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Ireland
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENCE IN IRELAND
In July 2003, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) was established on a statutory basis under the Industrial Development Act 2003. The Agreed Programme for Government, published in June 2002, provided for establishing SFI as a separate legal entity. SFI had been set up in 2000 as a sub-board of Forfas (national policy and advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation) to administer Ireland's Technology Foresight Fund. SFI provides awards to support scientists and engineers working in biotechnology and information & communications technology development.
SFI is a key organisation in the implementation of the Irish National Development Plan 2007-2013 (NDP) and the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-2013 (SSTI, http://www.entemp.ie/publications/science/2006/sciencestrategy.pdf). A sum of € 8.2 billion has been allocated for scientific research under the NDP and SSTI, of which SFI has responsibility to invest €1.4 billion. SFI will continue to invest in academic researchers and research teams who are most likely to generate new knowledge, leading edge technologies and competitive enterprises in the fields underpinning two broad areas:
Biotechnology;
• Information and communications technology.
In addition, the Research Frontiers Programme supports the very best research in a broad range of disciplines in science, mathematics and engineering. SFI makes grants based on the merit review of distinguished scientists. SFI also advances co-operative efforts among education, government, and industry that support its fields of emphasis and promotes Ireland's achievements around the world.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCIENCE & RESEARCH COOPERATION IRELAND - BELARUS
SFI provides grants for researchers from around the world who wish to relocate to Ireland and those already based in Ireland, for outstanding research visitors, for conferences and symposia, and for collaboration with industry. SFI chooses award recipients in the fields of biotechnology, ICT and sustainable energy and energy-efficient technologies through merit review by distinguished scientists. In addition, the Research Frontiers Programme supports the very best research in a broad range of disciplines in Science, Mathematics and Engineering. SFI has a flexible grants and awards portfolio and several times a year issues calls for proposals from scientists and engineers. SFI also continues to help SFI-funded researchers build partnerships with industry. The Summary List of SFI Award Programmes is available at http://www.sfi.ie/content/content.asp?section_id=605&language_id=l
Information and Communications Technology Directorate
SFI believes that the advancement of ICT will depend upon researchers able to push the bounds of knowledge, including bridging traditional disciplines. SFI has therefore established an open and ambitious funding scheme to fund proposals that link highly sophisticated research with a vision for the ICT and Biotechnology of tomorrow. We want proposals charged not only with substance and expertise but also with passion and creativity. In particular, we are interested in research programmes that might carry the evolution of ICT forward in the following areas:
Software and applications, including communications, security, reliability, user-interfaces, and simulation and modelling;
Components and devices, including photonics, wireless, electronics, or their integration; novel architectures; and nanoscale assembly;
Networks, including high-speed, broadband, wireless, or mobile transmission; voice, data, or video technology; digital signal processing; network management; switching; and next generation internet;
Systems, including distributed or parallel systems, and engineering for system reliability, pre-dictability and security.
Biosciences and Bioengineering Directorate
The Biosciences and Bioengineering directorate supports research in the biological and other sciences underpinning biotechnology including bioengineering. No sub-specialities are highlighted to avoid restricting the most creative potential investigator initiated proposals. Excellence of the proposal coupled with the greatest perceived potential for seizing opportunities as they arise during the course of the work, will be the criteria for successful selection.
Encouragement of an entrepreneurial science culture is another key feature of the directorate, as is dissemination of information on biological and biotechnological advances to the wider, non-scientific community.
Frontiers Engineering and Science Directorate
The main programme in the Frontiers Engineering and Science (FES) Directorate is the Research Frontiers Programme (RFP). Its goal is to support the very best research in a broad range of disciplines in science, mathematics and engineering and the competition is driven by the scien¬tific merit of the proposals. The RFP programme provides support for post-doctoral fellows and especially post-graduate students. It also supports a wide range of research in fields such as math-ematics, physics and chemistry.
In addition to RFP, the FES directorate manages two initiatives. The Mathematics Initiative was launched in 2005 and is intended to encourage mathematical research that has a potential impact on enterprise, industry, science, engineering and mathematical education.
SFI recognizes the importance of engineering in translating scientific knowledge into useful products, processes and services in the marketplace, and thus its contribution to the economic competitiveness of Ireland and so in 2007 the Engineering Professorship and Lectureship Programme was launched. Its aim is to increase the number of world-class, research active professors and lecturers in engineering and HEIs in the short term.
© National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2011
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