Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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861. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on concern within the research community regarding possible reforms to the system used to allocate research grants; the specific plans, if any, to divest her Department’s control of the programme for research in third-level institutions, PRTLI, to Science Foundation Ireland; and her views on the fact that any potential divestment to Science Foundation Ireland would include measures to ensure that the PRTLI's traditional focus on capital, research infrastructure and students will remain and that PRTLI will retain its traditional role of enabling all areas of research. [24026/16]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) has been an important instrument in developing Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem since the first “cycle” of investment in 1998. It has been particularly important in leveraging philanthropic and other private investment in order to put in place the research laboratories, institutes, equipment and, most importantly, the people to undertake research in our higher education system. Ultimately, the goal of all of our investment in research and development (R&D) is to support knowledge creation, knowledge transfer and innovation for economic and social progress.

In the five “cycles” of investment under PRTLI to date, there has been a total investment of €1.213 billion (€935m public and €278m private) and this investment has helped to put in place some 145,000 square metres of physical space for research and direct support for some 3,500 researchers and postgraduate students including through “Structured PhD” programmes and other related human capital elements.

Responsibility for PRTLI transferred from the Department of Education and Skills to the (then) Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation in May 2010. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI) is currently discharging the remaining financial commitments under Cycle 5 of the programme.

Innovation 2020, the Government’s strategy for research and development, science and technology, includes a commitment to scope out and develop a successor to Cycle 5 of PRTLI as one element in the policy mix that will be used to deliver on the human capital and related research infrastructure goals and objectives contained in the strategy.

DJEI has lead responsibility for scoping and developing the successor to Cycle 5 of PRTLI, working with the Department of Education and Skills, Science Foundation Ireland and the Higher Education Authority, and in consultation with other Government Departments, research funders, higher education institutes, enterprise agencies and other stakeholders. Officials in DJEI have commenced work on this and a detailed proposal for a successor to Cycle 5 of PRTLI will be brought to Government for approval. The detailed proposal will set out the proposed approach regarding the structure and content of the programme.