Research and Development and innovation are buzzwords that are frequently tied in with the European Union’s Lisbon strategy vision, yet more often than not Malta has lagged behind in this field, usually propping up the list of EU members.
Last week a visit was paid to a tuna reproduction research project by European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg and Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino.
Malta has already registered some breakthroughs in fish farming and hatching; yet it is still a science which is in its infancy. The latest venture is to attempt to harvest and in turn rear bluefin tuna – quite a lofty goal considering that the only country to have managed to do so being Japan, the world leader in this scientific field.
Another attempt was made to rear bluefin in Morocco supported by Japan, but through a combination of lack of funds and bad breeding conditions, the project fell through.
The economic benefits that a successful breeding programme will bring about will be proportionally large when compared to the initial outlay. This is where Malta is at an advantage. Breeding conditions can never be altered by man, but past successes in hatching have shown that successful rearing of fish is possible.
From what has happened so far and the support that the project will receive from the EU – e3 million – one would hope that some form of result could be obtained. What is equally interesting is that Maltese aquaculturalists are in fact furthering their studies in Japan, getting the best of what the world leaders have on offer.
Assuming that all is fine and this project comes to fruition, Malta could be looking at a market boon. Yet we must not be shortsighted. It could very well be the case that once this project kicks off and delivers results, other European nations might seek out the talents of the people that made the breeding possible – the proverbial brain drain.
The government and the private entities involved must make sure that if we do crack this nut, we will be able to continue to reap its fruits for years to come and that means making sure that our best people are paid well and supported.
The government had acted late in the healthcare field, but luckily it seems to have been better late than never as the new collective agreement stemmed a trend whereby Maltese medical professionals were leaving the country to take up posts around Europe.
This is a start, but more needs to be done. Again, the government has pressed home the argument that we need more R&D and innovation and it is through projects like this that we can seek to find advantages.
Such successful projects need to be implemented to give Maltese entrepreneurs, self employed, industry and businesses that cutting edge which will give them an advantage over others in this massively globalised world which we live in today.
But the signs are there, we seem to be identifying where we are strong – pharmaceuticals, financial services, ICT and aquaculture.
The key is to now exploit those strengths and innovate – use it ourselves and then sell those innovative products or services on to others. That is the way forward.