Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

At European Union level it is clear that industry in most member states, including Ireland, needs to improve its levels of research in order to compete more effectively on global markets with the US and Japan. A major part of the focus of Irish research, technology and innovation is centred on developing the capacity of the higher education system. This development encompasses all aspects of the national system of innovation including basic research, the development of graduates with high level skills, the commercialisation of university research and direct collaboration with industrial partners, nationally and in the context of the EU framework programme.

The Irish EU Presidency has encouraged all member states to respond effectively to the Barcelona summit target of 2002 that overall spending on research and development in the Union should be increased to 3% of GDP by 2010. This March a snapshot of the state of progress towards the 3% across the EU was made by the European Commission. A cross-departmental group which I set up last year to identify the actions which Ireland needs to take to reach this 3% target, is due to report to me over coming weeks. We already have several important policy actions focused on this linkage from a research and industrial development perspective.

Enterprise Ireland spends some €35 million per annum on its national collaboration programme. This is made up of a range of separate schemes promoting links between companies and the research infrastructure at national level. Enterprise Ireland has also committed a further €30 million in support of the universities and institutes of technology in providing incubation spaces for campus enterprises to grow. Support is included where needed for research space. Science Foundation Ireland has invested almost €79 million in funding to centres for science, engineering and technology in third level colleges. There is also an important educational perspective in promoting industry-third level linkages. The programmes for research in third level institutions administered by the HEA offer third level institutions an opportunity to build infrastructure and to develop the careers of Ireland's brightest researchers. The facilities and schemes put in place under the programme are attracting industrial interest and its researchers have already made some 60 patent applications. An independent review of the programme is under way.

There is a general acknowledgement that this is a time of change and development for Ireland's universities. Factors impacting on this include changing demographics, the increased emphasis on research and growing interaction with the enterprise sector and outreach to society generally. Against this background, my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, has commissioned a wide-ranging review of higher education in Ireland by the OECD to be completed later this year. The review will include considering the role of higher education in contributing to national economic goals in the knowledge area.

See this speech in context