Development, promotion and co-ordination of national science and technology policy

Coordination & Governance of STI

On 22 June 2004, the Government approved a new Coordination and Governance System for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). This strategic framework is aimed at ensuring synergy, coherence and more structured policy coordination in this complex and evolving environment, to which a budget of 2.5bn euro is allocated in the current NDP and which is a major plank of Government economic policy.

Cabinet Subcommittee and InterDepartmental Committee

The new structural arrangements arising from this Government decision include a dedicated Cabinet Subcommittee, supported by a high-level Interdepartmental Committee, which is chaired by this Department. The IDC meets regularly throughout the year. The Cabinet Subcommittee met for the first time in February 2005 and was chaired by Minister Micheal Martin and attended by the Taoiseach. The CSC met again in June 2005 and April 2006.

Advisory Science Council

Under the new coordination and governance arrangements, a re-structured Advisory Science Council has succeeded the Irish Council for Science, Technology & Innovation (ICSTI), as a stakeholders' advisory forum. The former council's work programme continued while a seamless transition to the new arrangements was completed. The new Advisory Council held its first meeting on 18 May 2005, at which Minister Martin welcomed its establishment as another important element in the new STI framework. The Council is chaired by Mary Cryan and has twelve members, representative of industry and academia and the broader public sector.

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