Dec
3
2008
Adrian Weckler recently posted that Ireland sucks at filing patents, despite the significant amount of funding that has gone into research in Ireland. In his analysis he correctly identifies SFI as one of the funding sources.
I would offer a number of observations on Adrian’s post:
- I understand that it takes 18 months for a patent application to be published after it has been filed. Hence, these figures probably refer to patents filed in 2005 and 2006.
- Ireland is relatively late to the game here. Significant funding for research in Ireland, through SFI, has only been around since about 2002. Given that it can take a number of years to invent the thing, whatever the thing is, we’re still pretty early on.
- While patent filings and awards are an important metric, we have to be careful that they do not become the be all and end all of the academic research process. Otherwise, we will end up incentivising people (through renewed research funding) to just file patents, without regard to whether those patents have any merit or commercial potential.
One final point worth bearing in mind, which these figures obscure, is that the patent filing culture is very different across different sectors and industries. In the pharma/drug discovery space, patent filings of new molecules is all important, and a real driver of activity. In my own area (software) this is much less the case.
All of this notwithstanding, SFI are tracking patent filings and awards, in particular in our larger CSET and SRC programmes, and will be monitoring this issue on an on-going basis.
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2 comments | tags: sfi
Jun
4
2008
no comments | tags: sfi | posted in Home
May
25
2008
David McWilliams, that eternal doomsayer, has an interesting post on his blog recently. Here’s a snippit that sums up his view:
We have already seen how the slump in stamp duty has affected the coffers. But long-term, no country ever got rich by its people buying and selling property to each other with money borrowed from foreigners.
While I’m not an economist, I’m not sure that I completely agree with this argument. Sure, property has been bought with money borrowed from foreigners, but it will be repaid (hopefully) to those foreigners from salaries earned by selling goods and services on the international market. Granted that an internal property market per se is not a desirable thing, but surely it’s symptomatic of the behaviour of the wider economy.
On top of his usual doom-and-gloom, he does offer some hope for the future, and SFI gets an honourable mention:
Ireland has so much to offer risk takers – both our own and international – in terms of raw material. For example, Science Foundation Ireland is slated to invest €7 billion in scientific research over the next ten years. This will go to waste unless we also bring in the necessary commercial skills that can harness this research and build it into something that will be for sale. The idea should be to build companies of our own rather than just being a conveyor belt of talent for the multinationals.
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.
It’s worth pointing out that SFI’s budget is nothing close to €7billion over the next ten years. According to the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation, 2006-2013, SFI has an allocation of €1.4 b|n – a far sight from €7 b|n. Also worth noting is that that the current SSTI expires in 2013. I don’t believe that plans or budgets have been allocated beyond that – certainly not to 2018 as McWilliams implies.
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no comments | tags: sfi, ssti | posted in Home
Apr
7
2008
Apropos my last post, there’s an interview with Bertie Ahern in the Independent where he talks about his career and decision to resign. From SFI’s point of view, there’s an interesting quote:
One of the things I am particularly proud of is the work that we did in bringing Science Foundation Ireland, bringing in proper research so that we will invent products and innovations for the next generation which will keep employment strong in this country. When I took over as Taoiseach, there was no research budget, there was very little science budget, we weren’t into the area of innovation but, as Hugh Brady said in UCD, we are now a country that is strong in that area and I am glad I have been able to give the leadership in that area for the last 10 years.
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no comments | tags: bertie ahern, sfi | posted in Home
Feb
26
2008
The Sunday Business Post is carrying an article about the imminent departure of Maurice Treacy, the current director of the BIO directorate in SFI.
Maurice leaves SFI to take up a position as CEO in The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT).
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no comments | tags: nibrt, sfi | posted in Home
Feb
19
2008
Gabriella at the Interactive Design Centre in UL reports on a lecture given by Prof David Parnas of the Software Quality Research Lab. The lecture marks the end of Prof. Parnas’s time in Ireland, and we wish him well on his return to Canada.
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no comments | tags: icd, parnas, sfi | posted in Home
Feb
14
2008
boards.ie one of the grand old dames of the Irish internet space, is 10 years old this week. It was established by John Breslin, who now works at the SFI DERI.
Check out a nice interview and writeup in SiliconRepublic
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no comments | tags: boards.ie, deri, sfi | posted in Home
Feb
4
2008
As I mentioned previously, SFI is launching a new SRC call. We’ve just announced a number of information meetings for any interested parties:
- Dublin: Wednesday, February 6, 3pm, SFI Offices – Wilton Park House
- Maynooth: Thursday, February 7, 10am, NUI Maynooth – John Hume Boardroom
- Galway: Thursday, February 7, 3pm, NUI Galway – Moore Institute Seminar Room
- Limerick: Friday, February 8, 10am, University of Limerick – Library Board Room
- Cork: Friday, February 8, 11am, University College Cork – Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, Room 225
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no comments | tags: sfi, src, strategic research cluster | posted in Home
Jan
30
2008
Silicon Republic report on the results of the recent SFI equipment call, which was announced at the SFI board meeting Monday of this week. SFI have made grants totalling in excess of €31m for the purchase of scientific equipment to support R&D efforts.
The money quote:
More good news for the science and technology research community in Ireland as the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) today said it will be investing €31.2m in third-level research equipment.
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no comments | tags: equipment, sfi | posted in Home
Jan
30
2008
There are a couple of interesting events being organised by Lero at the moment. The first is a Lero industry event discussing Global Software Development. This event is a follow-on from the Lero event of last November, and is scheduled to give people a bit more time to get themselves organised. It is to be held on March 10 in Enterprise Ireland’s office in Merrion Hall.
The second is XP2008, which is a really big deal if you’re in the agile/XP software development camp. The conference runs from 10 – 14 June, so book now!
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no comments | tags: cset, lero, sfi | posted in Home