Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. This is an important Bill. We can see that Science Foundation Ireland has been very successful over the past ten years. Now is the time to establish new structures better suited to a new era and to new developments in science and research. This Bill will give Science Foundation Ireland the power to fund applied research and to promote and support awareness and understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Bill will also support collaborative research with bodies in Northern Ireland and other countries. This Bill will steer the direction of Science Foundation Ireland funding.

Under the leadership of Professor Mark Ferguson, Science Foundation Ireland continues to progress and to work with researchers in higher education. Oireachtas Members have always received excellent briefing from the staff of Science Foundation Ireland. They provide us with wonderful insights into the activities of Crann or Tyndall in Cork and various centres of excellence and research around the country. The recent publication of Agenda 2020 outlines how Science Foundation Ireland will strategically reflect the research prioritisation developed under Jim O'Hara, the former chief executive officer of Intel. It will focus on delivering ideas and developing internationally recognised research centres. Ireland has been very successful in that area. It will ensure that researchers trained by Science Foundation Ireland will be employed in industry. Professor Ferguson stated that the emphasis will be on research with impact. That is the same kind of language used by the Minister of State. There is a need for applied research as well as basic research in order to leverage a result and an application from the various forms of research. There has been much debate in the media between scientists and researchers. Blue-sky thinking is needed. For the benefit of society, basic research needs to be turned into real applications. The Minister of State will chair and steer an implementation group which will give him the flexibility to implement change where necessary.

The research prioritisation steering group produced its report a year ago. Times have changed in the past ten years with regard to the type of work and research. The research group identified 14 different priority areas. Four criteria were required to be fulfilled: a global market needed to exist in which Irish-based enterprise could compete; public research and development in Ireland is required to exploit the opportunity; strength in research disciplines; and the existence of a national or global challenge to which Ireland could respond. The report of the expert group outlined a number of priority areas which are acknowledged as critical, including medical devices, health and independent living, diagnostics, therapeutics, food for health, sustainable food production, smart grids, manufacturing competitiveness, process technologies, innovation and services and business process. The group did excellent work which has provided a format for future progress.

The Minister of State referred to the work of IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. In 2002 more than 40% of job announcements by the IDA have been in companies with links to Science Foundation Ireland research teams. This equates to 4,000 jobs. The links with higher education and with Science Foundation Ireland have been invaluable for IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland in their efforts to attract foreign direct investment and in developing indigenous industries. The emphasis will be on turning research into marketable products or services and this is welcome.

The promotion of science, technology, engineering and maths was formerly the work of the discover science and engineering programme. The budget in this area has been reduced but the area is showing dividends in that more students are taking these subjects in last year's leaving certificate with a subsequent uptake at third level.

The Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation published a report on this area. It recommended that industry could fund and support research because it would be to the benefit of industry. I thank the Minister of State for introducing a Bill which is a step along the way in the funding of research.