Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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421. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on setting up a register of capabilities in which companies operating here could record details of the type of industry they are in, the research and development and production facilities they have and the experience, skills and qualifications their technical persons have in order to enable a university or researcher to tap into industry facilities and expertise to build on their initial laboratory-based research; her views on linking joining the register and keeping records up to date with the research and development tax credit regime in order that a company that wants to claim the tax credit in future years has to be on the register and has to certify that their details are up to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17227/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Innovation 2020, Ireland’s national strategy for research and development, science and technology recognises the need for greater collaboration between enterprises and the public research system, including the higher education institutions (HEIs). Collaboration is necessary to create the critical mass for world-leading research in many disciplines. Government agencies including Enterprise Ireland, Knowledge Transfer Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish research Council are proactive in this area with their enterprise-facing schemes.

Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) is the national office that helps enterprises to benefit from access to Irish expertise and technology by making it simple to connect and engage with the research base in Ireland. KTI works with business, investors, universities, Institutes of Technology, State research organisations, research funders and government agencies to maximise access to State-funded technology, ideas and expertise in order to drive innovation.

Mobility between industry and academia forges important linkages between research and innovation performers and is a vital element of a researcher’s development, providing the opportunities to gain first-hand experience in a commercial research environment while also providing industry with access to highly specialised trained researchers from the HEIs. Through Innovation 2020 there is enhanced existing support for the bilateral flow of researchers between academia and industry through programmes including the Science Foundation Ireland Industry Fellowship and the Irish Research Council Employment-based Postgraduate and Enterprise Partnership programmes.

In relation to the establishment of a skills and facilities register of the type referred to, there is a need to be cognisant of the commercial sensitivities of industry with regard to an open register detailing information of research and development activities. In addition, as most companies in this area are SMEs, a considerable proportion may not have the capacity to facilitate the type of university/researcher access outlined. As such, any initiative of this type could perhaps only practicably operate on a voluntary basis.

Research and Development Tax Credit is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance.