Ireland secures research portfolio

IRELAND’S new and first women European Commissioner, Máire Geoghegan Quinn, got the Research, Innovation and Science portfolio the Government has lobbied for over the past few months.

Responsible for close to a quarter of the total Commission staff, her brief covers the EU’s massive research budget of €58 billion, one of the world’s biggest scientific research centres and a range of bodies to encourage innovation especially among SMEs.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen welcomed the announcement by Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels yesterday saying it would reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to a smart economy.