From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has today launched the Little Book of Irish Research.
To mark Science Week, Minister Harris has confirmed the book will now be available to school children across the country.
Speaking today, Minister Harris said:
“This is a really exciting project. Last year, we asked the Irish people to tell us what their priorities are in the area of research and science.
“This little book tries to focus on those areas and explain what we are doing in those areas.
“For example, people want us to focus on how to cure cancer and this book explains what researchers in University College Dublin are doing to improve diagnostics and treatments for cancer.
“Some children wanted us to examine how to protect bees from extinction and the book tells us University of Galway are assessing what it takes for bees to survive and how to protect them for future.
“Today, we are launching the book in two schools in Wicklow but it is available to schools across the country.
“We need a new generation of schoolchildren excited about science and so we need to remind everyone about the impact science is having on our everyday lives.”
Welcoming the publication, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, Prof. Philip Nolan, said:
“Science Week 2023 has caught the attention of the general public through a programme of engaging festivals and events across the country. The Little Book of Irish Research keeps the national science conversation going, brilliantly capturing a broad selection of research being carried out by researchers.”
The ‘Little Book of Irish Research’, launched as part of Science Week, has its origins in the government’s ‘Creating Our Future’ initiative.
In 2021, the general public was asked what researchers in Ireland should explore to create a better future.
Following over 18,000 submissions from people all over Ireland, the Creating Our Future Committee identified 16 main themes.
The ‘Little Book of Irish Research’ captures some of the latest, fascinating Irish research activities aligned with these themes.
For more on funded activities, go to the Science Week page.