James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I thank both Deputies. I will respond to Deputy Daly on the urology project. It is a project I am very keen to explore further and there are already a number of projects like that we are developing in the regions. The New Frontiers programme in Castlebar and Galway has a start-up ecosystem working with ATU, and perhaps the urology project could be done along the same lines.

On the supercomputer, I was very keen when I came into this Department that Ireland should remain at the leading edge of digital, quantum and artificial intelligence. That requires significant computing power. We need a supercomputer. All of the most advanced research activity generates huge datasets. Storage and computational power are needed to make sense of those and make discoveries. I initiated the process of procuring a new supercomputer that will be managed by the University of Galway. The Irish Centre for High-End Computing is already in the University of Galway. It is doing a tremendous job on that. In fact, the Galway-led bid we submitted to the European HPC facility came third out of 17. It was very highly ranked and strongly received. We are also pursuing an AI antenna, an artificial intelligence factory that plugs into Luxembourg and France and allows collaboration at an EU level in those areas. It is so important if we are to remain at the forefront. We are talking about digital technologies but there are also health informatics, digital public services and the power to assimilate and understand data for all kinds of modelling, such as climate and transport. Many areas of public need can now be met by that and require that power. I am keen that we remain at the forefront of that.

Deputy Timmins is absolutely right about collaboration with industry and how we make sure that lands and succeeds. Some of the things I want to embed or offer as ancillary supports for postgraduate students include communications and enterprise modules. Start-ups and spin-outs should be encouraged as well. Yes, we want researchers publishing citations, papers and publications but we also want to see campus companies beginning to come out again, giving enterprise a lift. There are some collaborations; iBio in UL is one such collaboration with industry. I would like to develop more programmes that are copartnered.

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