James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if her Department conducted an analysis on the TRL status of research projects funding by agencies under its aegis. [39159/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department through its agencies funds research activities and supports for innovation across the full range of Technology Readiness Levels. Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) are a measure of the maturity or proximity to market of a technology. Lower TRLs (1-3) include demonstration of basic principles through to proof of concept. Medium TRLs (4-7) span technology validation and prototype demonstration and higher TRLs (8-9) refer to pre-commercial deployment up to market introduction.

Science Foundation Ireland reviews its portfolio of awards in the context of each award’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) status. Science Foundation Ireland has adopted the TRL reference scale as described by the H2020 Programme. Science Foundation Ireland awards span TRL 1-6, with most of Science Foundation Ireland’s portfolio of investment in TRL 1 and 2.

In 2016, SFI undertook an exercise to map its active award portfolio against TRL levels. This indicated that a little over 80% of Science Foundation Ireland’s portfolio of investment was in TRLs 1 and 2.

It is expected that in due course and with Science Foundation Ireland’s expanded remit that there will be an increasing level of activity and investments in the higher TRL levels up to 6 and 7. SFI’s mid- and high TRL investments will grow in the future, however, given the Innovation 2020 strategy and national plans to increase public investment in STEM research, a substantial proportion of SFI’s investment will continue to be in the lower TRLs.

Enterprise Ireland (EI) supports innovation either through direct in-company R&D grants to firms or through supports aimed at driving collaboration between firms and the higher education institutes (HEIs); or the commercialisation of research.

Enterprise Ireland has also mapped its portfolio of R&D supports. Typically, EI Innovation Partnerships support research projects at TRLs 4-8; EI/IDA Ireland Technology Centres support collaboration at TRLs 4-8; EI Technology Gateways at TRLs 6-8; EI Innovation Vouchers at TRLs 7 and 8; and direct grants to support in-company R&D projects at TRLs 7-9.