Mr. Pat Kelly:

It is very difficult to link job creation to research investment. It is a very long tail, so to speak. Some of this research is often basic, blue skies research and trying to relate that to outcomes for the economy can be difficult. That sort of monitoring can be done more closely at the innovation end, and it is something of which we are conscious. With the focus during the Presidency on jobs and growth we want to take that through into the implementation of Horizon 2020, but we do not have set targets for job creation. It is unreal to do that at this stage.

In our strategy document, which is on the Department's website, there is a focus on Horizon 2020 that we did not have previously, primarily because innovation is now a key element of it. We are trying to focus on the practical outcomes and the benefits for the economy. There are certain known benefits of sustaining research jobs already in the economy and creating new research jobs but it is about that direct link to commercialisation and what it does in the economy. We will be looking to design metrics for that.