During the two day visit they met with the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science - Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (see photo below) as well with Mr. Wolfgang Burtcher, Deputy Director General of DG Research and Innovation (see photo below).  During the visit, the group were briefed on the various funding mechanisms available to researchers including those under FP7 and the future Horizon 2020 – the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation which will run from 2014 to 2020. The researchers also visited the European Parliament where they met with the following Irish MEPs: Liam Aylward, Emer Costello, Marian Harkin, Sean Kelly, Phil Prendergast and Gay Mitchell and received an overview of how the EP works generally and, more specifically, how it is involved in the decision-making process with regard to the proposed budget of €80 billion for Horizon 2020 which is currently on going.

Mr. Wolfgang Burtcher, Deputy Director General of DG Research and Innovation welcomes the Irish Institutes of Technology to the European Commission DG for Research & Innovation (L-R front row: Damien Brady, Catherine Collins, Catherine Lynch, Gabriel Costello, Wolfgang Burtcher, Lavinia McLean, Sinead Loughran, Andrew Errity, Alicia O'Rourke (European Commission) L-R back row: Noreen Layden, Brigid Lucey, Gregory Doyle, Nicolas Touzet-Evain, Siobhan Mac Sweeney, Emma Caraher, Mark Riordan, Michael Harrison).