Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress to date in the implementation of the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006 to 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31909/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's Strategy for STI 2006-13 was launched by the Taoiseach and myself on 18 June this year, together with my Ministerial colleagues from the Departments of Finance, Health, Education and Agriculture, indicative of the whole of government approach to STI issues which underpins this Strategy.

The Strategy is a product of the work of the eight-member Interdepartmental Committee on STI, chaired by my Department, which receives its policy direction from the Cabinet Subcommittee on STI, which I chair.

On 26 July, I addressed over a hundred key stakeholders and gave them a detailed presentation on the Strategy, which was followed by a wide-ranging discussion of the challenges ahead. The Strategy has been widely welcomed by those involved in the STI arena.

In terms of implementation, the central policy and oversight roles of the Cabinet Subcommittee and IDC are being maintained. In addition, the Strategy set out a range of new implementation mechanisms, chief among which are Technology Ireland and the Higher Education Research Group. Technology Ireland, which is led by my own Department, has been established and brings together the Department's agencies responsible for research and commercialisation, namely; Enterprise Ireland, Industrial Development Agency, Science Foundation Ireland and Forfás. Technology Ireland is now taking forward key initiatives proposed in the Strategy including the streamlining of enterprises research grant supports and development of a call for proposals for Competence Centres. In addition, the competition to select a new Chief Scientific Advisor is well underway and will be concluded in November.

The Higher Education Research Group, which is being established by my colleague the Minister for Education & Science, will include the Departments and agencies responsible for research funding in the HE sector. Arrangements are also being put in place to ensure regular interaction between these two groups and the public sector research performers, to ensure coherence and a concerted delivery of the Strategy's objectives.

As was stated at the launch of the Strategy by my colleague the Minister for Finance, the initial €192m euro resources necessary to implement the Strategy immediately (amounting to €192m — €66m in 2007 &€126m in 2008), has already been committed and will be provided for in the Estimates and adjusted Capital Envelopes. This additional funding will be used exclusively to implement key elements of the Strategy. The distribution of the further resources required will be decided by Government in the context of the NDP, of which the Strategy will be a core component.