Dr. Graham Love:

Let me put it this way. This is a common challenge in research institutions, universities and institutes of technology in Ireland and across the globe. We must have processes that can manage potential conflict of interest. In the scenarios mentioned by the Deputy, where the head of innovation might also be the researcher, there are well established processes. This is catered for in the IP policy we have in place in Ireland. The person steps aside and someone else takes the role or makes the decisions that might affect the exploitation of the particular piece of intellectual property. This is a well established process, both internationally and here. I am not aware of the specifics in the individual case, but, more generally, it is not unusual to have a situation where there is a potential conflict of interest for a researcher who is then in a management position.