Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans for further investment in research and development in functional foods and neutroceuticals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38378/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The need for a focus on innovation and specifically on research and development as key drivers of creativity and growth within an economy is recognised at both EU and national level. At the Lisbon Summit in March 2000, EU leaders agreed that the European Union should aim to become the world's most competitive economy by 2010 and to raise spending on research and development to 3% of GDP by 2010.

The current level of research and development spend in Ireland is 1.13% of GDP and the Government is committed to increasing that in line with the Lisbon target. Within the National Development Plan 2000-2006, over €106 million of the €358 million envelope for the food sector is earmarked for research, technology and innovation. This is made up of €70 million for food research, with a "public good" element under FIRM, the food institutional research measure operated by my Department, as well as €30 million in research and development assistance by Enterprise Ireland working with Irish food companies and research institutes to exploit the benefits of technology innovation and to support companies undertaking research and development. The development of the functional foods industry in Ireland has been identified as a national priority. The sector is specifically mentioned in the strategy recommendations by the Agri 2010 and Agri-Vision 2015 committees and in the recently published report by the enterprise strategy group. Innovation in functional foods and nutritional research have been among the themes in calls for proposals issued under my Department's FIRM programme. The relay dissemination project, which is funded by FIRM, ensures that research approved and research outputs are made available to industry though a dedicated website, workshops, seminars and papers.

Enterprise Ireland is committed to the successful development and growth of the functional foods sector and, in the light of the significant challenge and opportunities, which it presents, has established a national functional foods forum. The forum consists of members from industry, the research and academic community, State bodies and some industry representatives as well as my own Department, which will help formulate and drive the strategy for the sector. Functional foods are based on bioactive cultures, or probiotics, and physiologically active ingredients, or nutraceuticals. Probiotics currently dominate research in this area in Ireland and there is little existing activity in the development of nutraceuticals. Teagasc, which partnered UCC in establishing the successful alimentary probiotic centre, has made a proposal for the establishment of a new department for nutraceutical research to fill a gap in public research and to create opportunities for innovative product development in industry that otherwise would not exist. The proposal is being considered by my Department.

I am committed to continuing support for research in the food sector and to the building of strong partnerships between industry, academia and Government with a deep understanding of consumer trends and demands here and abroad.