On 20th January, Marine Institute CEO, Dr Peter Heffernan, addressed the Destination Europe Conference, in Boston, USA. The aim of the Conference, the brain child of EU Research Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, is to promote Europe as a research and innovation destination. The target audience consisted of US based researchers (many of European origin) interested in new options for developing their careers by moving to or returning to Europe and knowledge-based SMEs interested in locating in Europe.
Dr Heffernan was invited by Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn to join her team of high-level representatives of major European funding organisations and research intensive industries to demonstrate that Europe has a vibrant and attractive science, technology and innovation culture and provides opportunities for career development and advancement. “Europe’s state-of-the-art facilities and world-class environments provide unique and challenging opportunities for knowledge-based industries and research organisations“ she said.
 |
Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (2nd left) meets Jane Lubchenco, US Under Secretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). |
Dr Heffernan, addressing the session on opportunities for joint technology ventures, start-up firms and academia-industry cooperation, argued that the next decade is poised to see some of the greatest advances in man’s ability to understand the life support system of this planet, the Global Ocean, and the essential ecosystem products and services they provide. With this knowledge will come new opportunities to develop a vibrant Blue Economy.
He noted that “convergence opportunities and demands in the marine sphere across many diverse scientific, industrial, societal and governmental areas of activity will be at the heart of these exciting new discoveries and revolutionary technological developments and capabilities. Such opportunities will present themselves at local, regional, multinational and global scales”
Ireland, he said, “has seen a major transformation in its marine scientific capabilities and capacities in the last decade, such as for example the SmartOcean Initiative, and stands ready to play a major role in European and Global marine scientific endeavours in the exciting period that lies ahead”.
As part of the visit to Boston, Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn and Dr Heffernan breakfasted with the Wild Geese Network (http://wildgeesenetwork.org/), a network of the Irish scientific diaspora in North America devoted to harnessing the knowledge, experience and success of Irish scientists in North America.
 |
European Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (centre) is welcomed by Consul General of Ireland in Boston, Michael Lonergan during a breakfast meeting of the Wild Geese Network of Irish Scientist in Boston, in Boston, Massachusett. |