Written answers

Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Departmental Funding

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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144. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the projects funded under the disruptive technologies innovation fund; the areas of research involved; the amounts awarded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32961/21]

Photo of Damien EnglishDamien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) was established in 2018 to encourage collaboration in the development and deployment of disruptive innovative technologies, on a commercial basis, targeted at tackling national and global challenges. It is managed by my Department with administrative support from Enterprise Ireland.

DTIF focuses on the ability of Irish enterprises to drive disruptive innovation through collaboration on industrial research with other enterprises and research institutions. The Fund is open to partnerships working together on projects that have the potential to significantly alter markets or the way businesses operate.  It encourages private co-investment by lowering the risk profile associated with investment in high-risk, high-reward innovations.  Applications to the Fund are required to, inter alia, demonstrate the potential to develop and deploy novel and disruptive technologies in line with the Research Priority Areas 2018-2023.

A total of €235m has been allocated to 72 projects over the three DTIF calls to date. This funding will give the companies involved opportunities to grow their business, even when trading in increasingly competitive markets, through the development of innovative products and services. These enterprises will be in a strong position as the Irish and global economies rebound once the pandemic ends.

Details of the projects funded under calls 1-3 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund are set out in the table below.

SSHA

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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145. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the details of the selection process for the expert panels tasked with selecting successful applications to the disruptive technologies innovation fund; the number of panels formed; the duration and membership of the most recently formed panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32962/21]

Photo of Damien EnglishDamien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) was established in 2018 to encourage collaboration in the development and deployment of disruptive innovative technologies, on a commercial basis, targeted at tackling national and global challenges. It is managed by my Department with administrative support from Enterprise Ireland.

DTIF focuses on the ability of Irish enterprises to drive disruptive innovation through collaboration on industrial research with other enterprises and research institutions. The Fund is open to partnerships working together on projects that have the potential to significantly alter markets or the way businesses operate.  It encourages private co-investment by lowering the risk profile associated with investment in high-risk, high-reward innovations. 

Enterprise Ireland administers the call process with oversight by the Department of Enterprise and the DTIF Advisory Board. DTIF is a competitive offer and eligible applications are reviewed by independent international technical and commercialisation experts using funding call-specific selection criteria.

Enterprise Ireland maintains an Expert Database from which it selects appropriate experts on the basis of the funding call-specific selection criteria, professional expertise and experience. As a public research funding body the agency regularly sources new experts including from the European Commission's database of experts for its research funding programmes which typically issues calls for expressions of interest on a 7 year basis. Geographical and business-sector balance, gender balance, regular rotation, and absence of conflict of interest are all considered.

For the recently closed DTIF Call 3 (2020) 45 experts participated in 55 remote evaluation panels with a duration of 3 months from invitation to participate as experts to completion of panel interviews.

Enterprise Ireland requests that experts sign a non-disclosure agreement to participate in an individual capacity and does not release personal information.

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