Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Professor Ferguson and Mr. Molloy and thank them for their presentations.

I compliment Professor Ferguson's organisation, Science Foundation Ireland, on doing the right sort of work because Ireland has leaped up the science scoreboard and is ranked number 10 in the world. There is an obvious correlation between economic growth, greater investment in research and development and the types of jobs that we want to create, which are valuable jobs in the sector, and all that it leads too. Such activity is attractive to FDI.

Professor Ferguson mentioned his ambition to have 500 additional PhD students per year. Obviously he wants to wrap up the activities and seize the opportunity presented by Brexit. I want to focus on the delivery of the programme and SFI's relationship with institutes of technology. Have institutes accessed SFI funding and how much?

I know from the Higher Education Authority that universities are more generously funded and the way they are funded than the institutes of technology. I come from the west of Ireland. NUIG is a very esteemed establishment in the region and there an institute of technology in Mayo. The Government envisions that institutes of technology will play a critical role and that they will be brought up to a university standard. What role does the SFI play in ensuring that happens? How can institutes of technology access research money? What impediments exist? We need to fire on all cylinders and bring the institutes on board.