Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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494. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects innovation to become a major part of third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31676/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Innovation 2020, the current national strategy for research and development, science and technology, acknowledges the importance of the pipeline of skilled and talented individuals playing a critical factor in innovation. From pre-primary through to further and higher education and throughout an individual’s career, skills and knowledge need to be continuously enhanced if individuals, employers and countries are to realise their potential.

The expansion of higher education has been a key enabling factor in the growth of the Irish economy over the past four decades. The availability and quality of graduates is essential if we are to maintain our attractiveness as a location for investment and grow our reputation as a destination for a successful research career. Equally, increased participation in higher education has resulted in significant contributions to society and has played a critical role in enriching our cultural life. Postgraduate education delivered by higher education institutions is critical to Ireland’s research system. In addition to contributing to knowledge, postgraduate researcher education drives participants to develop their own research and innovation skills that can be applied in a range of environments, in academia or industry, at home or abroad.

Work is now underway in my Department to develop the successor strategy to Innovation 2020. I expect the strategy to set out a vision that will ensure we prioritise investing in RDI as key to addressing our economic and social challenges such as climate change, digitalisation and public health. It will also focus on addressing the cross-cutting issues that are essential for maintaining a well-functioning, fit for purpose RDI system capable of addressing these challenges. Critical to this is ensuring we have a pipeline of talent coming through our higher education system that is fully equipped to make a valuable contribution to our economy and society.