John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My Department provides Science Foundation Ireland with its annual budget and SFI, in turn, invests in academic research and research teams. The funding generates new knowledge, leading edge technologies and competitive enterprises in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. SFI provides funding across a range of "oriented basic research" through to "applied research". To answer the Deputy's question, SFI estimates that more than 80% of its portfolio of active research awards is for oriented basic research which takes place before the point of any type of commercialisation. This is the case even though SFI's remit was extended in 2013 to enable it also to fund applied research.

SFI's research funding is allocated in accordance with Government policy whereby the majority of competitive funding of research is allocated to 14 priority areas and the platform science and technology that underpin these areas. However, it is important to make clear that research prioritisation has not impacted on funding of oriented basic research by Science Foundation Ireland or my Department.

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