Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have spoken previously on this as well with Senator Higgins. This agency is for research and innovation. Innovation is about bringing the fruits of research out into our communities and out into society to ensure that it has an impact and that it does not sit on a dusty shelf somewhere. That is what is really crucial about this.

Much of this knowledge transfer and technology transfer is across all research disciplines. It is important that we see so much multidisciplinary research that is bringing in all types of colleges within universities, as well as the innovation aspects working together, because that creates real impact in our society and communities. It is crucial that we see that innovation and development of research and bring it on that pathway so that it will have impact immediately or as soon as possible.

As has been mentioned previously, this is a brand new agency under the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I cannot wait until this new Taighde Éireann is before the education committee, of which I am a member, and the members are able to state the targets and the funding and ask what are we doing for our researchers, how much innovation are we seeing come out and what is the impact on our society. I cannot wait until that happens. I know they will be because, already, on the education committee, Ministers, Departments, chairpersons and statutory agencies come and present before us. I very much look forward to that opportunity when they do.

It is important to see that Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, for example, could potentially be co-funding partnerships already in the universities. Enterprise Ireland has technology transfer officers, TTOs. They work within the university system with our research offices and with our researchers at present and it is crucial they are part of this.

In terms of other agencies, as has been mentioned there are partnerships existing currently, for example, with the Health Research Board, HRB. That was created specifically and gets funding under the Department of Health because it is focused on medical research. Already there are partnerships in place, as the Minister of State will be aware, with the existing funding agencies and that will continue into Taighde Éireann.

To be clear, there are agencies that sit under different Departments. Then there are agencies, I guess, that will be co-funding and will be engaging in partnerships as well.