Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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324. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which job creation has been assisted by science and or innovation technologies and related funding under this heading from Europe in each of the past two years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19004/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Statistics on the creation of jobs by innovation and technology in the enterprise base are not available separately. Innovation and technology are elements of a series of inputs which are requisite for a job to be sustained in commercial enterprise – i.e. companies need to identify markets to sell their goods and services, they need to have finance in order to invest in capital and human resources, they need to put in place the delivery and production capacity which meets their customers’ needs, and they need to focus on the development of new and improved products, processes and services which can ably compete in international markets.

While some jobs are created in research organisations arising from direct participation in EU Framework Programme projects, the main benefit arising from participation is that it offers valuable opportunities to companies of all sizes based in Ireland to participate in high-quality research collaborations with their European counterparts, with the support of EU funding. Collaborative Research forms the core of the FP7 programme, fostering collaborative research across Europe through transnational consortia of industry and academia.

FP7 participation enables companies to gain benefits such as access to knowledge networks, access to specialist equipment, sharing of costs and risks and, in particular for industry, the possibility of opening up commercial opportunities. The experience and the knowledge gained by Irish companies from transnational collaboration often translates into company expansion, creating new jobs, at a later stage. However, as previously stated, innovation and technology are only some of the elements required for sustainable job creation.

Through Enterprise Ireland’s facilitation and financial support Irish companies and academic researchers secured in the region of €85 million in 2011, and approximately €95 million in 2012. Since FP7 commenced in 2007, Ireland’s researchers, research organisations and companies have been involved in more than 1,500 successful applications obtaining European Commission funding of approximately €485 million. The overall Irish success rate, at 22.7%, is above the European Member State average of 22.1%, and a very positive indication of the prospects for Irish participation over the lifetime of FP7, and is in line with our national targets.