Ireland Plays Important Role In Meeting EU Targets For Jobs

Ireland is playing an important part in helping the EU meet it targets for the creation of high-value jobs according to Minister for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock TD.

The Minister was speaking at a conference in Dublin Castle, hosted by the Irish Presidency of the EU, on Researcher Careers and Mobility to focus on measures to ensure the free movement of researchers and knowledge across Europe.

The conference is bringing researchers and policy makers from Europe and beyond together to discuss a number of crucial issues including: fast track immigration; open and transparent hiring policies; and upskilling researchers to increase their access to leading positions across all sectors of the economy and society.

This conference will work on practical solutions to realise Europe's ambitions to create a 'European Research Area' for the free movement of researchers and knowledge. The goal is to make Europe a more welcoming place for researchers – retaining our own and also drawing from the global talent pool. This is a cornerstone of the European Research Area policy, which Ireland has adopted and implemented through the concerted efforts of government, higher education and industry.

Minister Sherlock stressed the importance of finding practical solutions to fulfilling ambitions for the European Research Area when he said: "We must foster research excellence to maintain our leading international position. We must provide pathways to enable researchers to find employment in industry where their talents can lead innovation and the development of new products and services."

Across Europe, over 5 million jobs have been lost between 2008 and 2010. In contrast, knowledge-based jobs driven by research and innovation increased by more than 800,000.

(CD/MH)