Written answers

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

Department of Agriculture and Food

Marine Research

9:00 pm

Photo of Liz McManusLiz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 348: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government to further develop Ireland's reputation as a centre of excellence for marine research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18281/08]

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Sea Change: A Marine Knowledge, Research & Innovation Strategy for Ireland 2007-2013 has been approved by Government and represents the most ambitious marine RTDI strategy in the history of the state. The Strategy builds on the vision and strategy outlined in the 2006 National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (SSTI) published by the Government. Sea Change aims to drive the development of the marine sector as a dynamic element of Ireland's knowledge economy; bringing about a transformation of the sector from a traditional one which is primarily associated with food harvesting to one which is multifaceted and embraces a range of new, high value, knowledge intensive, commercial opportunities developed in a sustainablemanner.

The overall aim of the Sea Change Strategy is to contribute to the knowledge economy, to the achievement of key national strategic objectives (Competitiveness and Growth, Innovation, Regional and North-South Development, Environmental Sustainability) and to enhance Ireland's profile as an international leader in marine research and innovation. The strategy provides a clear and realistic picture of future opportunities and challenges and a roadmap for selective and managed investment in marine research and innovation In 2007 A commitment of €43.8m in research funding over a 1-7 year timeframe was made as follows:

NDP 2007-2013 Marine Research Sub-Programme (€10.4m)

Beaufort Marine Research Awards (€20m)

SSTI Award (€7.4m)

ERDF Infrastructure Funding (€6m)

Additionally, €21.6m was successfully secured via other national and international funding sources, for programmes/projects spanning over a 1-7 year period. This included an investment of €2.66m from the DAFF Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM) as a matching contribution for a joint Marine Institute SSTI/FIRM Marine Functional Foods Research Initiative (MFFRI). This total investment of €65.5m from multiple competitive research funding sources will result in the creation of new capacity and knowledge generation — with some 80 new research positions and 76 PhD scholarships being created. Overall, in 2007, 60 research groups across 23 research institutions and 21 industry performers have received funding to carry out marine-related research and innovation projects/initiatives.

Photo of Liz McManusLiz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 349: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government to instigate a national marine biotechnology initiative to make Ireland a world leader in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18282/08]

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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A National Marine Biodiscovery Programme was initiated by the Marine Institute in 2007. This was managed by the Marine Institute, in partnership with a range of national and international centres of expertise. This programme is driven by the strategic objectives of Sea Change, the National Marine Research and Innovation Strategy for the period 2007-2013. The underlying objective of the National Marine Biodiscovery Programme is to assess the biological diversity of the flora and fauna of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone with a view to developing natural products as the basis for novel applications in areas such as drug discovery, functional food ingredients, and biomaterials.

The principal aims of the Marine Biodiscovery Programme are to:

develop and enhance interdisciplinary knowledge of Ireland's marine biota;

manage and benefit from marine resources, through a more comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Ireland's marine biocomplexity;

benefit human health by contributing to the development of new ethical drugs and therapies;

develop new, and enhance existing, industries, through high-value commercial ventures based on bioactive substances, biomaterials and biochemical mechanisms; and

make Ireland a leader and respected international partner in niche areas of research, training development and commercialisation of high-value marine bioproducts.

Following an international benchmarking exercise undertaken in 2006 the Marine Institute supported a limited Proof-of-Concept project to establish methodologies and partnerships. The allocation, in 2007, of research funds through the Beaufort Marine Research Awards has significantly enhanced activities in this programme. €7.3m was awarded to three Higher Education Institutions (NUIG, UCC and QUB), supporting seven new research positions, 12 PhD scholarships and 38 student placements. This investment will develop core interdisciplinary research teams with capabilities to isolate and identify novel chemical compounds or proteins from marine organisms for use by the biopharma sector and the medical device industry.

The Marine Institute has established an initial capability, funded via the Government's Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (SSTI), to aid with the collection of samples for the Biodiscovery Programme via surveys taking place onboard the national research vessel fleet (RV Celtic Voyager and RV Celtic Explorer). In addition, the Marine Institute are in the process of establishing a Biodiscovery Lab in it's Oranmore laboratory facilities, for the preparation and initial processing of marine samples prior to dissemination to research groups. Two further initiatives have helped to increase capacity in this area:

Through the HEA's 2006 Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), two new Professorships have been established in marine biodiversity (NUIG) and marine microbial diversity (UCC); and

During 2007, the Marine Institute funded three PhD scholarships, located in DCU and UCD, through IRCSET's PhD Scholarship Programme in the areas of biodiscovery.

In addition to this investment in the Marine Biodiscovery programme, €5.3m was committed in 2007 to a Marine Functional Foods Research Initiative. This initiative is a major flagship project linked to the implementation of the SSTI, Sea Change and the Seafood Development Strategy 'Steering a New Course'. It aims to develop new research capabilities and additional research capacity in marine functional foods research, focusing research efforts to identify marine origin food ingredients for use by Ireland's expanding food ingredients and marine foods industries, thus supporting the future needs of these sectors.

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