Finding a cure for 'brain drain' key to our future recovery
Ireland could be a world-class hub for clinical research but it needs to have a clear strategy, believes Sally Storey, boss of GlaxoSmithkline Ireland
ONE of the current recession's most worrying developments is the re-emergence of the Eighties' phenomenon known as the "brain drain".
Multinationals continually quote the availability and calibre of Irish graduates as one of Ireland Inc's main competitive draws, yet current figures suggest the migration tide is turning outwards. That other economies will reap the benefit of Ireland's investment in its third-level education system is frankly a crying shame socially and a serious threat to the future viability and success of the Irish economy.
So who can stem the flow before it becomes an exodus? Recession-knocked multinationals or a cash-strapped Government faced with growing dole queues?
The solution could lie with both. Could industry and Government come together to collaborate on a jointly funded graduate recruitment scheme?
Many multinationals already run stand-alone paid graduate recruitment schemes: GSK, for example, runs a highly successful graduate programme in collaboration with NUI Galway that provides participants with much needed experience and allows us to more flexibly resource our business.
Meanwhile, FAS has devised a number of graduate initiatives, in particular the work placement scheme. However in practice, relying on job-seeker's allowance as income during a placement is not feasible for many graduates keen to start developing their careers, especially when the promise of a decent opportunity along with a salary beckons from abroad.
Both parties can gain from a collaborative graduate recruitment strategy: on the Government side, the much-touted 'smart economy', will almost certainly remain an aspiration unless action is taken to retain highly skilled graduates. Business also has much to benefit: companies need to take a fresh look at graduate recruitment and the role it plays in fulfilling its future leadership pipeline in a world where new leadership skills such as innovation, flexibility, and ability to learn are in demand, skills often typically found in graduates. The digital evolution, for instance, is a good example of where the 30-plus generation has been left behind by digital's younger early-adopters.
A shared approach to the funding and ownership of a graduate placement scheme could result in a win-win for all: many companies are encountering headcount freezes or reduced employment budgets and would welcome a collaborative partnership through Government agencies such as FAS.
A centralised strategy could, from the corporate perspective, free up valuable internal resources and address their future leaders' pipeline, while on the Government's side, they could redeploy funding from existing training budgets for minimal budget impact. It would also strengthen industry relationships, and concurrently boost the economy through retained income taxes and increased consumer spending.
Both private enterprise and government have much to learn from each other and gain from partnering. A collaborative approach to graduate recruitment could be a small but important step in reinvigorating the Irish economy.
A second area that can deliver benefits is research and development, ie new medicines and vaccines that address unmet medical needs, is the lifeblood of this industry. With 17 R&D sites around the world and over 15,000 people working in our research teams, GSK has one of the most productive drug discovery pipelines in the world.
We are also very interested in collaborative research partnerships: in 2007, for example, we collaborated with IDA Ireland, in investing up to €14.6m with the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) and NUI Galway, on a R&D programme for the discovery of new therapies to treat Alzheimer's disease.
For GSK to continue its mission of helping patients do more, feel better and live longer as well as deliver value to our shareholders, we must carry on developing and commercialising new medicines and vaccines. Specifically in Ireland, we currently have 15 oncology and haematology clinical trials ongoing with the All-Ireland Co-operative Oncology Research Group (ICORG) and recruit up to 60 oncology/haematology patients per year, spending about €2m per annum.
The Government has already identified clinical research and innovation as one of the critical components of the new 'smart' economy as recognised by the recent Innovation Task Force report. To be fair, valuable steps have already been taken by the Government, including the financial support of the Health Research Board with regard to funding of oncology clinical research staff and ICORG.
This funding, coupled with the formal research structure ICORG offers and the calibre of the extended ICORG members, is key to GSK being so heavily involved in oncology research here.
However, to build on this and increase its overall attractiveness as a global clinical research centre, Ireland needs to honestly appraise what it can offer over and above global competitors and address the gap.
There are many areas to consider, including R&D taxation reform, protected research time for clinicians (most oncologists for example, conduct clinical research on top of their day jobs), or integrating internationally recognised training standards to name just three.
What's important is that Ireland needs a clear targeted strategy. It must be precise that what it's offering is relative to other economies, and understand and commit to the key components required to deliver this allowing Ireland to compete as an attractive clinical research base. It has the potential to be a world-class hub but needs to grasp the opportunities.
Ireland has much to gain from this: there are wider societal benefits as clinical research provides early access to new and better treatments for Irish patients.
From an economic perspective, it significantly supports and develops Ireland's scientific community who are critical in moving Ireland further up the international value chain and edging Ireland ever closer towards the smart economy.
Series compiled by John Reynolds
Originally published in
