Written answers

Thursday, 3 May 2012

Department of Education and Skills

Research Funding

3:00 pm

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide information on the research and development activities and EU pilot projects provided by funding (details supplied). [22533/12]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The B.5 subhead, entitled "Research and Development Activities" has two components.

1. Research and development

2. EU projects

1. Research and development. The purpose of the Research and Development subhead (B5.1) is to fund individual researchers and research institutes for specific educational research projects. A Departmental Research and Development Committee assesses applications for funding, reviews progress of research projects supported by the Committee, and considers means for dissemination of results obtained. Expenditure totalling €150,823.22 was incurred in 2011. This included funding for two research projects:

- Valuing Visibility: an exploration of how sexual orientation issues arise and are addressed in post-primary schools.

- Action Research project to develop a religious education curriculum for delivery in Community National Schools. The project commenced in July 2008 and it is envisaged that the project will continue until a religious education programme has been developed for all classes from junior infants to sixth class

2. EU projects.

The main purpose of this provision is to make a national contribution towards the administrative costs of the national agency which administers the EU Lifelong Learning Programme in Ireland, which is Léargas, the Exchange Bureau. The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 (LLP) comprises four sub-programmes supporting cross-border mobility, networking and sharing of best practice. Erasmus deals with mobility activities for those participating in third level education.

Leonardo daVinci is the vocational education and training action. It funds mobility and project activities for trainers and trainees. Funding under this action is available to public and private bodies and institutions involved in vocational education and training.

Grundtvig covers activities by adult trainers and learners. Comenius deals with activities by schools, teachers and pupils.

Under the Lifelong Learning Programme, the European Commission provides funding to beneficiaries and project promoters and partners. This funding is administered by the national agencies in the member states in the case of decentralised actions and by the Commission in the case of centralised actions. Expenditure from this subhead on EU projects relates to the administrative costs of Léargas in running the Lifelong Learning Programme, rather than to the costs of the programme itself which are fully funded by the Commission. There is no co-funding requirement.

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