EU programme key to our future
There is €52 billion fund available under this programme and it is the stated objective of the Irish Government to seek to draw down more than €600 million of this fund over the next five years. Irish companies have already drawn down more than €80m to support 350 projects since the start of 2007.
Keynote speakers included Hans Gert Pottering, president of the European Parliament; Janez Potocnik, EU Commissioner for Science and Research;
Dr Jimmy Devins, Irish minister of state for science and innovation, and representatives from Enterprise Ireland.
More than 100 different companies from the educational, local authority, small/medium enterprise and the multinational sectors attended the conference. Businesses representing the health, food, agricultural, environmental, information and communications, transport, science and energy sectors can all draw down funding under this research and technology framework programme 2007-2013.
We must seek to highlight the existence and the importance of this programme at all times because it is very important in terms of future job creation in Ireland.
It is the stated objective under the Lisbon strategy that the EU must invest at least 3% of our GDP in research and technology programmes. This will help us become more competitive so we can meet the present and future social and economic challenges in Europe.
The EU must invest to a greater extent in cutting-edge research and technology programmes so we can compete with the US, Russia, China and India for new jobs and new opportunities into the future.
Brian Crowley MEP
European Parliament
Strasbourg
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