Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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34. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will respond to the open letter signed by more than 900 scientists calling on the Government to rebalance its funding for scientific research away from a commercial-heavy focus and towards the funding of research across all disciplines; if the successor to the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-2013 will include a focus on third level research projects on sustainable and renewable energy technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12077/15]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Government remains committed to the importance of science, technology and innovation (STI) given the key role that it plays in underpinning economic recovery and maintaining Ireland's competitiveness.

Ireland has successfully built up a strong science base as result of significant funding and an ambitious policy of building up capacity in our Higher Education Institutes and in our enterprise base over the last decade and a half. The Strategy for Science, Technology & Innovation (2006 to 2013) was a broad based strategy which covered funding for research and innovation across all disciplines and across the full continuum of research from basic to applied as well as commercialisation of research.

Economic and fiscal conditions in the intervening period informed the Government's decision to implement a range of policies directed at accelerating the economic and societal return on our STI investment. Research Prioritisation was one such key policy initiative and saw a concentration of the majority of competitive funding on areas which were deemed most likely to secure greater economic and societal impact, particularly in the form of jobs.

While Research Prioritisation saw a greater emphasis on the economic and societal impact of research it did not represent a move away from funding basic research. Policy has been and will continue to support research across the full continuum from basic to applied, through to commercialisation of research. While the mandate of Science Foundation Ireland was expanded in 2013 to include applied as well as basic oriented research, SFI is still mandated to fund earlier stage research. However, all research supported by SFI must be in strategic areas of opportunity for the State in line with our research prioritisation agenda and it must have impact - this approach will continue to underpin policy into the future and will be a central pillar of the Government's Strategy.

Excellence in scientific research has also been and will continue to be a cornerstone in the development of our science base in Ireland. In the context of our vision for the future, we must have a strong and excellent research base particularly in areas where our strengths can match opportunities.

I welcome the open letter from “Irish Scientists for Basic Research” as part of the consultation process designed to inform the development of a broad based Strategy which will be a successor to the Strategy for Science Technology & Innovation. This letter along with all other submissions received from the various stakeholders will be considered in detail by my Department and the Interdepartmental Committee which has been established tasked with developing proposals for the new Strategy. The new whole-of-Government Strategy will articulate a vision for science policy across all disciplines and will address Government wide goals on innovation in key sectors for job creation and societal benefit.