July 2012 NUI Galway to Launch Ryan Institute with Public Symposium

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
and Pat Rabbitte TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to attend

NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute for Environmental, Marine and Energy Research will be officially launched on Tuesday, 10 July, by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, the EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. TheRyan Institutehas over 300 researchers making itIreland’s largest research institute to focus on some of the most pressing environmental and energy issues of the 21st century.

The official launch will coincide with a public symposium entitled ‘Green Shift, Blue Growth, Bright Future?’ featuring leading international experts in the environmental marine, energy and smart infrastructure research.

EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: “If Europe is to become more competitive and innovative, we need the best brains working together to face the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead. This new Institute, embedded in NUI Galway, will build on the long-standing excellence of the Environmental Change Institute and the Martin Ryan Institute for Marine Science, and will pool resources and expertise. I am convinced that the Ryan Institute will increase Ireland’s already considerable contribution to European environmental, marine and energy research.”

The symposium will be opened by Pat Rabbitte TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The keynote address, ‘A global perspective on the environment in 2040’, will be delivered by Dr Aaron Bernstein, Director of the Centre for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. He is co-author of the acclaimed book Sustaining Life, which examines the threats that diminishing biodiversity pose to human health.

Other speakers at the symposium will include: Dr Kristina Johnson, former Under Secretary for Energy at the Department of Energy in Washington, DC; Dr Diarmuid O’Donovan, Centre for Health from Environment, Ryan Institute; Dr Lisa Amini, Head of IBM’s Smarter Cities Technology Centre in Dublin; and Dr Niall McDonough, European Science Foundation.

Professor Colin Brown, Director of the Ryan Institute, said: “NUI Galway has a long history of engaging with vital environmental and marine issues through our research, especially in the areas of climate change, water resources, marine ecosystems, biodiversity and sustainability. As energy research - bioenergy and ocean energy – has become a recent strength in NUI Galway, we realised that bringing all these researchers together in the Ryan Institute could help to unlock creative solutions to some of the pressing resource problems facing us in the near future.”

In the afternoon, sessions will focus on national and regional issues, with a specific focus on how Ryan Institute research can feed into regional development. Members of the Galway 2040 Initiative, whose supporters are interested in developing a vision and plan for sustainable development of Galway city and county, will be contributing strongly to the discussions.

Other high-profile guests and researchers will stimulate discussion on some of the most important technological, scientific and socio‐economic global and local perspectives on environmental, marine and energy issues.

NUI Galway’s formal research in this area goes back to the early-1990s when a donation from Dr Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair, was made in memory of his father Martin.

The symposium is free and all are welcomed to be involved. Registration and programme details for the day can be found on www.conference.ie.

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Seolann OÉ Gaillimh Institiúid Uí Riain ag Siompóisiam Poiblí

I láthair beidh Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, an Coimisinéir Eorpach um Thaighde, Nuálaíocht agus Eolaíocht agus Pat Rabbitte TD, an tAire Cumarsáide, Fuinnimh agus Acmhainní Nádúrtha

Is í Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, an Coimisinéir Eorpach um Thaighde, Nuálaíocht agus Eolaíocht, a dhéanfaidh Institiúid Uí Riain do Thaighde Comhshaoil, Muirí agus Fuinnimh in OÉ Gaillimh a sheoladh go hoifigiúil Dé Máirt, an 10 Iúil.Tá breis agus 300 taighdeoir ag obair in Institiúid Uí Riain, agus í ar an institiúid is mó in Éirinn atá ag plé le cuid de na ceisteanna is práinní maidir leis an gcomhshaol agus le cúrsaí fuinnimh na haoise seo.

Ag an am céanna leis an seoladh beidh siompóisiam poiblí ar siúl dar teideal ‘Green Shift, Blue Growth, Bright Future?’, áit a labhróidh saineolaithe idirnáisiúnta ar thaighde comhshaol muirí, fuinnimh agus infreastruchtúir chliste.

Dúirt an Coimisinéir Eorpach um Thaighde, Nuálaíocht agus Eolaíocht, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn: “Más le hÉirinn a bheith níos iomaíche agus níos nuálaí, ní mór dúinn na daoine is éirimiúla a chur ag obair as lámh a chéile chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin agus chun na deiseanna a bheidh ann amach anseo a thapú. Cuirfidh an Institiúid nua seo, atá i gceartlár OÉ Gaillimh, leis an bhfeabhas atá ag baint le fada leis an Institiúid um Athrú Comhshaoil agus le hInstitiúid Mháirtín Uí Riain don Mhuireolaíocht, agus cuirfidh sí acmhainní agus saineolas ar fáil in aon áit amháin. Táim cinnte go gcuirfidh Institiúid Uí Riain leis an méid suntasach atá déanta ag Éirinn cheana féin ar mhaithe le taighde comhshaoil, muirí agus fuinnimh na hEorpa.”

Is é Pat Rabbitte TD, an tAire Cumarsáide, Fuinnimh agus Acmhainní Nádúrtha a osclóidh an siompóisiam. Is é an Dr Aaron Bernstein, Stiúrthóir an Centre for Health and the Global Environment i Scoil Leighis Harvard a thabharfaidh príomhchaint an tsiompóisiam, ‘A global perspective on the environment in 2040’. Is comhúdar é ar an leabhar cáiliúil Sustaining Life, a dhéanann iniúchadh ar na bagairtí ar shláinte an duine a bhaineann le bithéagsúlacht laghdaitheach.

I measc na gcainteoirí eile ag an siompóisiam beidh: An Dr Kristina Johnson, iarFho-Rúnaí Fuinnimh sa Roinn Fuinnimh i Washington, DC; an Dr Diarmuid O’Donovan, Lárionad Sláinte Faoi Scáth an Chomhshaoil, Institiúid Uí Riain; an Dr Lisa Amini, Ceannasaí Ionad IBM do Smarter Cities Technology i mBaile Átha Cliath; agus an Dr Niall McDonough, Fondúireacht Eolaíochta na hEorpa.

Dúirt an tOllamh Colin Brown, Stiúrthóir Institiúid Uí Riain: “Tá dea-cháil ar OÉ Gaillimh le fada mar gheall ar an obair atá déanta aici le haghaidh a thabhairt ar phríomhcheisteanna comhshaoil agus muirí trína cuid taighde, go háirithe sna réimsí a bhaineann le hathrú aeráide, acmhainní uisce, éiceachórais mhuirí, bithéagsúlacht agus inbhuanaitheacht. Le tamall anuas tá láidreacht ar leith léirithe ag OÉ Gaillimh i gcúrsaí taighde fuinnimh - bithfhuinneamh agus fuinneamh farraige, agus thuigeamar go mbeadh tairbhe ar leith ag baint leis na taighdeoirí seo ar fad a thabhairt le chéile in Institiúid Uí Riain d’fhonn teacht ar fhreagraí cruthaitheacha ar chuid de na fadhbanna acmhainní is mó atá os ár gcomhair sa ghearrthréimhse.”

Díreoidh na seisiúin sa tráthnóna ar cheisteanna náisiúnta agus réigiúnacha, le béim ar leith ar an gcaoi ar féidir le taighde Institiúid Uí Riain cabhrú le forbairt réigiúnach. Beidh ról ar leith sna cainteanna ag comhaltaí ón Galway 2040 Initiative, ar spéis leo fís agus plean a chur i dtoll a chéile d’fhorbairt inmharthana chathair agus chontae na Gaillimhe.

Cuirfidh aíonna agus taighdeoirí iomráiteacha eile leis an bplé ar chuid de na peirspictíochtaí teicneolaíochta, eolaíocha agus socheacnamaíocha domhanda agus áitiúla is tábhachtaí maidir le ceisteanna muirí agus fuinnimh.

Cuireadh tús le taighde foirmiúil OÉ Gaillimh sa réimse seo i dtús na 1990idí nuair a thug an Dr Tony Ryan, bunaitheoir Ryanair, deontas don Ollscoil i gcuimhne a athar Martin.

Tá an siompóisiam saor in aisce agus tá fáilte roimh chách. Is féidir teacht ar eolas faoi chlárúchán agus ar chlár an lae ag www.conference.ie.

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