A new agreement on North-South cooperation in geoscience is set to facilitate better services in areas such as water supply, infrastructure development, mineral exploration and tourism.

There has been strong and growing cooperation between the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the Geological Survey of Ireland in recent years. This has now culminated in the signature of an agreement between them which is intended to deepen their level of scientific cooperation. As a result staff will be able to share expertise with each other and to provide more efficient services.

The signing ceremony took place in Banbridge last Thursday and was attended by Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan and Northern Ireland Assembly Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Nigel Dodds.

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The agreement was signed by Garth Earls, Director of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Dr Peadar McArdle, Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, and Dr John Ludden, Executive Director of British Geological Survey.

Welcoming the agreement, Minister Ryan stated that since the geoscience sector published its National Geoscience Programme earlier this year, there would have been significant positive steps.

Minister Dodds also said he wished to see stronger scientific cooperation that would lead to benefits for communities on both sides of the Border. He particularly welcomed the involvement of BGS which would encourage the improvement of three-way cooperation. He believed the geoscience sector had significant growth potential and could provide new opportunities for knowledge-based enterprises.

The Ministers considered that there were still major opportunities to ensure that the maximum benefit was realised from investments in geoscience.

They also acknowledged the supportive role with the Royal Irish Academy had played in the development of the sector in recent years. In this regard the planned seminar next spring, in which the Academy will play a key role, will be important in setting the geoscience priorities for the remaining period of the National Development Plan.

(JM)