Public funds urged for research in colleges

EXISTING jobs and future investment could be lost if more public funding is not put into research in our colleges, an expert has warned.

Ernst Max Nielson, founder of the Intellectual Capital Network in Denmark, said links between industry and third level institutions must also be improved. He was addressing a conference in Waterford, aimed at promoting closer links between researchers, funding agencies and industry.

“There have been increases in funding, but the level is not high enough yet. The benefits of research funding should not be measured by the number of patents or spin-off companies the work creates, but by the potential of attracting or retaining overseas investors,” said Mr Nielsen, who has worked with commercialising research for 20 years.