INTERVIEW - José Manuel Silva RodríguezIreland must keep research high on the agenda to remain competitive, according to the European Commission's director general for research

IRELAND needs to build on its existing research strengths, continue to fund priority areas at home and beef up its environmental research if the country is to remain globally competitive in science beyond the recession.

That's according to José Manuel Silva Rodríguez, the European Commission director general for research, who last month was whisked between Dublin and Galway on a whistlestop tour of Irish research centres.

"I have to say I was very impressed," says Rodríguez after he landed back in Brussels, noting Ireland has a people-centred knack for linking centres of academic and industry research.

NUI Galway in particular caught his attention: "I could see that in that one university, which is not very big, you have clusters of innovation, you have research centres - you have in my opinion a very good knowledge society there."

Glittering most brightly on the western seaboard was the Marine Institute, which Rodríguez describes as a "star" in Atlantic marine research. "The Marine Institute is a big, big infrastructure that can connect all the different specialities and disciplines working in research with marine science - energy, environmental issues, aquaculture - that is very, very important," he says. "It's a very good example of good investment in research. I am convinced they will perform well in research programmes in Europe, and they have a lot of contact with other centres."

Ireland's links with Europe will probably feel more of a pull now that researchers here are being encouraged to apply for European funding. But Rodríguez says we already have a good track record in winning grants under the European Framework programmes.

"Ireland performs better than the average: the rate of success is 23 per cent of applications obtaining grants from the European funds, compared with 21 per cent more or less for the average in Europe. And these two percentage points are important; it's not a small difference."

But it's not enough to rest on the laurels of applications past. Ireland needs to keep on funding its own research too, continuing to build on what it has, according to Rodríguez, who says the country's funding strategy to date is well-regarded in Europe.

"In Ireland you have in the last few years made big investments in research using different kinds of sources - using stuctural funds and national funds, and with the dynamic of enterprises investing in research," says Rodríguez. "And the second element of why Ireland is performing well is that you have prioritised - you now invest in the areas in which you are well positioned, like biotech and ICT; you are not investing in all areas."

Keeping a strong line at home will help strengthen Ireland's opportunities to link in with European-funded research: "The more you invest in companies and administration, the better performance you will have in the competitive programmes at European level."

And overall, the key now for Ireland and the rest Europe is to keep research high on the agenda to weather the current economic chill winds, according to Rodriguez. "We have to go out of the recession with a society that is stronger in knowledge, otherwise we will be less competitive," he says.

Ireland also needs to maintain a global focus to safeguard its future prospects, adds Rodriguez. "You need to continue to invest because Ireland is very attactive for scientists coming not only from other parts of Europe but from outside Europe, and that is a very high value for one country," he says.

"Science is very global today and the research clusters that have the capacity to attract people from all over the world are well-placed for the future. There's the example of Massachusetts, of California, when you have a big attraction for science coming from all over the world and you have an enormous added value."

So where could Ireland improve? Rodríguez is diplomatic in his reply, but highlights the need to expand on environment and energy research. "You are in a good position to develop a little more in environmental programmes. You have good resources," he says.