Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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84. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which Irish industry will benefit from innovation and technology supports in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2521/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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High-quality, innovative and internationally competitive Irish companies are fundamental to Ireland’s future prosperity. This requires us to have sharp and adaptable businesses in a wide variety of sectors which are in a position to win export sales, thus creating jobs in Ireland. In order to ensure that all sectors of the economy continue to compete effectively in European and global markets, continued supports must be made available to overcome market failures associated with companies undertaking R&D. Enterprise Ireland is committed to improving the innovative capability of Irish industry in order to help companies differentiate themselves in global markets in order to win sales and increase employment in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland will continue to support science, technology and innovation in Irish companies in three main ways: firstly by promoting market-led innovation and R&D in manufacturing and services companies, secondly by supporting effective and flexible collaborations between companies and higher level researchers, and thirdly by capitalising on the research investment made by the HEA and SFI by taking commercially useful technology on to the market. Under each of these pillars Enterprise Ireland operates a suite of flexible supports aimed at helping companies and higher level researchers to work together and to innovate in commercially beneficial ways.

Every year, hundreds of companies benefit from Enterprise Ireland Innovation supports. These range from €5,000 Innovation Vouchers to help small companies source innovative solutions from higher level research groups, to larger Innovation Partnerships, to in-company R&D funding. Enterprise Ireland facilitates many companies to work closely with higher education institutions in order to collaborate on high value R&D projects.

Over 400 companies per annum will engage in multiparty collaborative research initiatives like Technology Centres where groups of companies come together to define a commercially advantageous research agenda which higher education institutions deliver on. Over 350 companies will be supported per annum via specialised incubation facilities on third level campuses.

In addition, over 130 companies a year will receive commercially valuable technologies from higher level research institutions; these deals are in many cases based on Enterprise Ireland commercialisation funding and facilitated by Enterprise Ireland funded Technology Transfer Offices in Universities and Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI). On top of these direct supports, Enterprise Ireland clients will continue to benefit from ongoing and consistent technical, commercial and innovation soft support from Enterprise Ireland’s network of Development Advisers and Technologists.

‘Innovation 2020: Excellence Talent Impact’, launched in December 2015, is Ireland’s five-year strategy for research and development, science and technology. The strategy builds on the significant successes delivered by the Government’s science strategy over the past decade, which has seen Ireland dramatically improve its performance globally in this area. Through ‘Innovation 2020’, our vision for Ireland is to become a Global Innovation Leader driving a strong sustainable economy. In it, we set out the roadmap to deliver on this vision, focusing on excellence, talent and impact in innovation and research. Our goals, as articulated in the new strategy, include having an internationally competitive research system which acts as a magnet and catalyst for talent and industry and also having a strong innovative enterprise base, growing employment, sales and exports.

The Action Plan for Jobs 2016 highlights that measures to promote innovation are an important component of Ireland’s research, development and innovation (RDI) systems. Innovation support makes a critical contribution to enterprise policy, and to the goal of developing a competitive national economy, through the stimulus given by innovation to high value economic activities and jobs. By encouraging the development of new economic activities, RDI policy measures strengthen Ireland’s competitive advantage and build potential new areas of economic activity. The impacts of innovation and research include increased competitiveness, maintaining high-value jobs and attracting foreign direct investment, developing our human capital and ensuring a culture of evidence-based policy, processes and practices in the public and private sectors.

Employment in companies supported by Enterprise Ireland increased by a net 10,169 jobs in 2015, with 64% of new jobs created outside of Dublin. This represents a high level of job growth and is a positive indication of a productive indigenous enterprise sector where investment in science, technology and innovation continues to play a key role. Similarly, IDA Ireland saw significant employment growth once again in 2015, with 11,833 net new jobs and the number of investments secured rising to 213 from 197 in 2014.