Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 303 and 429 together.

I am aware of the decision by University College Cork (UCC) and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) relating to the Irish Maritime and Energy Research Cluster (IMERC). However, neither my Department, nor the Higher Education Authority, were involved in the review or in the decisions by UCC and CIT.

IMERC was established in 2011 by UCC, CIT and the Irish Naval Service, to derive added value for Ireland and the Cork Harbour region in particular, from complementary strengths that each of the partners had developed. CIT had established the National Maritime College at Ringaskiddy; UCC had developed a broad suite of teaching and research programmes in Marine Energy and Biology; while the Naval Service, in collaboration with both academic institutions, had evolved a strategy to foster innovation in support of the economy.

IMERC was designed to facilitate collaboration among the partners to exploit opportunities for commercialisation of their outputs and services, to create jobs and to support marketing of the joint initiatives. Its incubation centre was established to accommodate start-up companies.

In March 2016 UCC and CIT commissioned an independent review of IMERC which reported in May 2016. Following the review, I understand that UCC and CIT subsequently decided to continue, but to segregate the different roles of IMERC:

- to refine and enhance the original Memorandum of Agreement to support collaboration in teaching and research, the fundamental missions of UCC and CIT, and;

to engage with the local authority, the body already charged with economic development in Cork Harbour, on the role in exploiting the inward investment activities with continuing support from UCC, CIT and INS;

The IMERC Start-Up Incubation Facility, the ‘Entrepreneurship’, is now being managed jointly by UCC and CIT through existing structures, and the UCC staff members involved in IMERC are working in UCC.