Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Turning to programme area B, the object of this expenditure is to foster and embed a world-class innovation system. This investment underpins enterprise development and drives commercialisation of research to build national competitive advantage across our economy. In 2016, the programme will provide funding of over €330 million to support strategic investments in research, development and innovation, in addition to the development of human capital. This funding specifically supports the activities of a number of offices and agencies, namely, Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, which supports the research, development and innovation programmes, the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutes, the Tyndall National Institute, and the Patents Office. The funding also supports Ireland's membership of a number of international research organisations, including the European Space Agency. This investment to date has been key in embedding a national, world-class innovation system. It has allowed Ireland to become a leading location for scientific endeavour, attracting world-renowned companies providing much-needed, well-paid and sustainable employment. Over the past decade and a half, Ireland has built up a strong science base and has steadily improved its ranking on the European Innovation Scoreboard, having moved from tenth place to sixth in 2016.

Enterprise Ireland has already delivered more than 640 of its targeted 850 collaborative research projects for 2016. It has already surpassed its target for member companies of its industry-led technology centres.

Later this year, I will launch a new Enterprise Ireland-IDA Ireland meat technology centre to support food innovation. The period 2015-2016 also sees Enterprise Ireland expanding its technology gateway network in order to support local industry's innovation needs.

Science Foundation Ireland invests in academic researchers and research teams to generate new knowledge, produce leading edge technologies and support the development of competitive enterprises, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths. Already this year, it has made 175 awards, including €40 million in funding, to more than 200 researchers across 24 major research projects, as part of its investigators' programme. A significant portion of SFI's budget is committed to ongoing funding of industry-relevant research at its 12 large-scale research centres, with the involvement of more than 200 companies.

In terms of international programmes, through Ireland's membership of the European Space Agency, Irish companies are on target to secure more than €12 million in contracts in 2016 to develop and deliver technologies and projects.

Horizon 2020 is the EU's programme to support research and innovation. Ireland has a national target to win €1.25 billion in funding over the lifetime of the programme. To date, we have won more than €247 million in funding, which is ahead of our national target.

The publication of Innovation 2020 last December represented an important milestone in the ongoing evolution of Ireland's research system. To date, of 53 actions identified for initiation in 2016, three have been successfully completed and the remaining 50 are in progress. All of this investment is helping to ensure that there is an impact.

In 2016, we will continue to drive the commercialisation of Irish research. In addition, we will deliver more than 30 new spin-out companies. We will also meet our 2016 target of 125 technologies for transfer into industry from the higher education sector.