Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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161. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of the €296.1 million programme for research in third level institutions, cycle 5, announced in 2010 that has been spent to date; if the outturn has been less than €296.1 million, the reason for this. [2895/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) was launched in 1998, with five cycles of expenditure to date. The PRTLI supports the provision of top-class research infrastructure (buildings, laboratories and cutting edge equipment) as well as human capital development, through Structured PhD/Emergent Technology programmes across Ireland’s Higher Education Institutes (HEIs).The Programme is designed to facilitate Ireland’s HEIs to produce world class research in key strategic areas: including but not limited to bioscience/biomedical; medical technologies; energy, environment and marine; food and drink; social sciences and humanities; ICT and advanced communications and; platform technologies and materials.

At the time that Cycle 5 was announced in 2010, projects amounting to €296.1m of Exchequer investment and a further €62.6m of private investment were identified.

The Exchequer component of PRTLI Cycle 5 has since reduced to €277.7m as three recurrent projects did not proceed to formal funding approval. Of the €277.7m in Exchequer funding for approval projects, €258.3m is projected to be spent by March 2016.

Below, in table form, is a summary of expenditure under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) Cycle 5 to end 31^stDecember 2015.

PRTLI Cycle 5 Expenditure Summary as at 31st December 2015

*Three recurrent funded projects announced in 2010 did not receive formal funding approval.

**The Recurrent Amount = Declared Expenditure to 30/09/15 + Projected Expenditure to 31/03/16

Cumulatively, the HEIs have yet to spend their full Exchequer allocations. The majority of projects are progressing well at this stage and should reach completion by the end of 2016 (some building projects have already been delivered but final expenditure declarations have yet to made). As with previous cycles, there is a long lead time expected before both the total spend and the administrative obligations are finalised.