IRELAND

Where do new ideas come from? If the focus of this question is on the
production of those things that we now consider essential to, and for,
modern life, then the answer is, most obviously, Discovery Research. From
new ideas have flowed new products, new processes and new
understandings, which have profoundly altered how people live, work
and play.
The context in which Discovery Research is discussed in Ireland has been
transformed by changed economic circumstances. One of the great
challenges confronting the state in the midst of its financial crisis was to
identify a clear roadmap of what needed to be done and what
educational characteristics needed to be prized and promoted. For
instance, what role would independent thinking, creativity and flexibility
play in helping to rebuild Ireland? And how might these values be
nurtured in a way that creates and transmits new knowledge? In short,
where would Discovery Research sit in remaking of Ireland?
To begin to answer such questions, a clear understanding of what
precisely is at issue is required. Professor Colin O’Dowd, Director of the
Centre for Climate & Air Pollution Studies at the National University of
Ireland, Galway (NUIG), provides the following definition of Discovery
Research: ‘It is the fundamental research that truly advances our basic
knowledge, essential understanding of nature and natural processes, and
drives the major breakthroughs at the new frontiers of science.’ To fully
realise the benefits of Discovery Research, O’Dowd makes the point that
the commitment to it must be neither short-term nor shallow: ‘Without
Discovery Research generating new concepts and advancement of basic
knowledge, applied research would, sooner or later, run out of creative
ideas to be applied. Although its immediate commercialisation may not
be apparent, it underpins the longer-term sustainability of applied
research which is driven by shorter-term considerations. Discovery
Research is more about solving problems for the future rather than for
the present; however, the present applied research would not be
delivered without previous Discovery Research breakthroughs.’
Worldwide Discovery Research, which is primarily publicly funded and
conducted in academic institutions, underpins great swathes of the
advances across societies. The great modern example is, of course, the
piece of pure math that powers Google: the ‘Page Rank’ software
developed by Sergey Brin and Larry Page and funded by the National
Science Foundation in the USA. The grants provided to support this
research have helped to change the lives of people across the world.
Indeed, many of the foundations of modern computer science (Turing
machines and even the internet) come from new ideas that emerged from
Discovery Research in academic institutions.
And it is one of the great ironies of Discovery Research that so much
economic growth comes from research conducted with no commercial
purpose. Across the economy – but notably in areas such as
pharmaceuticals and the computer industry – entire new sectors, as well
as new products, have emerged from Discovery Research. There is
abundant evidence to support this assertion, both home-grown and from
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