Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of differing supports that are available for research and development across his Department and agencies and in other Departments [27319/12]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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A number of agencies under the remit of my Department provide supports for research and development including Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.

Science Foundation Ireland operates a range of programmes designed to deliver a world class standard of research activity in third level institutions and linked to Irish enterprises. Their Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology and Strategic Research Clusters help link scientists and engineers in partnerships across academia and industry. Their Principal Investigator Programme supports those fields of science and engineering that underpin biotechnology, ICT and energy and their Research Frontiers Programme supports research in framework or integrative fields of science, engineering and mathematics that contribute educational benefit that will advance national scientific progress.

Enterprise Ireland operates a suite of programmes to expand research capacity in companies, to increase collaboration between enterprise and the research sector and to maximise the commercialisation of the State's research investment. They offer 14 main initiatives for supporting research and development in businesses. Ireland's strengthened national research ecosystem has enhanced IDA's capacity to attract increased levels of high-value R&D projects and new RD&I investment approvals are playing a strategic role in embedding existing employment in FDI companies and setting the groundwork for increased future employment.

The work of the enterprise agencies is underpinned by investments under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions which is aimed at strengthening national research capabilities in human and physical infrastructure.

There are a number of other programmes providing research and development supports delivered by other state agencies, funding for which is channelled through a number of other Government Departments, full details of which are outlined in the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators Report published in December 2011 which is available on my Department's website.