Firstly, I’d like to officially welcome you to Government Buildings – to the Italian room here in the Department of the Taoiseach – a place, indeed, where I have the good fortune to be Minister for the Information Society – and, of course, Government Chief Whip.

I know that you have come from many parts of the public service – and from both parts of Ireland – to join in a mission of common purpose – to work together to learn new skills – to enhance your ability to do public service – and to develop yourselves as individuals contributing to the betterment of society.

Of course, the pace of change that society is facing today is stunning. The cycles of change are getting shorter and shorter – the impact of a globalised world on this island is a moving target – nothing is cast in cement – Europe itself is changing at a rapid pace - and our capacity to meet the challenges that are coming at us – is being constantly stretched.

As public servants, we know how complex modern bureaucracies have become – how they have evolved over the last two centuries to meet changing circumstances - as the level of intervention by the State changed to reflect the growing sophistication of economies and societies – and how the pressure to modernise is a constant challenge – a factor that is impacting on every aspect of our work – as we shift from being inward-looking – from being concerned about control and administration – to the new paradigm of being citizen focussed – meeting the needs – the ever-changing needs – of citizens – whether they be in business or as individuals.

The modernisation process has been with us now for over ten years –and has seen an opening up of access to information – along with a new focus on quality of service. That process of modernisation was accelerated by the onset of e-Government – or the use of technology in service delivery – and, in the processes and procedures that affect the way we serve.

e-Government was an inevitable extension to that modernisation process because technology is ubiquitous – it is present in practically everything we do – and everywhere we go. Computers have come out of the big air-conditioned facilities – the large computer rooms that we saw thirty and forty years ago – and are now on our desks – or even in our pockets. And computing power has been wedded to communications technology to open up a whole new horizon of possibilities – a new era of connectivity and computing – a world in which people who share a common interest can ‘commune’ together to further that interest.

The value of that facility means different things to different people. For manufacturing, it can mean tremendous efficiency gains in the management of value chains – it can mean swift and rewarding access to new and existing customers – it can mean streamlined processes and reduced overheads – it can help them to remain competitive in a global world where competitiveness is the key to survival and growth.

For health deliverers it can mean a shift from a predominantly treatment-based service to a preventative service – and it can revolutionise the capacity to educate people about health and healthy living – about how people themselves can take greater control of their own lives.

For educators and students it can open up new and exciting sources of knowledge and information – it can overcome the obstacles of time and location – it can make the concept of continuous education a reality for far more people.

For Governments, of course, it has the potential to hugely impact on the way we deliver services – the way we operate and inter-operate across the layers of public service – and the way democracy itself can be experienced in a new and exciting way.

Common wisdom has it that we should no longer be looking to have a job for life – that we should equip ourselves instead for ‘work for life’. That puts a whole new complexion on how we live and work – on the type of expectations we should have – and on the relationship we will have with our employer. But to be in a position to become more self-sufficient in terms of our own careers – we need to work and live in a context of continuous enlightenment.

The course you are embarking on today is one that will expose you to new skills – to new ways of doing the things you do – and, perhaps, to even doing new and exciting things in the future. By coming on the course you have already registered your commitment to the concept of continuous education – you have recognised the value of acquiring new skills – and you have seen the need to develop yourselves.

By coming together with other public servants from the two jurisdictions – you will have an added dimension to your education – a dimension that cannot be acquired in texts or lectures – a dimension that will add tremendous value to the experience of doing the degree. You will network with people who have a different perspective on similar problems – you will build lasting friendships and networks of support – and you will enhance your own understanding of the nature of public service – and what it means in the 21st century.

The fact that this course exists at all is a tribute to both the University of Ulster and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology. Both institutions have recognised that there is a challenge to be faced – and have worked with the authorities in Belfast and Dublin to develop a curriculum that delivers the kind of skills that are needed to promote – and to manage – innovation in the public service.

To many people - the concept of innovation in the public service is anathema. Indeed,to many public servants themselves - ‘innovation’ is a term that they do not see applying to themselves. Yet the ability to respond to changing needs is the measure of our success as public servants – and our agility in that response can be the difference between success and failure.

As public servants, you will meet many new challenges in the years and decades ahead. But for the moment though - the challenge facing you is this course – the Masters Programme in Innovation management. So I wish you well in your studies – in coping with the additional workload that it inevitably involves - and I hope all of you come through with flying colours.

Go raibh maith agaibh!