NEW GROUP TO SUPPORT WOMEN RESEARCHERS - A new centre at Trinity College Dublin is aiming to increase the number of women involved in science, engineering and technology research. It is called WISER.
Director Caroline Roughneen said women were under-represented internationally at all levels of academic research, especially science and engineering. WISER will provide support and facilitate networking for women researchers. WISER will receive a year's funding from Science Foundation Ireland and two further years from Trinity.
Ms Roughneen said the country needed to recruit more researchers, and could not afford to neglect female researchers. She said women now accounted for only 25% of industrial research posts, with most of these in support. Mr Roughneen said there were only a handful of female professors in science and engineering.
You can find out more about the new centre by sending an e-mail to wiser@tcd.ie
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SURPRISE DIP[ IN CEO CONFIDENCE - A survey of chief executives has been carried out by CB Richard Ellis Gunne.
Head of research Marie Hunt said it was surprising that there was less optimism among CEOs about the economy, as 85% of them believed that interest rates would rise only slightly next year. 55% expected GDP growth of 2-4% next year, compared with a general consensus of 4-5%.
Rising oil and energy prices and loss of competitiveness were seen as the main negative factors for the economy. Among CEOs, property investment fell sharply as the favoured choice of investment.
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NEWS IN BRIEF - Microsoft last night declared that its long-awaited new Vista operating system was finished. 'This is a good day,' Microsoft co-president of platforms Jim Allchin said at a press conference after Vista was given final approval.
The bank of england is expected to announce an interest rate rise of a quarter of a point today bringing the base rate to 5%.
