Think outside the bubble
- Published: 31 October 2008
Source : Irish Times
31st October 2008
May I introduce the Invent-o-Pod? This plastic, soundproof bubble is large enough to place over a person, a computer and desk. (Think of one of those plastic washing balls they used to give out in laundry detergent packs, only bigger.) It allows the inventor-in-waiting a place of silence in which to create. This bubble is the modern equivalent of the inventor's garage.
Of course, trying out the new product in a challenging environment is essential before getting it to market. The post-Budget classroom provides us with the perfect testing ground. Once the teacher pushes the other 36 students out of the way, a single student can use the Invent-o-Pod for five minutes of "inventor's time" during which they tinker with a set of Government-issued tools - a broken pencil and some rusted nuts and bolts.
Who said good ideas don't occur in a bubble, or was that a vacuum?
The Government is developing a package of tax incentives and laws to attract inventors and help establish Ireland as an international centre for intellectual property, much as the IFSC is a banking and financial services centre.
This is a truly inspired idea. Jobs in research and development have more staying power than those in the rapidly shrinking manufacturing and services sectors. The trouble is that - thanks to the Budget's draconian spending cuts in education and the falling numbers of science and engineering graduates - workers from China, India and the US may largely populate the new sector.
Engineers are among the world's biggest problem solvers. They invent, discover - or help others perfect - everything from computers and mobile phones to more efficient bicycles or ways to clean clothes.
There is a worldwide engineering shortage, but some countries are producing more engineers than others. According to a 2005 report from Duke University in North Carolina, 112,000 engineers a year graduated in India; 137,437 graduated in the US; and China reported 351,537. In Ireland, we produce about 3,000 engineers annually.
If the Government is really laying the foundation for a new knowledge economy, it should ensure Irish workers provide the stable base. This can only be achieved by investment in our young people and the development of a top-class educational system in science and technology.
Ireland used to be a world leader when it came to inventing things. The Irish Patents Office says: "Throughout the centuries Ireland has proven itself as a nation of inventors with many of its natives having made important contributions to their particular field of endeavour."
We were a clever bunch. Irish inventors are responsible for: the double earpiece stethoscope (Arthur Leared); the hypodermic syringe (Francis Rynd); the nasal feeding tube and simple incubator for premature infants (Robert Collis); the first steam turbine using steam to power a rotor directly (Sir Charles Parsons); the nickel-zinc rechargeable battery (Dr James Drumm); the induction coil and self-exacting dynamo (Rev Nicholas Callan); the world's first heat exchange device (Aeneas Coffey); and the list goes on and on.
Can you name one Irish inventor today? I can't. What about the name of last year's winner of the Young Scientist competition and their invention? Um. Or the name of one of the companies spawned from university research incubators? It's on the tip of my tongue.
More than likely, you'll know the name of the person just booted off Bill Cullen's The Apprentice and the names of Ireland's top businesspeople and celebrities. No harm there, but what did they actually invent? How have they improved life for ordinary people and society? (And don't say cheap flights on Ryanair.)
Many science and technology graduates have been lured into sexier, more lucrative areas such as financial services and business. Now that these jobs are drying up the Government has an opportunity to make innovation more appealing.
Building a National Centre for Science and Discovery to celebrate the achievements of Irish scientists is commendable but it's not enough. We need a comprehensive, well-thought-out system for creating and nurturing the new breed of Irish inventor. Invent-o-Pod anyone?
Margaret E Ward is a journalist and managing director of Clear Ink, the clear English specialists. margaret@clearink.ie
© 2008 The Irish Times
