Strategy announcement takes Ireland’s researchers by surprise

Many of Ireland's leading research organisations are hastily preparing written responses to help shape a strategy for science, technology and innovation that the government hopes to have completed and in place by the summer.

The Irish government re-established a top-level interdepartmental committee late last December with a view to putting a new cross-government science and innovation strategy in place by the summer. It includes 10 government departments led by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, representation from the Higher Education Authority and the chief scientific adviser Mark Ferguson.

The interdepartmental committee published a document, the Consultative Paper for a Successor to the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation on 13 February. However, there was no formal announcement to accompany the paper.