Ireland maintains science spending in its austerity budget

In the toughest budget in the country’s history, the Irish government is to increase spending research in 2011, and has also said it will meet the promises made to support the Euroscience Open Forum meeting, the showcase for EU funded R&D, which is due to be held in Dublin in 2012.

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) welcomed the announcement with interim Director General John Travers saying, “The budget 2011 capital allocation of €161 million to SFI represents an €11 million increase on 2010 funding. During this intense period of economic difficulty, this clearly highlights Ireland’s commitment to investing in high quality scientific and engineering research to support long-term, sustainable economic development.”

Travers said the money will foster high tech foreign direct investment and home grown innovation and allow universities to continue to build partnerships with industry.

SFI’s Director of Policy Graham Love said the increased financial provision to SFI in 2011, “Will allow us to nurture research investments made over the past decade and to invest in a new wave of cutting edge science and engineering.”