Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There are a range of different activities going on at present. One company that I am particularly knowledgeable about is called Combilift. It is an amazingly successful company that is dedicated to the area of research and innovation, and the benefits of that have really borne fruit with its major jobs announcement last week. Three quarters of research and development active companies are our own SMEs, many of which are exporting and are encouraged and supported by Enterprise Ireland and - progressively so - by the local enterprise offices to engage in research and innovation. There are, through Enterprise Ireland, progressive options for participation. There are opportunities to obtain research and development vouchers, innovation vouchers and grants and to develop partnerships as well with third level institutions and other actors in that space.

From travelling around the country and talking to people in local enterprise offices, it is my experience that their growing connections with third level institutes of technology and universities will be increasingly important in ensuring that our SMEs can occupy that research and development space. Deputy Calleary will be familiar with all of that. Good work has been undertaken by this Government and the previous Government in the research and development space. It is an area in which we have invested considerably in recent years and we now can see the benefits of that.

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