Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

Truthfully, it is not possible to say how many jobs have been created as a result of this programme. It is important to note the number of successful applications in the SME sector is over 1,000 while in the multinational sector, it was 270. In the SME sector, we have taken in over €66 million in funding with €21 million in the multinational sector.

While it does not answer the Deputy's questions directly, it does signify the scheme is supporting existing jobs. The criteria set down for adherence to the programme is one of excellence in terms of the research industry and academic collaboration.

The key message in my reply is that if we hit the €600 million target for the current framework programme, it would be an extremely good result. Moving into the new framework programme for 2020 which has a potential pot of €85 billion, I am ambitious for this country that we would hit or surpass the €600 million target. That will benefit existing employment and create further jobs.

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