Barry Mc Sweeney talks to CORDIS News about his new role as Ireland's Chief Science Advisor
On his last day in his Brussels office as Director General of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), Barry Mc Sweeney spoke to CORDIS News about the task ahead of him as the first ever Chief Science Advisor to the Irish Government. Dr Mc Sweeney has been in charge of the JRC since 2001, and had said in his last interview with CORDIS News, in February of this year, that he was ready to move on, feeling that his role of 'repairer and developer' had come to an end. The post of Chief Science Advisor is an entirely new one, announced by Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney in June. Dr Mc Sweeney will 'provide independent expert advice on any aspect of science, technology and innovation as required by the government,' said Ms Harney. Dr Mc Sweeney emphasises the independence of the position as key. He will not be attached to a particular government department, enjoying instead a 'key oversight function'. In addition to advising on specific aspects of science, Dr Mc Sweeney will be responsible for advising his national government on the 'scale and balance' of research investment. Perhaps controversially, Dr Mc Sweeney says that he is 'not sure that the percentage of GDP is the right figure to be using' as 'we shouldn't judge a government by its activities but by its impact.' Dr Mc Sweeney is referring to the goal agreed by EU Heads of State and Government in Barcelona in 2002 of increasing research spending to three per cent of GDP by 2010. More important than the amount of money spent on science is the number of international research groups attracted to Ireland, the number of Nobel prizes won and the number of research jobs created, said Dr Mc Sweeney. Dr Mc Sweeney believes he has learnt a lot during his time with the JRC that will be to the benefit of science in Ireland. He intends to exploit science to optimise the enterprise environment - 'but in a socially acceptable manner. Through the EU I've learnt the importance of stakeholder involvement.' Involving societal groups very early is a priority for Dr Mc Sweeney. He expects this to become increasingly important as the trend towards merging technologies increases, particularly with regard to nanotechnology and the life sciences. Other priorities include the 're-branding of Ireland', changes to the way science is taught in schools and universities, and making broadband more widely available. 'We need to re-brand Ireland as a research base. We are well on the way to becoming a knowledge economy,' said Dr Mc Sweeney. Meanwhile science education needs 'more excitement' at school level, and more choice at university level so that international students are attracted to the country. One of the most difficult questions that Dr Mc Sweeney will no doubt be asked to deal with is that of stem cell research. While opposition to such research exists in sections of most EU Member States, the Irish government has been one of the most reluctant participants in the debate due to strong public feeling and a national ban on the practice. 'There are areas of stem cell research where ethics is a problem,' said Dr Mc Sweeney. 'It would be unethical to retard such research when we know that progress could be made.' He gives the example of toxicology - embryo toxicity is currently tested through experiments on two animal species. 'But we have stem cell lines - let's use them in lieu of animal testing.' The problem is a lack of knowledge among society, asserts Dr Mc Sweeney, something for which scientists themselves must take the blame: 'Society doesn't understand much about the boundaries of science. We as scientists have not done a good job in explaining what science is about. [...] We cannot afford to slow rapidly developing tests because we have been slow in developing a societal position if we want to have a knowledge economy,' he warns. Asked how much influence he expects to wield in his new role, Dr Mc Sweeney is very optimistic. 'It will totally depend on me,' he says at first, then adding that the heads of several departments in the Irish government have already been in touch, making it clear that they see a need for him in their area of work. Dr Mc Sweeney also intends to ensure influence through visibility. He admits that getting himself established 'shouldn't take too long', and that we will be hearing much more from him in the comment columns of the printed press. If researchers across the world have not yet heard of Barry Mc Sweeney and the research opportunities within his native Ireland, this could be about to change.
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