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May 7th 2008
U.S.- Ireland R&D Partnership News Release
The fifth meeting of the U.S.-Ireland Research and Development (R&D) Partnership Steering Group, was held in Queen’s University Belfast.
The US delegation was led by the HHS Deputy Secretary, Tevi Troy, US Co-Chair of the Steering Group. Dr Killian Halpin, Ireland Co-Chair of the Steering Group chaired the meeting. A full list of the members of the Steering Group is attached as an Annex.
The US and Ireland Co-Chairs together with the Northern Ireland Co-Chair, Prof Fabian Monds welcomed the opportunity to meet in Belfast at this significant time of the landmark US-NI Investment Conference and to discuss furthering R&D cooperation amongst the three jurisdictions.
The Steering group reviewed progress to date and congratulated the funding agency staff and government departments in the three jurisdictions and the Partnership Secretariat in developing the processes for collaboration that underpin this new form of international cooperation.
The Steering Group received reports from the funding agencies on implementing the Partnership. It noted the work being undertaken to promote the Partnership and expressed satisfaction with the levels of interest in the Partnership, amongst the research community.
The Steering Group recommended that the Secretariat, together with the agencies, explore additional supports to encourage the development of proposals and to develop a programme with timelines and responsibilities for the implementation of the support measures. These should include:
- Agencies on the island pursuing ways of further enhancing communications between researchers, North and South and the US;
- Availing of the opportunities offered by the HHS/NIH, including:
- The provision of 5 places for Ireland and Northern Ireland researchers to participate in the forthcoming NIH Regional Seminar Programme Funding and Grants Administration in University of Illinois in June 2008;
- The organisation of a mini-workshop on NIH funding for Ireland and Northern Ireland members of the Partnership; and
- The opportunity for Ireland and Northern Ireland researchers to serve as reviewers on NIH review panels
- The use of post analysis appraisal teams to review proposals that have been unsuccessful in the first round with a view to assisting proposal re-submission.
The Steering Group also recommended that the Secretariat, together with the agencies, consider the interest and potential for expanding the scientific areas of the Partnership.
The next meeting of the Steering Group was scheduled to take place in October 2008 in Washington DC.
Notes
On January 18, 2005, former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, Micheál Martin, the then Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Ireland, Barry Gardiner, the then Minister with responsibility for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, and Employment and Learning, and Angela Smith, the then Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety Northern Ireland, announced the establishment of the U.S.-Ireland R&D Partnership.
The purpose of the U.S.-Ireland R&D Partnership is to encourage and support research between the best and brightest to generate innovations to the marketplace and to lead to improvements in health promotion, disease prevention, health care and other technologies.
ANNEX
Membership of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Steering Group:
United States
The Honorable Tevi Troy, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
The Honorable Elias Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH)/HHS
Dr. Richard Buckius, Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation (NSF)
Northern Ireland
Professor Fabian Monds, Retired Chairman of the Board, Invest Northern Ireland
Professor Peter Gregson, President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen's University Belfast
Dr. Hugh Cormican, Non Executive Director, Bioptics Inc
Republic of Ireland
Dr. Killian Halpin, Retired Director, Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Forfas
Prof. Frank Gannon, Director-General, Science Foundation Ireland
Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, President, Dublin City University
The Secretariat to the Partnership on the island is provided by InterTradeIreland, the All-Island trade and business development body.
END