Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The central aim is to maximise job creation. The investment by successive Governments in research, development and innovation is recognised. Less than 20 years ago, our capacity was much less than it is now and those Governments had the vision to build it. We are now at a juncture. We have a highly evolved infrastructure in which those in the oriented, basic research landscape and those in the applied space co-exist well.
In terms of the potential for maximising job creation, we have designed an infrastructure that is supra-institutional. Traditionally, the universities and institutes of technology operated inside their own silos and collaborated on specific programmes that had thematic areas of interest, for example, pharma. We have put together a fund through SFI under which the seven new centres that have been created must collaborate outside of their traditional institutional frameworks. We have identified 14 areas, including big data and data analytics. We have co-principal investigators, co-PIs, from six, if not seven, institutions. The potential for job creation lies in the industrial engagement. I cannot give the Deputy an exact figure of the number of industrial partners in an entity, but the investment of the industry's money in these new infrastructures is being done with a view to delivering an economic impact, by which I mean job creation. The philosophy has been to create the seven new infrastructures with more to come this year, to accrue in-kind benefits - people from industry or cash investment - and to get the scientific community to act above its traditional institutions on specific themes and create a vital economic impact.
The Horizon 2020 target investment is attainable. By creating new, large-scale infrastructures that supersede individual institutions and by attracting 156 industry partners and €100 million, one creates a leveraging effect that puts one in a stronger position vis-à-visthe €80 billion available in the Horizon 2020 pot. While UCC or any other institution that the Deputy cares to mention may have been successful under framework No. 7 in its own right, larger infrastructures based on specific themes, strong industrial engagement and targets for small to medium-sized enterprise, SME, engagement in Horizon 2020 strengthens one's leveraging position. Therefore, one's ability to attain the target becomes more realistic.
The investment in research, development and innovation is primarily an investment in human capital, for example, excellent scientists. I do not have an exact breakdown of how much has gone towards bricks and mortar, equipment or human capacity.

By and large, it is about investment in the very best people in the world in order to create impact.