“We have about 200 partnerships with private
business. Some of these partnerships have been
developed through direct links with the companies
themselves, whereas some have come about as a
result of SFI (Science Foundation Ireland) funded
projects. These partnerships span a broad range
of sectors, from ICT and Biopharma to Financial
Services; from Agri-food and Energy to Medical
Devices”.
Given Ireland’s natural advantages in the areas of
wind and wave energy and the Government’s stated
objectives in the “Developing the Green Economy”
report (by the High-Level Group on Green
Enterprise), the university-affiliated energy projects
are of particular interest to many.
“Yes, we have the UCD Energy Research Centre”,
explains Dr. Brady, “This centre houses projects
that explore many aspects of the burgeoning green
economy, such as grid connection, the smart
grid and solar power generated from chemical
compounds that absorb low-intensity light. There
are over over 25 energy companies involved with
the centre, which is also working with SFI and the
public sector energy companies, such as ESB and
Bord na MÓna”.
programmes with a view to enterprise development.
This is a significant step that enables us complement
one another”.
The Report of the Innovation Taskforce, entitled
‘Innovation Ireland’ is a crucial document for the
future of the Irish economy, as it maps out the
actions that must be taken in order to put Ireland at
the forefront of innovation internationally, with a
view to correcting the current fiscal imbalances and
returning the economy to growth. As a member of
the taskforce, Dr. Brady was heavily involved
with this project.
I asked the President about the mechanisms that
have been put in place to ensure the implementation
of the report’s recommendations.
The collaborations that UCD is engaged in are
not confined simply to government and industry.
It seems that the university has joined forces with
another esteemed academic institution in the city of
Dublin.
“Most of the recommendations of the ‘Innovation
Ireland’ report have in fact already been
implemented. There is a monitoring group from the
Department of An Taoiseach in place that oversees
the implementation. This ensures that the various
government bodies charged with responsibilities
in their respective areas are held to account. With
regard to education for example, the decision to
re-introduce bonus points for honours maths in
the leaving certificate (the national school-leaving
examination) has already been taken. This will go
a long way to increasing the numbers of students
concentrating on maths and science subjects at third
level. This is a factor that is crucial for a innovationled economy”.
“Another important point to mention with regard
to innovation is the alliance that has been made
between UCD and Trinity College. We are working
together with regard to main-streaming our PhD
The ‘Global Irish Forum’ - a ‘think-in’ at Farmleigh
House that engaged the country’s Diaspora by
bringing together over 200 of Ireland’s brightest
sons and daughters from all over the world with a
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