Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a Deputy from County Meath, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) Amendment Bill 2012. The Neolithic complex at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth is considered by many astronomers to be one of the oldest observatories in the world, so Meath people have been ahead in research for 5,000 years now. We want to try to stay there if it is possible.

On a more serious note, this Bill is timely and necessary. Its focus on Science Foundation Ireland being allowed to fund applied research is a much-needed and targeted direction of our scarce resources in a practical way, which will promote greater commercialisation and job creation. As the chairperson of the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, I have seen the need for this focus and called for this change for some time. We have had an interesting discussion on the topic over the past couple of years. To quote the Minister, Deputy Bruton, a key part of the Government's plan to create the employment we need is to ensure that the Government's core €500 million research is focused on turning good ideas into good jobs. That is what our constituents, the taxpayers and those who want to become taxpayers, want to see. If buzzwords like innovation, research, creativity and export-led recovery are to really mean anything to the man and woman on the street, they must translate into good jobs for them and their children.

When we are in local schools in Navan, Oldcastle or Trim, we must be able to explain to the students that they have a chance to develop this and they will lead the way in creating jobs for the rest of their school colleagues.

Our State supports and encouragement by way of job creation and research should not just focus on securing Ireland's place as the EU corporate headquarters and research base of many important and successful US and global leaders like Facebook, eBay, Intel and PayPal, to name a few from a very long list. We must also encourage the young programmers, inventors, designers and thought leaders to give us the Irish-based brand leaders and multinational companies of the future. To this end, I will again highlight to the House the benefits of the various business support programmes to help people develop their ideas, concepts or innovations into sound business models. There are many of them out there but one example we have come across lately is Discovery Zone, a programme being run in Counties Donegal, Louth, Laois and Meath in conjunction with the local authorities and county enterprise boards. The Discovery Zone is an intensive, specialised and fully funded 12 week programme for professionals who find themselves out of work. Discovery Zone gives people the space, skills and support to explore the options of setting up a new business or seeking a new work direction, taking their idea to the next level.

Efforts should be made to join the dots between all the various institutes that fund research and groups that help the future business leaders so they can develop their ideas. I encourage a link up of such schemes to those benefiting from SFI research and innovation supports. We can spend millions of euro on all the different areas but if we do not join the dots we do not get value for money and the job creation we need. We need programmes like Discovery Zone to help us join the dots.

The success of our agrifood sector, demonstrated by Tuesday's announcement by Glanbia in Waterford, building on similar announcements by Kerrygold and Lakeland Dairies in recent times, show the strength of our local indigenous companies too. This Bill before us today acknowledges and will hopefully take it further. Like everything worthwhile in life, there is a gamble and risk involved, but we learn from our mistakes and the benefits to the State, its people and our national finances will be huge in the long term.

In 2003, we were placed 36th in the world for research overall and now we are 20th globally; in certain specific areas we are even higher. We have made great strides in a decade, although it is not easy in these tough financial circumstances. The challenge now is to maintain the upward trend in tougher times. Tough times encourage new thinking and provide a new energy to old problems. Why not aim to be in the top ten overall in global research leaders within five years, and the top five within the decade? The path of greatest resistance will always be uphill but ambition breeds excellence. This excellence must also breed jobs.

Some purists would argue that this focus on jobs and bringing ideas into the marketplace debases science and academic research. We as an Oireachtas, however, passing a budget each year, would not being doing our job right if we did not at least inquire as to the success and potential for jobs resulting from investment in this important area. There were some interesting presentations this week when the various chairmen from the European enterprise and social protection committees came together in Dublin Castle to discuss issues like this. We had a major discussion of Horizon 2020, and the Commission representatives there to discuss funding for research and the need to drive entrepreneurship. Enterprise Ireland made a very good presentation on the work it is doing in its support unit to ensure we match people's ideas for research with funding and help. Success in the last five years in Ireland has doubled the money we have received from Europe for research. We must use that now.

The other worrying factor was that across Europe, entrepreneurial spirit is in decline. The numbers willing to take a risk to develop their idea or set up their own business are falling. That is because people are more concerned for the future. It is a scary thing but we discussed it and there are plenty of solutions to that problem. There is an onus on us all to encourage people and to become inventors and entrepreneurs. By changing the rules to redirect some of the money to applied research, and to be able to spend it in different ways, is a step in the right direction.

The protection of the Science Foundation Ireland budget of €152.3 million, with only a 2% cut, is to be welcomed in the current economic climate. I hope we can continue with that level of funding. The results must be judged over several years so we must bear in mind that this investment pays off in the long term. It is okay to tweak matters as go along to ensure we get better value for money and jobs.

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