Prof. Michael Kelly, the Prince Philip Professor of Technology at Cambridge University and formerly Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Department for Communities and Local Government will deliver a lecture to the Irish Academy of Engineering at 6 p.m. on December 8th next in the Clinton Auditorium at UCD, Belfield. The lecture entitled, Engineering Research & Economic Growth, is open to the public. And it’s certainly a timely topic.

Converting the findings of university research to industrial innovation is a key factor in national industrial development strategies world-wide. The Irish Government is to be applauded for ambitiously funding research in our universities to a total of €1.35 billion over the past 5 years with 85% allocated to the sciences. But the allocation to engineering, at only 8%, has been significantly smaller and at variance with most other European countries, where the wealth-creating potential of applied engineering research is recognised in national innovation and industrial development strategies. Earlier this year the Academy issued a paper advocating that more support should be given to engineering research in our third-level institutions. Prof. Michael Kelly is the second in a series of prestigious speakers, invited to address and develop this crucial topic