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Jobs through Science and Innovation - Martin
Last updated on 10 Feb, 2011
Summary:
As I said yesterday, there are no magic wands that will instantly solve our problems. And there are no credible, soft-option solutions, despite what other parties seem to suggest.
This is a time for decisive action and a time for practical policies grounded in reality. We have to face this country’s problems, roll-up our sleeves and be prepared to tackle them. This means working hard to help families, communities , and the people we represent.
In our manifesto, Fianna Fáil commits our party to learning the lessons of the past. We need to accept that the old ways of doing things no longer work. So hand in glove with working to restore stability to our public finances, we are working to restructure our economy to make it sustainable and to prepare for the next wave of economic growth.
The centrepiece of our plans for a better future is to set out exactly where we can create the jobs our people need. Restoring confidence in the economy is the essential first step – and our Plan remains the only one from any party which shows exactly how the deficit will be brought to sustainable levels. The second step is to support key sectors.
Over the next week we will outline exactly what we are proposing for different sectors. Today I would like to talk briefly about the fundamental infrastructure which is required to support job creation in these sectors – that is science, technology and innovation.
Fianna Fáil is the only party which has ever shown a commitment to this area in government. We have done so because there is no such thing as a high-income economy which fails to invest in science, technology and innovation.
Our policy sets out a range of specific actions and gives details of funding for basic research, applied research, and direct company support. It will generate the ideas to give Ireland a competitive edge and then translate these ideas into jobs.
It is a joined-up policy which shows how Ireland can exploit the opportunities in key areas, especially life sciences, software and green enterprise.
We believe that Ireland can be a Global Innovation Hub. This is not an empty phrase, it achievable with the right policies – delivering high-quality employment which is sustainable and competitive.
There must be clear and achievable goals to make Ireland:
•The best place in Europe to turn research and knowledge into jobs, products and services;
•The best place in Europe to start and grow an innovative company;
•The best place to relocate or expand and scale an SME; and
•The best place in Europe for research-intensive multinationals to collaborate with each other and with clusters of small companies.
When it comes to attracting multi-million investments to this country, as well as helping Irish companies to establish and grow, investment in ideas and people is the biggest competitive edge we can have.
I have heard Eamon Gilmore’s comments about this area where he said “we can’t all work in a laboratory”. He’s absolutely right: we can’t. But without the thousands of people who are today directly and indirectly supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs through their expertise and innovation , we will not have a successful economy with new job creation.
The major investment which Intel has recently confirmed will have enormous indirect advantages not just for the people who will work on the project but also for many communities.
Because of thehigh priority we place on this area in our National Recovery Plan, we have ring fenced funding for research programmes and for the enterprise agencies. It would have been easy to hit these funding programmes because they do not evoke great emotions, but national recovery cannot be achieved without them.
Investment in science, technology and investment is an essential part of restoring growth and job creation in the years ahead. For Fianna Fáil it remains a core priority and it is central to our plan for a better future.