Diving into Dublin
鈥淲HY do I love Dublin? Because it鈥檚 an Irish city with a New York attitude,鈥 says Tom Rondeau, a PhD student from the US studying at the University of Dublin鈥檚 Trinity College. And he鈥檚 right. Dublin鈥檚 city centre may be surrounded by Georgian architecture, the Wicklow mountains, and be home to the main Guinness brewery, but with more than 1.6 million people living there 鈥 a quarter of Ireland鈥檚 population 鈥 the city is big, busy and brimming with attitude.
Another enthusiastic resident is Linda Doyle of Trinity College鈥檚 electronic and electrical engineering department. She is a lead researcher in network architectures at the Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research 鈥 a group developing the next generation of telecommunications. While she loves the place, she warns that 鈥渋f you don鈥檛 like big cities, it won鈥檛 be for you鈥.
The cost of living in Dublin is high, with house prices much the same as those in London. This is a side effect of the economic boom which Ireland has enjoyed since the late 1990s, due in part to the government鈥檚 commitment to science. The country鈥檚 research landscape was transformed when prime minister Bertie Ahern launched the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation.
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The cornerstone of this strategy was Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), which funds a variety of research, particularly in biotechnology and information technology. Earlier this year, SFI announced that it has now allocated more than 聙1 billion (拢770 million) into research and development. 鈥淥ur only prerequisite for funding is that you are doing science of great quality,鈥 says Frank Gannon, the SFI鈥檚 director-general. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how we鈥檝e created an environment that attracts clusters of expertise in academia and industry 鈥 and why we are now competing on an international level in science.鈥
In just a few years, burgeoning investment has revitalised science in Ireland and changed the landscape 鈥 literally. Many impressive new dedicated science buildings have sprung up. For example, Ireland鈥檚 first purpose-built nanoscience research institute, the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), recently opened its doors for business. The centre cost 聙100 million and contains state-of-the-art underground laboratories with super-controlled environments. These labs are virtually vibration-free, crucial for nanotech experiments because they are vulnerable to the tiniest changes in their environment.
CRANN鈥檚 top-notch facilities 鈥 and the pioneering research opportunities they provide 鈥 are designed to attract internationally renowned trailblazers in nanotechnology and healthcare. A number of labs are dedicated to industry collaborations which will help transfer new research to the public domain. 鈥淲e have been in the building for a couple of months now,鈥 says John Boland, principal investigator at CRANN, 鈥渁nd the performance of our ultra-low vibration space in the basement has been excellent.鈥
The city is now also home to cutting-edge astrophysics. At University College Dublin, researchers are helping the European Space Agency with its Columbus laboratory, which blasted off to the International Space Station earlier this year. 鈥淚reland may still be some way from producing its first astronaut, but we are developing the scientific ideas which will keep Europe鈥檚 ISS astronauts busy in years to come,鈥 says David Browne, who is leading the project. 鈥淗aving access to unique, weightless labs provides Irish industry with the opportunity to develop novel technologies and new materials, particularly renewable energy sources to help combat climate change.鈥
Such novel projects and brand-new infrastructure are creating an attractive research climate in Ireland. Gannon says that overseas scientists can now find Irish universities and research institutes where they can work in a team that precisely fits their backgrounds. Doyle agrees, and adds that 鈥渢he most exciting thing about coming to Ireland is the critical mass that is beginning to develop, which allows us to compete on an international scale. It鈥檚 really important that we encourage international links with other universities: when you鈥檙e doing research these days you have to acknowledge that you work on an international stage. Irish universities are much better at doing that now.鈥
At Trinity College, Doyle鈥檚 students regularly exchange with students from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. University graduates and postdocs also benefit from the great funding environment, says Doyle. 鈥淚n my group, I am finding it hard to hire all the people I need. The funded positions are there, I just need the people.鈥 But she concedes that there is a downside to being a graduate in Ireland. 鈥淭here is still a lack of permanent positions here which can be unsettling for students.鈥 This problem is widely acknowledged, says Doyle, and universities are putting in a lot of effort to encourage graduates to develop extra skills. 鈥淎ll the universities tend to have innovation offices now and provide entrepreneurship and business courses for students, which gives them the chance to branch out into other areas of industry and academia.鈥
Cash in on Cork
The coastal city of Cork boasts beautiful farmland, rocky headlands and city skyscrapers. It holds Ireland鈥檚 second-largest population 鈥 about half a million 鈥 but the city is nevertheless eclipsed by the rolling hills and coastal houses that overlook the river Lee.
鈥淐ork is the ideal compromise between big city and small town,鈥 says Gene Freuder, director of the Cork Constraint Computation Centre (4C). 鈥淚 walk everywhere, I don鈥檛 need public transport in the city, the rest of Europe is a short plane ride away, and the beauty of the west of Ireland is on our doorstep.鈥 Based at University College Cork, 4C develops computer technology for 鈥渃onstraint programming鈥, which enables computers to help humans make optimal decisions when faced with many choices. 鈥淚 like to tell people that if they have solved a sudoku puzzle that they are constraint programmers,鈥 Freuder explains.
聯Cork is the ideal compromise between a city and a small town聰
Cork has opened its doors to the world鈥檚 pharmaceutical industry, with 10 of the biggest pharmaceutical companies owning manufacturing operations along the harbour. Tax incentives and growing clusters of expertise at Irish universities are now encouraging these international companies to extend their research and development expertise into Ireland.
鈥淎lthough our main source of funding is the SFI, investors include GlaxoSmithKline, and other pharmaceutical companies are starting to show interest in our work,鈥 says Ted Dinan, project leader at Cork鈥檚 Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC). 鈥淭hese are the first indications that big pharma is prepared to do research in Ireland,鈥 he says, adding that pharmaceutical investment in Ireland is now focused more on knowledge and research than manufacturing.
This transition is also visible in Dublin, where Wyeth has recently started research and production at a new campus at Grange Castle International Business Park in Clondalkin, less than 15 kilometres from Dublin鈥檚 city centre. The new site is a 聙11.4 billion drug development and production facility 鈥 the largest biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing investment in the world.
Ireland is a fantastic place for scientists looking to collaborate with industry, says Freuder. Enterprise Ireland funds industry collaboration through its Innovation Partnership programme, and the Industrial Development Agency, which entices foreign companies into Ireland. They work together to provide scientists with the support to form successful collaborations with other academics and industry. 鈥淭he number of people working in science is rather like the numbers in Silicon Valley so it鈥檚 not possible to feel isolated within your subject,鈥 says Gannon. 鈥淭he probability of meeting someone doing research of interest to you is very good.鈥 Freuder鈥檚 group at 4C is a good example. It is a virtual centre made up of researchers from bodies such as the Tyndall National Institute, the University of Limerick and the Dublin Institute of Technology, all working with major international industrial players such as Bell Labs and Intel. 4C dreams of developing a telecommunications research hub in Ireland, aided by the influx into Cork of multinationals Intel, Norton, Ericsson and others.
Ireland鈥檚 push to engage academics with industry also provides students and postdocs with excellent training opportunities. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a natural part of the research process and it can be very valuable for students and employers,鈥 says Doyle. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e getting all this taxpayers鈥 cash, being able to collaborate with industry also gives you an opportunity to give something back to the people.鈥 Gannon takes the long view: 鈥淭he funding that has spurred these collaborations will plateau eventually, but it will have improved quality because there will be more people in the system.鈥 Fierce competition will spur Ireland鈥檚 science to ever greater heights, he says.
The glamour of Galway
It takes barely a glance to appreciate what makes Galway one of Ireland鈥檚 favourite weekend venues. Hills and national parks surround a young, Bohemian city with a strong arts culture and plenty of traditional Irish music. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful city 鈥 travel a mile and you鈥檙e into the countryside or on the ocean,鈥 says Mattie McCabe of Science Foundation Ireland.
Galway鈥檚 coastal location has turned it into a prime spot for marine biology and oceanography. 鈥淭here is no question that Ireland could lead Europe in deep-sea science,鈥 says John Delaney, professor of marine geology and geophysics at the University of Washington in Seattle. He was recently in Galway to advise the Irish Marine Institute on its new underwater observatory project.
In line with its rapidly expanding capacity for outstanding marine science, researchers at the institute plan to install underwater observatories which will use fibre-optic cables to gather and transmit information. The endeavour is part of a bigger European network which will eventually range from the Arctic to the Black Sea. Ireland鈥檚 involvement also reflects the European Commission鈥檚 maritime policy, which emphasises the importance of underwater observatories as early warning systems for environmental and geological incidents.
Back in the city, the National University of Ireland, Galway, is also benefiting from Ireland鈥檚 funding bonanza. Its Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) is one of eight Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) 鈥 an SFI programme which funds scientists who build collaborations with industry. 鈥淎t the end of their funding contracts, SFI expects each CSET group to have enough external sources of funding to continue on their own,鈥 says Kieran Ryan, programme manager at REMEDI. 鈥淥ur main areas of interest are currently cardiology and the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine, and there鈥檚 a great emphasis from SFI for us to have outreach programmes for primary and secondary school pupils, undergraduate students, as well as providing events for the public.鈥
Down the hall from REMEDI is Terry Smith, director of the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science. His groups鈥 collaboration with Beckman Coulter 鈥 an international provider of biomedical testing systems 鈥 has allowed them to develop a new assay for the group B Streptococcus bacterium. The centre鈥檚 test delivers results quickly, meaning it can be used in labour wards to prevent mothers transmitting a potentially devastating infection to their newborns. 鈥淭he combination of the academics鈥 knowledge and research experience together with our technology has helped us to develop molecular diagnostics instruments that we can manufacture around the world,鈥 says Mary Luthy, director of corporate communications at Beckman Coulter.
It鈥檚 not only the public who benefit from Irish collaborations. 鈥淭hey are also valuable for our postgrad students because the experience of working with an industrial partner is very different from SFI or academically funded projects. There are very different pressures and time constraints,鈥 says Smith.
The influx of research cash Ireland now attracts has grown from 聙140 million to 聙470 million over the past two years. 鈥淭hat has shown a real dedication from industry and it鈥檚 what makes Ireland such an exciting place to work,鈥 says Gannon. Smith, too, is impressed by the enthusiasm of Irish scientists and optimistic that the future is bright for those who want to make their mark on both the country鈥檚 home-grown industry and the international scene. 鈥淭here is huge potential for start-up companies but it鈥檚 only in the past eight years that the funding has allowed this to get off the ground,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 think over the next few years there will be a significant increase in start-up companies emerging from the universities.鈥
Throughout Ireland the research community is proud of what it is beginning to achieve economically and scientifically. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a definite feeling of passion for your job here in Ireland,鈥 says Gannon. 鈥淚t also helps that the people here are in the early stage of research so they can measure their development.鈥
聯Researchers are proud of what they are beginning to achieve聰
For Stefan Decker, director of the Digital Enterprise Research Institute in Galway, this is the reason he has no regrets about moving from a sunny bay-view apartment in California鈥檚 Redondo Beach to the cooler climes of Ireland. 鈥淭he US and my native Germany have established funding which has been around for a long time, so it鈥檚 difficult to build up a research department which goes in a new direction. Here, because everything is new, the research environment is vibrant and dynamic, which gives people more freedom to explore novel ideas that are internationally recognised.鈥 As well as the chance to carry out internationally competitive research, the quality of life is a big attraction for Decker and others. 鈥淭o balance your professional life with this nice, easy-going social side is unique.鈥
Gannon says he has lived in several different countries, so understands the problems of settling in. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt that the Irish people are friendlier than anywhere else I鈥檝e ever been. They will always go out of their way to help you. That is a huge advantage for any scientist thinking about moving to this country.鈥
Careers 鈥 Find out how to make the most of your career in our comprehensive special report.
Fergal Murray: Guinness master brewer
鈥淭his is my 25th year at St James鈥檚 Gate Brewery,鈥 says Fergal Murray, Guinness鈥檚 master brewer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to leave!鈥 No surprises there, since Murray has one of the best jobs in the world: making sure Ireland鈥檚 national drink tastes great.
When a brewer is producing 4 million pints of Guinness a day they need a wide range of skills, Murray says. 鈥淎nyone with a scientific background can enter the profession. We take on engineers who don鈥檛 even know what a yeast cell looks like, because you build on pure science skills to understand the whole process.鈥 This ranges from understanding how to handle the raw materials to how temperatures and pressures affect the end product. But a brewer must also hone skills in engineering, design and marketing. 鈥淭his is the biggest challenge of the job, but that鈥檚 what offers such a great buzz.鈥
The first step is training, with exams set by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. But the learning doesn鈥檛 stop there. 鈥淭he consumer鈥檚 perception is that we鈥檝e still got a guy with patches and a straw hat throwing in the hops,鈥 Murray says. 鈥淚n reality, a brewer needs to keep up with the modern requirements of brewing.鈥
And then there鈥檚 the tasting. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an essential part of a brewer鈥檚 work,鈥 laughs Murray. Testing 16 samples of Guinness at 8 am might not be for everyone, but for Murray, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a lovely part of the job鈥.
While it takes at least 10 years to achieve master brewer status, a deep involvement comes long before that, says Murray. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much going on under your fingertips. You are given responsibility very early in your career.鈥
Guinness鈥檚 global appeal means Ireland isn鈥檛 its only home. 鈥淲e have brewers all over the world so everyone has the opportunity to hone their skills elsewhere 鈥 you could end up being a quality manager in China,鈥 says Murray. He has worked in Africa and the US, most recently supporting the American marketing team鈥檚 efforts for the St Patrick鈥檚 Day celebrations.
Besides the obvious, what else is good about the job? 鈥淲orking with a team of people who are passionate about what they do. You spend your day making something that you know people will enjoy and I鈥檓 very proud of that,鈥 says Murray.