This proposal suggests that Ireland capitalize on a national spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship and create an Independent Contract Research Services Organization that will offer both R&D services to industry, for Ireland and the EU and provide improved success for commercialization of innovation. Though it is believed that Ireland has the majority of skills in place to capitalize on bringing technology from inception to market delivery, we lack skills in certain areas that are critical. One of the key opportunities for improvement of technology commercialization is specifically in the area of “Commercialization” and also in “Marketing”. These areas have been acknowledged as needing improvement by several thought leaders in business, government and academia. (Innovation Taskforce Report, 3/2010). There is a great opportunity and desire to create an “Innovation hub” in Ireland, and for this hub to become a European Center of Innovation. Large organizations are alrea More...

Ireland has a stated objective of becoming a Knowledge Society and an important characteristic of a knowledge society is a high participation of students in advanced mathematics and science. However Ireland has a number of scientific obstacles that must be overcome in order to ensure Ireland's economic advancement. A Science Support Network which would complement the national curriculum could remove these obstacles. This Network would follow and support students through their science career starting in primary school and continuing to recruitment. This Network would unite the broad Irish science community and coordinate Ireland’s wealth of resources and facilities already in place that if better utilised could greatly improve the uptake of science and higher maths, and help to propel Ireland to knowledge society status.

Make Ireland the home of the research and development (R&D) activity. Support the R&D and be perceived as the country where most of the industrial research and innovation. Convince the industries that Ireland is the country where industrial research should be based, the prototypes should be developed, and the new products tested and brought to the market. Communicate to the world that the well developed infrastructure in the country would permit high standards of living for the scientific personnel, the universities would provide high profile staff and the efficiently set up legal and political environment are ideal to develop and to license new products. Basically, offer a stable working environment and high standards of living to those who want to analyse, develop and improve the technologies of the future.

Ireland’s economic future depends critically on the supply of an increasing number of people qualified in science and engineering. But at the very time this demand is increasing, there has been a sharp fall-off in interest in the sciences throughout our education system. Science-based industry in Ireland provides more than 85,000 well-paid jobs, with around half of those in key export-led areas, such as IT, medical devices and communications. The contribution of science-based industry to the economy is more than €15bn annually and the supply of well-qualified science graduates is crucial to the continued success of these industries. A recent survey found that 14pc of schools have dropped a science subject in the current academic year and a further 20pc say they will be forced to do the same before next September. So what is the reason for nearly 35% of secondary schools cutting the vital subjects needed for this 'Smart Economy'? Economic conditions has led to the government cuttin More...

We need excellence in mathematics and science - creative problem-solving skills and cutting-edge knowledge - if we are to develop a smart economy. We can generate jobs now and build the basis for jobs going forward, if we develop companies and products that enable learners to develop this excellence. It is proposed that there is significant potential to do so within current technologies, and a number of key product development areas are outlined. Such products would be innovative, making Ireland a market leader with significant potential for export sales and significant employment. If we are to benefit maximally in terms of the development of the skills of our students/learners, then, the development of such an industry must take place within a broader process aimed at developing a culture of excellence that involves collaboration between the public/governmental and the private, taking in the industrial and educational sectors. The proposal details such a process and its mutually benef More...

International Centre for Innovative Developments [ICID] Overview - Harnessing innovation for a dynamic shared future Crossing the traditional boundaries between areas of knowledge and highlighting the importance of convergence, the International Centre for Innovative Developments (ICID) will encourage, communicate and celebrate innovation throughout the island of Ireland. It will act as a technology ‘window on the world’, for example, linking US companies through the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh with Irish companies. This transatlantic link will then be further developed throughout the island’s technology research centres and companies thus brokering new relationships, stimulating and capitalising on opportunities. This first completely integrated approach to innovation across the island, has a far reaching potential to stimulate the Irish business and educational worlds and generate new jobs. It will commence with an Innovation Learning Division tailored to the needs of b More...

We can tackle some of Ireland’s most pressing social and economic challenges by providing our children with a highly stimulating and safe environment to engage in the most important activity of all: play. The idea is to challenge a team of Ireland’s brightest minds to pioneer the development of a world-leading play environment (an “urban jungle”) that is self-sustaining and can be replicated throughout the country. Irish children face an increasingly difficult environment in which to be active, creative and interact with other kids. With inadequate access to recreational areas both during and after school, the playstation culture is expanding, leading to 1 in 5 Irish children being obese and an increase in unsocial behaviour. At the same time, Ireland’s young people are becoming less and less interested in mathematics and science. The OECD has shown that this is costing Ireland $8 billion per year. More than ever before, Ireland needs innovators, scientists and an entrepre More...

My strategy is to set up an Central Irish Space agency to bring together all space activities under one single management. This body would co-ordinate, using a licensed development model, a country wide network of satellite application development and control centres. The primary aim of the strategy to develop and deploy a reliable Low Earth Orbit (LEO) matrix of satellites. Ireland would need to invest in developing 1.Innovative satellite launch technology, 2.Cutting edge satellite design and manufacture. 3.365/24/7 Satellite Control Stations. 4.Licensing and development of satellite based applications 5.365/24/7 Satellite Application Data Centres Ireland's way into the future, is not just forward, its upward!

Space is big business and its global worth is forecast to be over €600 billion by 2020. Space related revenues are projected to accelerate, growing by up to 15% per annum in telecom and navigation markets. Ireland has traditionally lagged behind other similar sized European nations in this field. This proposal is to accelerate the growth of the Irish space sector by the development of an extremely creative programme: the Open Irish Space Innovation Nanosatellite (OISÍN). A nanosatellite is a tiny spacecraft – of the order of 6kg and 10cm x 10cm x 30cm. Such a satellite will be built in Ireland and allow Irish technology to be demonstrated in space. This will increase our capability to win new contracts in a risk-adverse business and to generate new jobs. In addition, the programme will permit Irish researchers access to space to perform experiments in engineering and science. Some of these concepts will become products for future ESA or commercial missions. Such a programme w More...

With the impending increase in the cost of fossil fuels we need to make more of our own natural resources. We have an abundance of wind and rain, and through the use of wind farms, we can convert surplus electricity generated to convert collected rain water into hydrogen through the process of electrolysis. This hydrogen can then be stored on site (ideally underground) and used to create electricity during lulls in the weather. This Hybrid Power Station would be able to supply electricity on demand thus reducing the need for fossil fuels. This in turn reduces carbon emissions. Surplus electricity can be sold abroad through the European Intercontectors. Surplus hydrogen could be sold for heating homes. This process could be researched and developed by the country's universities, collages etc. It would create lots of employment from constructing, development, maintenance and management. If the country does this it could be a leader in the field of finding an alternative to fossil fuels More...