Almost €50,000 was paid in expenses to four directors of the country’s science funding agency to attend board and committee meetings last year.

Ireland has reduced its intellectual property (IP) red tape in a bid to create jobs from the near €900m annual state investment in research and development.

Former US president Bill Clinton will host special round-table business talks in New York today to drum up investment in Ireland.

MORE frequent flooding, warmer summers and severe storms are expected to present major challenges to Irish businesses over the coming years.