Paper to be presented at the DRUID Tenth Anniversary Summer Conference 2005 on DYNAMICS OF INDUSTRY AND INNOVATION: ORGANIZATIONS, NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS Copenhagen, Denmark, June 27-29, 2005 INNOVATION POLICY GOVERNANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN IRELAND Hilliard, Rachel and Green, Roy Abstract An innovation driven policy agenda has emerged in Ireland against a backdrop of remarkable economic growth and convergence. Policy makers now recognise that convergence in innovative performance will also be required for a sustainable economic future. Despite this recognition, over the past decade, the Irish policy system has been struggling with the stimulation of a national innovation system (NIS) and achieving effective links and integrations between the elements of the NIS. This paper presents an analysis of recent attempts to strengthen elements and interactions within the NIS which can be seen as attempts to address these issues.