Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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11. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Question No. 335 of 21 April 2015, if oriented basic research is counted, along with pure basic research, under the umbrella of basic research for the purposes of the survey of investment in higher education research and development, HERD, for 2012 and 2013; and if the figure of 50.9% of the HERD budget spent on basic research in 2012-13 quoted in his reply includes both pure basic and oriented basic research. [18339/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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The background to this question is the growing unrest in the scientific research community about the serious imbalances at policy level between funding for oriented basic research, that being, applied research, and pure basic research, which can have a greater social and economic impact in the long run. What is the breakdown between the two in terms of the figures for funding that were provided to me last month?

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I missed the discussion on the Deputy's previous question about the survey. For the purposes of the survey of research and development in the higher education sector 2012-13, which is conducted by my Department and previously by Forfás, basic research includes pure and oriented basic research. The figure of 50.9% of the HERD budget spent on basic research in the 2012-13 period included pure basic and oriented basic research. This categorisation is in line with the definitions and requirements set out by the OECD. The OECD categorisations of research to be used by respondents to the HERD survey are set out in the Frascati manual.

Total expenditure on research and development in the higher education sector amounted to €640 million in 2012. Of this, 50.9% - €326 million - was spent on basic research, 43.4% - €278 million - was spent on applied research and 5.7% - approximately €36 million - was spent on experimental research.

The Frascati manual definition of basic research is: "Basic research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view." Basic research analyses properties, structures and relationships with a view to formulating and testing hypotheses, theories or laws. The reference to no "particular application or use in view" is crucial, as the performer may not know about actual applications when doing the research or responding to survey questionnaires. The results of basic research are not generally sold, but are usually published in scientific journals or circulated to interested colleagues. Occasionally, basic research may be classified for security reasons.

In basic research, scientists have some freedom to set their own goals. Such research is usually performed in the higher education sector, but also to some extent in the government sector. Basic research can be oriented or directed towards some broad fields of general interest, with the explicit goal of a broad range of applications in the future. One example is the public research programmes on nanotechnology, which several countries have decided on. Firms in the private sector may also undertake basic research with a view to preparing for the next generation of technology. Through many of our research centres, particularly the one in Cork, we are bringing enterprise and the State together to carry out this research.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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I do not know whether it was the accent or the sound in the Chamber-----

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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It was probably the accent.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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-----but I found it difficult to follow the Minister of State's answer. It seems convenient that we have subsumed pure basic research under the umbrella of oriented basic research when the latter is really applied research. The amount of investment in the former has fallen disproportionately. The issue that the scientific community and even the business community is putting to the Government is that its science strategy is imbalanced. There will be a serious problem for society unless this is addressed. The international standard that we developed before 2012 is in danger of being eroded.

The Government's consultation process on a replacement for the science, technology and innovation strategy was rushed, although it received 77 submissions. Will the Minister of State address the point on the range of bodies that have expressed concern? The Institute of Physics in Ireland, the Medical Research Charities Group, the Royal Irish Academy and the Health Research Board have stated that the relentless focus on research prioritisation poses dangers for our economy. The Minister of State's figures seem to bear out this concern.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry. I was probably speaking quickly. I am in a rush to get to a function, so I apologise. I will provide the written response.

I will clarify points on the new strategy. It is not being rushed. The strategy is not finished yet. The initial call for submissions was meant to focus people's minds. The strategy was being discussed long before I took up office eight months ago. It is not as if this has come as a surprise to anyone. We called for submissions in January and the strategy has been discussed at every opportunity I have had since last May. Everywhere I went to speak to researchers, I told them that this was going to happen at some stage. More than 77 submissions were received. I have them and my Department and I are working through them. An interagency group is also working on them. The strategy will not be published until the summer. There will be further opportunities for discussion and consultation because we want to get this right.

I received the letter that was signed by more than 800 researchers. I meet many of them in my daily work when announcing money and I am working with them. We will tease through this. The new strategy needs to get the balance right and focus minds. The Government introduced the prioritisation agenda in 2012 to get the best bang for our buck in a country that needs job creation. We have tried to focus minds in the community through the competitive part of the research fund rather than all of it in areas of excellence to ensure that we develop new ideas, processes and solutions while creating jobs.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry, but I am nearly finished. There is a high level of spending on basic research. It is important that we do this. The strategy will reflect this. We will have ample time. I do not accept that the strategy is being rushed. It is not finished and there are months to go yet.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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The consultation period was rushed even if people knew that it had been flagged. The statistics bear out the claim that a decreasing proportion of funding is going towards basic research. The Government's policy deliberately sets out the research prioritisation. The last time we discussed this matter, the Minister did not shift away from that. It is the nub of the problem. No one is saying that the Government should not care about jobs. That is fine. Instead, people are saying that there is a serious imbalance. Everything that the Minister and Minister of State have said seems to indicate that they are entrenching this viewpoint. It is lunacy. They are the only people in the economic and scientific communities who have that view. Studies show that there was 54% basic research spend in 2010 and 2011. There is an amalgamated figure for the 2012-13 period, but it decreased by a couple of percentage points. They key figure will be the 2013-14 one. The direction in which spending is going is wrong, but none of those opposite seems to be listening.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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It is not a case of no one listening. We are fully engaged. I have offered to meet many groups before the strategy concludes to discuss it. We want to get it right. We have achieved a great deal with our agenda in the past three or four years. Under successive Governments during the past ten or 15 years, Ireland has built an important and world-recognised research ecosystem. We will continue building on that for Ireland's reputation. We are high achievers in many sectors. However, we also take an important view on job creation. We are proud of this and will not move away from it, so it is a question of working the two elements together. We recognise that, to have applied research, one needs basic research. One goes with the other, a fact to which we are not oblivious. We will work with the community to get the strategy right.

There has been a decrease in funding across all Departments, but the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has been lucky enough to increase funding through the competitive fund group in recent years. The fight will be to have extra money spent on this area. That is what the strategy is for. It sets high targets that we must achieve to match our European colleagues. This will provide extra resources for all levels of research.

We are using international definitions; it is not a case of merging two together. They are the OECD categorisations and we do not change them. I will work with all sectors and all voices in this area to get it right. There is no doubt about this.