Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is clear that research is delivering. More and more of our foreign direct investment wins are predicated on the research and development infrastructure available in this country. The Irish medical devices sector is ranked ninth of ten in the world. The number of social media and ICT related companies located here and the performance of our research and development sector during the past decade has had a significant impact on our economy. As part of the national research prioritisation exercise, which involves all State funders of research coming together, we must now measure that impact, which is vital in terms of ensuring transparency for the taxpayer in the context of the research we chose to fund.