David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and strongly welcome the establishment of Taighde Éireann, which will be the new competitive research funding agency for all higher education bodies around the country.

I raise the issue of the South East Technological University, SETU, about which the Minister and I have had many discussions. With respect to research capacity in areas in the south east, I am taken by the fact that the new site acquired by the university, the old Waterford Crystal site, is going to be a new enterprise hub and innovation centre. There is talk of colocating enterprise and research in the hub. That will be very important for the south east and is something of which I am supportive. The question is whether that will be resourced and if the organisation will get the capital funding it needs. As the Minister knows, I was a strong and enthusiastic supporter of the technological university. In all the meetings the Minister and I had on the issue, I said that the job for us in the south east is to make it the best technological university we can. We in the south east have a strong track record of research, as the Minister knows, through the telecommunications software and systems group, TSSG, ArcLabs Research and Innovation Centre and much else besides. I know from presentations I have seen given by the president of the university in the campuses in Carlow and Waterford that research is a big part of where she wants to take the university, expanding on the good work that was done by the Waterford and Carlow institutes of technology. There are many opportunities in that regard. The new body that will be established will bring a level of coherence to that approach and is crucial to the success of the university in the south east. We need to ensure there are clear links between enterprise, job creation, research and development, and delivering for students on the one hand and for the wider region on the other. If the Minister has the chance to respond, I hope he will reference the site that was acquired in Waterford, how it will impact the south east, what additional level of funding will be provided and where research will fall in relation to all of that. I also hope he will share his views as to how we can make it the best possible university.

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