Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The Forfás survey on business expenditure on research and development which was published in 2007 indicated that funding for firms with fewer than 50 employees had decreased between 2003 and 2005. Have the barriers been identified for Irish firms investing in research and development and what measures are being introduced to overcome them? Ireland is probably more reliant than our competitors on multinationals for employment and innovation, which makes us more exposed to the downturn in the US economy and challenges from Asia. There is a low level of activity in research and development in Irish firms.

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