Deputies:

A National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, otherwise known as the Hunt report, was published in January which set out a vision for the future development and direction of higher education in Ireland over the next two decades. I support the broad analysis of the strategy in recognising the central role higher education plays in economic development and the need for continuing State investment in research activities. As Minister of State with responsibility for research and innovation I will be working closely with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, the Minister for Education and Skills and other colleagues in co-ordinating delivery on the Government's strategic research priorities and in seeking to enhance and support the further development of our research system.

Deputies:

There has been significant investment in research in Ireland over the past decade and we must continue to build on this investment. We need to invest across the full range of disciplines, including the humanities and social sciences, to maintain a broad base of knowledge and capacity, coupled with targeted investment in specific strategic areas of national opportunity. We must continue to encourage our institutions to work together and build critical mass around areas of key strength, and also support better and deeper working relationships with industry.

Deputies:

While our institutions have developed a strong base of research activity, the focus of the next stage in our system's development must be on our ability to maximise the impact of our research results in terms of the commercialisation of that research and its conversion to real sustainable jobs. In this regard, our programme for Government pledges to introduce a number of measures to support innovation and technology development in our institutions, including the establishment of a network of technology research centres which will focus on applied technological research in specific areas.

Deputies:

It is also important to recognise the role research investment plays more generally across higher education. The knowledge created through research and the skills associated with research activities have a direct bearing on the quality of teaching and learning in our institutions and on the formation of our students, both at postgraduate and undergraduate level. All students should have some exposure to the latest research developments, and the connection between the teaching and research missions of institutions must remain.

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