Irish Government, industry and academia join forces to back Dublin's bid to host European City of Science 2012
Irish Government, industry and academia join forces to back Dublin's bid to host European City of Science 2012
Date: 30 July 2008
The Lord Mayor Councillor Eibhlin Byrne and Dr Jimmy Devins TD Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation gave their full support today (Wednesday 30th July) at The Mansion House to Dublin's ongoing bid to host Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF) 2012. The bid is being put together by a high-level committee of science and industry stakeholders drawn from all sectors of society under the stewardship of the Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Patrick Cunningham.
Dublin’s aim is to attract 8,000 Irish and international delegates while engaging 50,000 citizens in a truly 'Olympics of European Research' style event in July 2012. The third edition of this biennial festival was recently held from 18 – 22 July in Barcelona where 5,000 participants took part. Dublin’s Bid Committee held a range of highly successful visibility-raising activities. The deadline for proposals is end September. Vienna is the only other declared candidate at this stage with Copenhagen also expressing interest. There were seven candidates in 2006 for the 2010 edition with Turin being selected.
The Lord Mayor said, "Dublin already has impressive science facilities and outstanding researchers and I urge the whole of the country to get behind this bid. Dublin and Ireland are internationally renowned for scientific and technological achievements spanning the construction of Newgrange over 5,000 years ago to Ernest Walton's Nobel Prize and beyond. Our concentration of Higher Education Institutions in the Greater Dublin area means that we are continuing and developing our role as Ireland's producer of human capital. Our city is also a fitting venue for 2012 because we are a global leader in pioneering cutting-edge research and development while calling ourselves home to the world’s biggest names in innovation such as Google, Intel, Microsoft and Wyatt. We have real substance to build on." concluded the Lord Mayor.
Minister Devins added, "a successful bid will provide a timely platform to showcase the best of science and research being carried out here across all disciplines, whether it is led by indigenous or international partners. We will, at that stage, be towards the end of our massive NDP investment of €8.2bn in research and development with a spotlight on dividends in terms of infrastructure and human capital, innovation and commercialisation. As a gateway to the world, we will also be able to draw on an unrivalled network of international experts to help EuroScience take ESOF to the next level. It is also a unique opportunity at home to promote the value of investing in science with true consequences for the daily life of the citizen, while showcasing modern Dublin to our European and international partners".
Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Cunningham concluded, “Preparations are going well and everything is falling into place. We are confident that we have right ideas, the right people and the right facilities. We are making a strong case for Dublin that will be hard to ignore".
Read more about Dublin's City of Science bid - 2012
Chief Scientific Adviser Prof. Patrick Cunningham outlining Dublin’s ESOF 2012 bid.
Prof. Patrick Cunningham, Lord Mayor Councillor Eibhlin Byrne and Dr. Jimmy Devins TD Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation taking a closer look at the bid.
