VRTI at EU Research and Innovation Ministers gather in the Old Library, Trinity College Dublin.

European Research and Innovation Ministers and policy makers visited Trinity College Dublin this week to visit the Long Room and view the Book of Kells, the exquisite medieval manuscript housed in Trinity’s Old Library.

The meeting is one of 22 Informal Ministerial meetings taking place in Ireland during the Presidency and is the first in a series of Presidency engagements taking place in Trinity. Policy under discussion included the creation of a single, borderless market for research and innovation and boosting Europe’s innovation performance, in line with Ireland’s Presidency priorities of competitiveness, values and security.

During the visit to the Long Room, ministers and policy makers heard from Trinity academic Professor Jane Ohlmeyer (History) who discussed the impact of VOICES, an ambitious research project that recovers the lived experiences of ‘ordinary’, non-elite women in early modern Ireland. She was followed by Professor Ortwin Hess (Physics) who outlined the goals of RINN Quantum, a new research centre which aims to establish Ireland as an international leader in quantum information science, technology and education. Trinity’s Dean of Research, Professor Sinéad Ryan, and Dr Peter Crooks, founder of the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland were also in attendance.

‘I am delighted that Trinity has hosted this important gathering and I warmly welcome participants from across the EU to our campus,’ said Trinty’s Provost Dr Linda Doyle. ‘It is very fitting that research and innovation was the focus of this meeting. If the European Union is to strengthen its global voice and secure a vibrant, competitive and prosperous future for the benefit of our students and wider society, then research and innovation must be placed at the heart of its ambitions. In practical terms, this means strong investment in FP10, continued support for Erasmus+, and the full strategic use of the soft power that these programmes provide.  

The ministers, policy makers and research leaders who gathered in Trinity are in a powerful position to influence this agenda and to ensure that research, education and innovation remain central to Europe’s success.’