Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 447: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her proposals in respect of the provision of a third level centre for music and new media education to be located at the GMIT Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23759/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has not been contacted by GMIT in respect of the provision of a third level centre for music and new media education. The provision of new course proposals is, in the first instance, a matter for the governing bodies and management of the institutes themselves in accordance with the provisions of the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992-2006.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 448: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on the development of applied research and technology transfer capacity within the institutes of technology here with particular reference to the GMIT Galway; her view in respect of a national focus for the role of institutes of technology in this field in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23760/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Institutes of Technology sector has an important regional role with regard to research and industrial development. My Department provides research funding to the third level sector through a number of programmes. Specifically in relation to the Institute of Technology sector a dedicated programme of funding is provided under the Technological Sector Research Programme. This programme provides funding in three areas — Post-graduate R&D Skills which aims to increase the supply of highly skilled graduates for industry; Enterprise Platform Programme which provides training programmes for graduate entrepreneurs involving education/ enterprise training and advice/mentoring from business and industry; and Core Research Strengths Enhancement which supports the development of research capacity in the Institutes.

In addition, Enterprise Ireland has a number of supports which are aimed at increasing the levels and quality of applied research and technology transfer. Some of these supports take special cognisance of the unique positioning and distinctive requirements of the Institute of Technology sector and are targeted specifically at these Institutes.

This specific targeting includes the Applied Research Enhancement Programme which was created to enhance the applied research capabilities within the Institutes of Technology. The programme aims to generate regional economic activity through the creation of a strong applied research base for the Region by bringing together researchers into the Institutes of Technology. GMIT is a participant in this programme through the Shelltec project, which conducts applied research in the fields of shellfish condition, storage and transport and the GMedtech project to establish a Centre of Excellence within GMIT that will offer the regionally and nationally based medical device development community an advanced product performance testing service.

In addition both my Department and Enterprise Ireland are separately providing funding for research equipment in the Institutes of Technology to enhance their research capabilities.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 449: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the scale of development land at the GMIT Galway campus; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the demographic change in the region indicates serious lack of development capacity at the institute in the next ten years; if she has examined this situation; if she has received reports regarding the shortage of development capacity at the GMIT; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23761/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Galway Mayo Institute of Technology campus (GMIT) at Galway comprises 24.3 hectares (60 acres) of land. My Department provided funding of €2.23m as recently as 2003 towards the purchase of Murrough House and circa 20 acres of land in Galway for GMIT.

The Institute has made a number of proposals to my Department regarding the acquisition of additional land. Representatives from the Institute met recently with Department officials regarding the matter. Any firm proposals from the Institute in relation to the acquisition of land will be considered in the context of advancing projects from the capital envelope under the NDP 2007-2013 and mindful of prioritisation criteria being developed for the sector and the Institute's other priorities.