Forfás
Encyclopedia
Forfás is the national policy advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation in the Republic of Ireland
. The agency was established in January 1994 under the Industrial Development Act, 1993 and is run by a board appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
, to whom the agency is responsible.
In its day-to-day business, the primary function of Forfás is to analyse developments in areas concerning Ireland's industrial and economic development and to make policy recommendations based on this analysis to Government. The Irish Government is not obliged to implement any recommendations that Forfás makes.
Additional functions include:
As outlined above, Forfás also plays a significant role in co-ordinating the activities of Government Enterprise Agencies (Enterprise Ireland
, IDA Ireland
and Science Foundation Ireland
).
and the Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are also board members. The Board also includes a panel of business, economic and other specialists.
A full list of Board members is available from the Forfás website.
Forfás has also provided support to the Enterprise Strategy Group, the Small Business Forum, the Business Regulation Forum and the Consumer Strategy Group.
(DSE) programme on behalf of the Office of Science & Technology. The programme bring together under one brand many of the existing national science, technology and engineering awareness activities and expands on these activities in a way that eliminates duplication and provides a more focused and effective communications strategy. The aim of the DSE programme is to encourage young people to consider careers in science, engineering and technology and, linked to that, to increase the numbers of students studying the physical sciences. In addition, the programme aims to raise the level of perception of science, technology, innovation and engineering among students and society in general. DSE runs numerous initiatives, including Science Week Ireland
, Discover Primary Science
, Greenwave
and Science.ie
.
Forfás is the direct employer of all employees in the 'development agencies', including IDA Ireland
, Enterprise Ireland
, Science Foundation Ireland
and also is the legal employer of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Irish Government. The post is currently held by Patrick Cunningham, Professor of Animal Genetics at TCD, who holds a PhD from Cornell University
.
The previous holder of the post was Barry McSweeney, who resigned in 2005 when it was revealed that he got his doctorate from Pacific Western University
, a so-called diploma mill
. McSweeney is now a director of research at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The agency was established in January 1994 under the Industrial Development Act, 1993 and is run by a board appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland)
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is the senior minister at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is Richard Bruton, TD...
, to whom the agency is responsible.
Functions
Legally, Forfás has five separate but related functions:- Provide independent and rigorous research, advice and support in the areas of enterprise and science policy. This work informs the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and wider Government in its responses to the fast-changing needs of the global business environment;
- Ensure the coherence of policies across the development agencies supporting enterprise;
- Evaluate enterprise policy interventions;
- Provide research and administrative support to independent advisory groups which currently include the:
- Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (ASC)
- Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN)
- Management Development Council (MDC)
- National Competitiveness Council (NCC)
In its day-to-day business, the primary function of Forfás is to analyse developments in areas concerning Ireland's industrial and economic development and to make policy recommendations based on this analysis to Government. The Irish Government is not obliged to implement any recommendations that Forfás makes.
Additional functions include:
- Accreditation services of the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB). INAB provides services for the accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories in Ireland.
- Managing the national awareness programme, Discover Science and Engineering (DSE). DSE is the national science awareness programme for science, engineering, technology and innovation. The programme is managed by Forfás on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
- Provision of certain shared corporate services for IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland;
- Hosting the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser to Government.
As outlined above, Forfás also plays a significant role in co-ordinating the activities of Government Enterprise Agencies (Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish leading state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned business deliver new export sales. The core mission of Enterprise Ireland is to accelerate the development of Irish enterprises capable of achieving strong positions in global markets resulting...
, IDA Ireland
IDA Ireland
IDA Ireland is the agency responsible for industrial development in Ireland. The agency was founded in 1949 as the Industrial Development Authority and placed on a statutory footing a year later...
and Science Foundation Ireland
Science Foundation Ireland
Science Foundation Ireland ), is the statutory body in the Republic of Ireland with responsibility for disbursing funds for basic science research with a strategic focus...
).
Board
Forfás is ultimately a board of members that advises Government. Members are appointed to the Board of Forfás by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and as provided for in the Industrial Development legislation. Under the Industrial Development Act 1993, the CEOs of IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland are automatically Board members of Forfás. By tradition, the Director General of FÁSForas Áiseanna Saothair
An Foras Áiseanna Saothair , referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS , is a state agency in Ireland with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment...
and the Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are also board members. The Board also includes a panel of business, economic and other specialists.
A full list of Board members is available from the Forfás website.
Executive
While Forfás is a board, that board is supported by an executive of salaried employees. Forfás is the sole legal employer of staff in its own executive, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland. Arising out of this, all staff employed in these bodies are Forfás employees seconded to such bodies. Upon retirement, Forfás assumes responsibility for their pension, resulting in Forfás having a large annual pensions cost and a significant liability under accounting standard FRS 17.Policy analysis and advice
Forfás fulfils its mandate through three policy divisions:- Competitiveness Division
- Enterprise Policy Division
- Science, Technology & Human Capital Division
Competitiveness
The Competitiveness Division supports the Board of Forfás in providing advice to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the development agencies and other government departments. It has the following departments:- National Competitiveness, Sustainability and Infrastructure Department
- Regulation, Trade and Policy Foresight Department
- Finance Department
- Systems/IT/Facilities Departments
Enterprise policy
The Enterprise policy departments of this division supports the Board of Forfás in providing advice to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on general enterprise development and related issues: It has the following three departments:- Enterprise Policy and Communications Department
- Tax/Finance/Employment and Surveys Department
- Discover Science and Engineering
Science, Technology & Human Capital
This Division supports the Board of Forfás in providing advice to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the development and implementation of science, technology, innovation and human capital policy for economic and social well-being. The division also provides research and secretariat support to the Advisory Science Council, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and the Management Development Council. It is made up of the following departments:- Science, Technology and Basic Research Policy
- Enterprise Research and Development Policy
- Human Capital and Labour Market Policy
Secretariat support
Forfás provides the secretariat to a number of committees established by Government. These include:- Advisory Council on Science & Technology in Ireland (ACSTI)
- Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN)
- National Competitiveness CouncilNational Competitiveness CouncilThe National Competitiveness Council is an independent policy advisory body in Ireland. It reports to the Taoiseach on key competitiveness issues facing the Irish economy together with recommendations on policy actions required to enhance Ireland's competitive position. It was established by the...
(NCC) - Management Development Council (MDC)
Forfás has also provided support to the Enterprise Strategy Group, the Small Business Forum, the Business Regulation Forum and the Consumer Strategy Group.
Discover Science and Engineering
It also runs the Discover Science & EngineeringDiscover Science & Engineering
Discover Science & Engineering is an Irish Government initiative that aims to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics among students, teachers and members of the public in Ireland....
(DSE) programme on behalf of the Office of Science & Technology. The programme bring together under one brand many of the existing national science, technology and engineering awareness activities and expands on these activities in a way that eliminates duplication and provides a more focused and effective communications strategy. The aim of the DSE programme is to encourage young people to consider careers in science, engineering and technology and, linked to that, to increase the numbers of students studying the physical sciences. In addition, the programme aims to raise the level of perception of science, technology, innovation and engineering among students and society in general. DSE runs numerous initiatives, including Science Week Ireland
Science Week Ireland
Science Week Ireland is an annual week-long event in Ireland each November, celebrating science. It is the largest science festival in the country, involving tens of thousands of members of the general public in workshops, talks, laboratory demonstrations, science walks and other science-related...
, Discover Primary Science
Discover Primary Science
Discover Primary Science is a flagship project of the Irish Government’s Discover Science & Engineering awareness programme.It facilitates teacher training in general primary science and provides teachers with online resources and classroom activity packs which can also be used by parents and...
, Greenwave
Greenwave
Greenwave is a mass science experiment involving primary schools across Ireland. It examines and records how spring arrives in Ireland. This is an educational and science initiative of the Irish Government’s Discover Science & Engineering awareness programme.Irish students observe and record when...
and Science.ie
Science.ie
The Science.ie portal provides all sorts of information about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics .- Overview :...
.
Irish National Accreditation Board
The Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) has three main functions. It:- Accredits organisations involved in the certification of quality and environmental management systems, products and personnel, laboratories involved in calibration and testing activities, certification and inspection bodies, attesters and attestation bodies
- Responsible for accreditation in accordance with the relevant International Organisation for Standardisation ISO 17000 series of standards and guides and the harmonised EN 45000 series of European standards
- Is the national statutory monitoring authority for GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) and EMAS (European Eco-Management and Audit Schemes)
Other activities
Forfás was responsible for the successful EMU Business Awareness Campaign in the Republic of Ireland and related Loughrea Eurotown project and more recently, the Enterprise Strategy Group and the Consumer Strategy Group.Forfás is the direct employer of all employees in the 'development agencies', including IDA Ireland
IDA Ireland
IDA Ireland is the agency responsible for industrial development in Ireland. The agency was founded in 1949 as the Industrial Development Authority and placed on a statutory footing a year later...
, Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish leading state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned business deliver new export sales. The core mission of Enterprise Ireland is to accelerate the development of Irish enterprises capable of achieving strong positions in global markets resulting...
, Science Foundation Ireland
Science Foundation Ireland
Science Foundation Ireland ), is the statutory body in the Republic of Ireland with responsibility for disbursing funds for basic science research with a strategic focus...
and also is the legal employer of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Irish Government. The post is currently held by Patrick Cunningham, Professor of Animal Genetics at TCD, who holds a PhD from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
The previous holder of the post was Barry McSweeney, who resigned in 2005 when it was revealed that he got his doctorate from Pacific Western University
Pacific Western University
California Miramar University , is a nationally accredited private proprietary institution of higher learning and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Department of Education...
, a so-called diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
. McSweeney is now a director of research at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
Chairman of Forfás
| # | Name | Appointed | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tom Toner | 1994 | 1999 |
| 2. | Peter Cassells | 2000 | 2004 |
| 3. | Eoin O'Driscoll | 2004 | Incumbent |
Chief Executives of Forfás
| # | Name | Appointed | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | John Travers | 1994 | 2002 |
| 2. | Martin Cronin | 2002 | 2010 |
| 3. | Martin Shanahan | 2010 | Incumbent |
See also
- IDA IrelandIDA IrelandIDA Ireland is the agency responsible for industrial development in Ireland. The agency was founded in 1949 as the Industrial Development Authority and placed on a statutory footing a year later...
- Enterprise IrelandEnterprise IrelandEnterprise Ireland is the Irish leading state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned business deliver new export sales. The core mission of Enterprise Ireland is to accelerate the development of Irish enterprises capable of achieving strong positions in global markets resulting...
- National Competitiveness CouncilNational Competitiveness CouncilThe National Competitiveness Council is an independent policy advisory body in Ireland. It reports to the Taoiseach on key competitiveness issues facing the Irish economy together with recommendations on policy actions required to enhance Ireland's competitive position. It was established by the...
- Science Foundation IrelandScience Foundation IrelandScience Foundation Ireland ), is the statutory body in the Republic of Ireland with responsibility for disbursing funds for basic science research with a strategic focus...
- Discover Science & EngineeringDiscover Science & EngineeringDiscover Science & Engineering is an Irish Government initiative that aims to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics among students, teachers and members of the public in Ireland....