Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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12. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the decision-making process for applications for funding under the new disruptive technologies innovation fund under the new National Development Plan 2018-2027. [42560/18]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Clearly, disruptive technologies are both challenges and opportunities, but my question relates to the fund itself and how it will be assessed and awarded. Will the Minister elaborate on that?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department launched the first call of the disruptive technologies innovation fund, DTIF, on 29 June 2018 and expressions of interest were sought by the deadline of 3 p.m. on Friday, 17 August 2018. Information on the fund and how to apply was provided by my Department with the support of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland. Expressions of interest were sought for funding commencing in 2019. Subsequent calls will be announced in due course.

We received more than 300 expressions of interest for this first call for funding. All represented collaborations of two or more partners with at least one SME in each partnership. The DTIF is a competitive offer and all applications for funding under this first call are subject to the same assessment and selection criteria.

In line with what was agreed by Government in May 2018 for all Departments involved in running national development plan, NDP, funds, we appointed an advisory board with civil servants and relevant experts from the sector as members. Accordingly, an advisory board chaired by my Department and comprised of nominated members of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland Science Foundation Ireland, along with nominated members of other Departments and public sector organisations was appointed to oversee the assessment and selection process of the DTIF. A panel of independent national and international experts comprised of both technical and commercialisation experts was also formed to assess applications.

Under call 1, all the expression of interest, EOI, forms were screened for eligibility. Only eligible applications were put forward for assessment by the advisory board and the panel of experts. Assessment of applications of these eligible applications was based on the selection criteria set out in the guidelines for this fund. Briefly, they are: the strength of the disruptive technology dimension, economic and market impact of the proposal, the quality and efficiency of the collaboration, and the overall excellence of the proposed approach.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Decisions on expressions of interest were made in September 2018 and were communicated to the lead partner of all collaborations. Only those applicants that met all of the eligibility criteria and met the minimum threshold of the selection criteria were invited to submit a full application. Projects that are deemed ineligible for this first call under the DTIF may still be able to apply in subsequent calls. Applicants were offered feedback on the outcome of the expressions of interest stage and many have availed of this. Applicants that met the minimum threshold of the selection criteria were invited to submit a full application which will then be assessed by relevant experts.

Details on allocations will be submitted to me, as Minister, for final approval. I expect that successful projects will be confirmed in late 2018.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am asking in a roundabout way whether the Minister is satisfied that there is a robust independent assessment process, but I will ask more directly to get a more direct answer. We have experts and State agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and Science Foundation Ireland, but it seems that when one goes through the whole process, ultimately the Minister is the one who decides whether a funding application is successful. From that perspective, will the Minister override the opinions of the experts, including those from Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and Science Foundation Ireland, in the assessment process or is there a clear guideline of what can be presented to the Minister and his or her officials to make a decision? That is clearly the issue. There must be absolute integrity as these can also have commercial implications.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I reassure the Deputy that it is a very independent panel of experts which will assess these applications. The applications are very technical, they are about disruptive technologies and what will happen in the future. It is about protecting the jobs of the future because we want to help companies come forward with new technology. We all know the change the phone made in our lives. We are looking to the future. These are all experts on the panel, not only from Ireland but also international experts. The panel will assess them and come to me for final approval but, as the Deputy and I know, these are experts and I will not second-guess the work of any expert. They will come to me and I, like any Minister, will give final approval. It is a very robust system and I am satisfied that it will be a very thorough process. I want to see good applications coming forward and that we support industry by looking at the new technology and the new way of doing business into the future.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is an important fund. It is important that there is integrity in the process. Will the Minister assure me that having a lunch or dining with an applicant is something that is also outside the remit?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that the process is robust and transparent. Experts will send their recommendations to the Minister who will sign off final approval, which is normal. It is a very independent and robust system and I am very satisfied that all of what ultimately comes to my desk will have been thoroughly evaluated. I want to see projects come through which get the best value for taxpayers’ money, that will make the difference and change the way that businesses look to the future and develop and embrace new technology. I am particularly keen on it being about universities and businesses working together collaboratively. That is why every assessment proposal application will have an SME. There must be SME involvement in it, which is very important because this is specifically targeted at businesses. There has been great interest in it.