Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. We worked together on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. He will be pleased to know that last week we visited Belfast again and had a very fruitful trip. We spoke about some of the issues mentioned by the Minister of State, such as InterTradeIreland working with us and seeing what can be achieved. I congratulate the Minister of State and we are delighted to have him in the hot seat now. We will ensure we will not make it too hot for him.

I welcome the debate on this topic. The funding is very useful and potentially will go to very worthy causes. It is notable that a call was made this month for proposals for the development of a vaccine to combat Ebola and for medical treatment to save lives. This will be high on the list of targets of anybody in the area. Will the Minister of State elaborate on how SMEs will be informed on how to apply for a Horizon 2020 funding? Many SMEs are not aware of opportunities, and some of them may not have the time or resources to apply. What measures does the Government aim to take to aid SMEs in this area?

I also welcome the fact the EU aims to reduce red tape to make it easier for companies to apply for research funding. As the Minister of State knows, this is an old hobbyhorse of mine. Will the Minister of State comment on whether there is too much overlap, or potential duplication, in funding streams? We have various national funding schemes and various other schemes at EU level. It is getting very confusing for businesses. Surely there should be harmonisation or alignment of national and EU funding schemes, or a one stop shop where SMEs could see at a glance what schemes are available and which overlap. Ideally, SMEs would not waste time and resources by applying for grants that are not right for them. I am interested to hear the Minister of State's thoughts on this.

There are great opportunities, but I fear that many smaller businesses are not aware of how to go about availing of them or ensuring that they are not overlapping.
Another major issue is the fact that co-operation between companies is often crucial for success, in that they use different resources to produce products. It would be highly beneficial were the EU and the Government to invest resources in bringing companies together to make stronger products. I have a little bit of experience in this regard. Superquinn worked with Trinity College, which had developed IdentiGEN for the tracing of meat, to bring a successful product to the market. We were the first to do it. However, this would not have happened had a commercial company not worked with the university researching the product. IdentiGEN is now being sold worldwide. Co-operation between the research and business sides was vital. I note that Trinity College has again been successful in getting Horizon 2020 grants.
On the topic of research, Senator Ó Domhnaill mentioned that there had been some criticism of Horizon 2020's funding, in that the amounts awarded were too large and, thus, only a limited number of researchers could be reached. He cited a Guardianarticle dated 7 November, which stated: "If [European Research Council] starting grants were up to €400,000 instead of up to €2m, five times more early-career researchers (ie 1500) could be funded yearly." This makes a strong point that is worthy of consideration. Does the Minister of State agree that smaller grants might be better suited to invigorating research? It seems unusual to seek smaller grants but, given Senator Ó Domhnaill's figures on the few large countries that are able to avail of larger grants, this is understandable in a smaller country with smaller businesses.
What are we doing to get Irish researchers and academics to practise abroad? Language skills present an obvious barrier to mobility. Can we do anything to improve? The Government has provided significant opportunities via Horizon 2020. It would be a shame if we did not make use of them in every way we can. The ability of businesses to co-operate with research departments in universities has been proven, but we must not limit ourselves to Ireland alone. Let us see about co-operating abroad as well.
I congratulate the Minister of State. He and his team have put together a strong case that is worthy of support.