Ireland's drive to focus government research grants on areas that might create jobs and wealth is "short-sighted" and is destabilizing the country's basic-research fabric, say around 900 scientists in a letter to the Irish government. The call is aimed at changing the course of Ireland's national research strategy, which is currently under revision. Research and innovation helped to fuel Ireland's economic boom in the 1990s. But growth slowed in the 2000s and the global financial crisis triggered a deep recession. Although total spending on research and development grew through the recession, helped by foreign investments, Ireland's government has cut state spending on research (see 'Celtic tiger tamed'). It also prioritized grants in 14 narrow areas- ones in which either large global markets exist, or in which Irish companies are competitive. These include marine renewable energy, smart grids, medical devices and computing.
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