TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

6. The field of synthetic biology will equip society to develop an array of applications
in the future that can scarcely be thought of today by assiduously assembling genes
into networks designed to direct cells to perform almost any task. In particular, the
medical community will use genetic profiling to develop more effective mechanisms
for diagnosis and treatment. Genetic modification will improve the construction of
organisms to increase food production and quality, broaden the scale of biomanufacturing
and provide cures for certain genetic diseases. Biomedical
engineering will produce new surgical procedures and systems. And DNA
identification will continue to improve law enforcement capabilities.
7. The next generation internet will merge telephony, video and other communication
media into a vibrant, interactive, aware, adaptive, sensory experience that will
shape and transform industries such an entertainment, retail, healthcare and
education, as well as the world of business and finance. The convergence of
computers, networks and wireless technologies, however, will create both
opportunities and threats. The internet, for example, could advance the movement
towards democracy and devolution, but could also permit abuse by more extreme
groups in society.
8. Looking ahead towards 2030, a new physical-digital landscape will emerge linking
people, places and spaces to unprecedented amounts of information. The
intelligent city is nigh. The infrastructure that will enable this new landscape is
actually a rich ecology, including technologies, policies, data repositories and skillsets.
Wireless location-aware devices, novel geospatial software, global location
services and online geodata repositories are all eroding the limitations to human
perception, making accessible a rich spectrum of digital information in real time
and in real place. Implicit information will become more explicit; extensions of the
body will be the new interface; and the landscape itself will become sentient and
aware.
9. Continuing controversy will rage around issues in biotechnology such as eugenics,
cloning, gene patents, genetically modified organisms, the use of stem cells,
concern over animal rights, privacy of genetic profiles, the danger of environmental
havoc and an increased risk of engineered biological weapons.
10. Assuredly, technological innovation will promote the development of alternative
energy sources, not only in the renewable energy field, but also in the efficient and
effective use of non-renewable energy, and the design and development of more
viable and acceptable means of producing nuclear fuel.
Prospects for Ireland
Ireland is justly proud of its performance in the information and communications technology
[ICT] and biotechnology sectors. Twenty years of prowess in building world-class software and
producing pharmaceuticals, however, is not enough to keep pace, let alone take a lead, in the
new world order of scientific and technological discovery and exploitation. As that world order
moves towards new frontiers in biotechnology, nanotechnology and combined spheres like
digital genomes, the country should continue to examine what it has to offer from an
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