Results 3,101-3,120 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Topical Issue Debate: State Examinations Issues (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: If we are sending a message from the House, the important thing is that we give the assurance that no student can be disadvantaged as a result of an error on the examination paper. I doubt any student is watching these proceedings but if their parents are watching or if this debate is reported, it is important to give them a sense of confidence that whatever errors occurred will be reflected...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The big ticket item at present is negotiating Horizon 2020, which is the next framework for research expenditure in the European Union. The Irish Presidency is chairing those negotiations, which will be subject to co-decision procedure with the Commission and the European Parliament. Horizon 2020 will offer a package of measures worth €70 billion or more, with a specific target of...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: A wide range of questions have been asked. Horizon 2020 involves a co-decision procedure and will require the agreement of the European Parliament, the Commission and the member states. I am presiding over the negotiations with our team in Brussels, through the permanent representation. Ours is a partial general approach, whereby the Council of Ministers has agreed a negotiating position...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: We have surpassed the target.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: On big data, marine energy, drug delivery, food for health and perinatal research, which is based out of UCC and the Cork University Maternity Hospital. The overarching philosophy is to ramp up into world class research centres and to increase industry engagement but this does not preclude us from continuing our funding of regional technology centres, which are not necessarily mapped onto...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: On technology gateways, we have-----

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Technology gateways are housed within institutes of technology in Letterkenny, Athlone, Limerick, Cork, etc. They have various themes. For example, Waterford's theme is software solutions and mobile devices and the theme of CIT's Technologies for Embedding Computing, TEC, centre is embedded electronics for energy, water and location-based applications. Where specific thematic areas exist,...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The €100 million from industry to the SFI research centres is cash or in kind. The intellectual property, IP, protocol allows for arrangements to be agreed between industry and publicly funded research organisations as regards individual entities. The 2013 target for tech centres-----

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: There is a set of guidelines as well as an agreed IP protocol, a document on which is published. Regarding the research centres, one must allow for a certain degree of flexibility if one wants a greater degree of industrial engagement in the funding of research. A designated technology transfer officer within each institution manages the relationship between principal investigators and...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I will revert to the Deputy on this matter, as I must on the other figures to which he referred, namely, the value of the equity holding in Enterprise Ireland. We will establish tech centres for medical devices, connected health and pharma-manufacturing. These will map onto the 14 priority research areas. Dairy technology and analytics are two of those areas. I will revert if further...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: We are doing a metrics paper at present and will bring it to Cabinet. This will give the Deputy the context of metrics and how patents map onto it - or not, as the case may be. The question one must ask oneself is whether patents are an accurate measure of economic activity. What long-term effect do they have in terms of creating jobs, etc.? Of themselves, as intellectual property,...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: This work cannot be measured geographically - the geographical spread is incidental. It is based on excellence, as it must be. If one were to skew it, based on geography----

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The criterion is excellent science. A criterion of excellence exists in terms of how one funds research; it is the fundamental pillar for any funding call or new opportunity. One cannot discriminate between various geographical areas. If, for example, one wanted to fund into south Kerry it has to be based on the pillar of excellence; it cannot be because the funding call is from south...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: There is a headline target under the Europe 2020 strategy to raise DARD to 2.5% of GNP.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Yes, but in Ireland's case there was an amount relating to persons abroad. As a result, it is argued that GNP is a better measure of the value than GDP. The difference between GNP and GDP is that in the latter one factors out earnings that go back to the mothership. The GNP target is probably a better-----

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: There is no massaging of figures. What we are talking about here is a true indicator, which is better.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for the Public Services 2013
Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: On a practical note, we will distribute the information on the technology centres' status so that members can trace their lineage from the establishment of two in March 2010 to the proposed three centres in 2013. We can provide a further briefing note on Enterprise Ireland's research and development programmes. The committee has received a good note detailing the practical overview of the...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I acknowledge the sentiments expressed by Deputy Calleary on the role of Science Foundation Ireland. I thank Deputies Calleary and Tóibín for submitting the various amendments and the first proposed amendment is essentially already captured when one considers section 7(1) in conjunction with section 7(6), specifically lines 13 to 18, inclusive. The wording of the Bill as presented...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: With regard to amendment No. 5, it is the Government's intention to inform the Houses of the Oireachtas of the strategic areas of opportunities for Ireland. This will largely be centred on priority areas as set out in the recommendations arising from the national research prioritisation exercise and through the prioritisation action group, whose work continues. I am currently chairing that...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I am not in a position to accept the amendment, although I appreciate the concerns and subtleties of the point made by Deputy Calleary. I was concerned that by including "by another review process equivalent to relevant international best practice" we might somehow lessen the rigour of SFI's renowned review process of excellence. There is a danger inherent in that if it is dissipated in any...