireland."
The main benefit of the OECD meeting was to share experience and to network.
"We want to collaborate with other countries on research projects, but we want to make sure Ireland is on the international map as far as innovation is concerned," Ms Harney said.