Mr. Donal Keane:

I will attempt to be of assistance. The simple answer to the question on regional disadvantage is Science Foundation Ireland would not, per se, have a strategy in that regard. It is important to say what we fund is excellent science. No matter from where such science comes, it will attract funding if it is good enough. If it is not, it will not nor should it attract funding.

The Senator referred to TSSG which was established by Dr. Willie Donnelly. We are very familiar with the work done by him and his people. He is connected with the Centre for Telecommunications Research, CTVR, in Trinity College Dublin, one of our big CSETs. The way forward for regions, not just the south east, which might have their disadvantages is through collaboration. Through our centres awards this year, we put up €200 million which was matched by €100 million from industry. Most of these involve collaborations by more than one university. It is not the case that small institutions must seek big partners. There are big partners with other big partners, small partners with big partners and small partners with other small partners. Dr. Donnelly's group punched above its weight through building on the success of TSSG by collaborating with CTVR. We do not have a specific strategy, but if projects are good enough, they will be awarded funding.

Smart Futures programmes are more downstream-oriented and involve attracting the interest of those still in school who could, I presume, be prospective students for a technological university. As matters stand, however, Carlow Institute of Technology does a good job. Waterford Institute of Technology is very significant in its own right and I would have no worries in that regard. As Ms Riordan stated, one attracts both interest and people and then takes matters forward.

The Senator inquired about intellectual property. The principle is that the inventor owns. Our funding is exclusively related to universities.

In other words, the money we give out is to the universities. Every letter of offer we issue is to a university; it is not to the individuals or for the individuals' principal investigators. They are the deliverers but very clearly accountability rests with the university presidents who are also the owners of the IP. In some programmes where we have industry involvement, agreements need to be put in place at the outset between industry and the researchers such that Ireland’s interests are protected. In that work we are guided by the national guidelines on IP which were refreshed earlier this year. That would very much drive those negotiations which are set at a national level to protect Ireland’s position.