The event is organised by the Marine Institute initiative Marine Biotechnology Ireland and the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) in NUI Galway, with the support of the European INTERREG project ShareBiotech and in association with the Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (CISC), also in NUI Galway.
The conference will present the results of a recent survey that examined the needs and barriers in the biotechnology R&D sector in Ireland, and will discuss our position in the wider Atlantic area.
Invited speakers from Ireland, France and the UK will describe their experiences in the creation, management and use of shared skills and infrastructures in the life sciences sector. The objectives of the conference are to learn how networks of knowledge and infrastructures can contribute to innovation and to investigate what models of organisation are available for the marine biotechnology sector.
Dr Peter Heffernan, Chief Executive of the Marine Institute, stressed how Ireland, though the implementation of the programme outlined in Sea Change, Irelands Marine Knowledge, Research & Innovation Strategy 2007-2013 is uniquely positioned to reap the benefits from an early investment in supporting such research.
Marine Biotechnology Ireland", said Dr Heffernan, is engaged in an array of activities that are relevant to Irelands efforts to become a leader in the commercial exploitation of our extensive marine bioresources by continuing to develop and build on Irelands excellence in marine biotechnology research.
Speaking on behalf of NUI Galway and SEMRU, Dr Ilaria Nardello, national coordinator of Marine Biotechnology Ireland and Sharepoint Principal Investigator - remarked that the first objective of the Atlantic Area Trans-National Programme is to promote transnational entrepreneurial and innovation networks, which is fully supportive of Marine Biotechnology Ireland.
The Marine Biotechnology Ireland initiative resulted from the Sea Change strategy and is working with research institutions and commercial companies in Irelands food, health and biomaterials sectors to maximise the economic potential of Irelands marine resources through marine biotechnology.
This free event will take place in NUI Galway, at 10am on Thursday, the 25 August. A tour of one of the technological core facilities (TCF) on campus will also take place as part of the conference on the day. For full details and online registration, please visit: http://www.conference.ie .
Conference On European Marine Biotechnology
IRELAND - Marine biotechnology in the Atlantic regions is the focus of a one-day conference being hosted by NUI Galway on Thursday 25 August. Entitled Networks as Knowledge - Biotechnology Networks in the Atlantic Area.
