Remarks at the Launch of Irish-Brazilian partnership on Science without Borders
Brasilia, 9th October 2012
Mr Aloizio Mercadante, Minister for Education
Mr Joe Costello, Minister for Trade and Development
Professor Jorge Almeida Guimaraes, President of CAPES
Mr Glaucius Oliva, President of CNPq
Mr Frank Sheridan, Ambassador of Ireland to Brazil
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Afternoon. Thank you very much for your presence here this afternoon.
I am very pleased that Ireland is now formally part of this great initiative of President Dilma Rousseff, Ciência sem Fronteiras. It is an imaginative plan to rapidly increase Brazil’s capacity in science and technology.
I know of no other initiative on such a scale and I congratulate the Minister for Education, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as the two agencies represented here today, CAPES and CNPq, for their delivery of this innovative idea.
For Ireland, with one of the most open economies in the world, the internationalisation of our third level educational institutions is vitally important to the safeguarding and enhancing of our economic situation. A core part of the process is welcoming international students to these Irish educational institutions.
We have been successful in attracting students from many countries, including China and the Gulf States. We see their participation in our educational system as central to the linkages which will sustain commercial and other connections in the globalised world.
Adding Brazil to that grouping will help enhance educational relations between Ireland and South America, when, with Brazil as the driving force, it appears to be entering a golden age.
The presence here today of representatives of virtually all the Irish third level institutions is reflective of our desire not only to make the partnership on Ciência sem Fronteiras work well but also to establish the wider relationships which will make exchanges and shared research work to the benefit of both sides.
The people of Ireland are proud to have one of the world’s most highly educated, skilled and productive workforces. Over 50 % of our young people go on to Third Level Education, one of the highest participation rates in the world.
Reflecting this pool of human talent, Ireland continues to attract high calibre investment by leading edge investors, many of whom have made it their European Headquarters. Ireland’s excellent business environment has made it home to the European Headquarters of almost 1,000 global companies, including household names such as Google, eBay, Intel, and Facebook. It also has:
of the world’s top 10 global pharmaceutical companies;
Over 50% of the world’s leading financial services firms; and 10 of the top “Born on the Internet” companies.
While our creativity in literature is well-known, we are also proud of our talents in the areas of scientific and innovative creativity. Irish intellectual giants in the scientific ambit include Ernest Walton who, along with John Cockcroft, was the first to split the atom. William Rowan Hamilton, whose mathematical breakthroughs are now used in the most advanced computer graphics, was also an Irish scientist who worked and carried out his research in Ireland. We also celebrate the contribution of Irish women to science such as Kathleen Lonsdale who, as well as her distinction in Chemistry, was also a strong campaigner for peace and justice.
As a consequence of our prioritisation of innovation and research, Ireland is now in the top 20 countries in scientific global rankings; we are ranked number one in the world for Molecular Genetics and Genomes; we are ranked third in the world for the quality of research in immunology; and eighth in the world for the quality of research in Materials Science.
While proud of our reputation, there is no room for complacency. We recognise that Innovation and Enterprise are dynamic processes that are best supported by a culture of vibrant exchange and enquiry.
The dialectic from which innovation emerges is, I suggest, best supported by an open, collaborative approach. In the same way that I encourage an inter-disciplinary approach in academic institutions, I also believe that the internationalisation of education stimulates new ways of looking at challenges and coming up with better, more robust and sustainable solutions.
In welcoming the arrival of Brazilians to study in Ireland, we do so knowing and celebrating that the benefits will flow in both directions. I have no doubt but that Ireland’s developmental journey will be greatly enhanced by the creativity and vibrancy of Brazilian students joining us in our academic institutions.
May I conclude by taking this opportunity to thank those who have been so helpful to us in the Ministries and in the two agencies, CAPES and CNPq, in the many twists and turns of agreeing the Memoranda of Understanding which have allowed the Irish involvement to now become an operational reality.
Thank you very much. It has been a pleasure to be present at today´s event.
Go n’éirí an bóthar libh. Slán agus beannacht. Thank you very much.