Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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725. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to the potential dangers of a commercially driven research system in the name of innovation in the Research and Innovation Bill 2023, if he considered that the national research funding agency will be solely driven by enterprise and industrial initiatives, which will lead to under-investment in all research other than those that may deem to have immediate commercial benefits and the potential for profiteering; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21271/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is not true to say that the new competitive research funding agency, which the General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023 will seek to establish, will be solely driven by enterprise and industrial initiatives and lead to under-investment in research other than research which may be deemed to have immediate commercial benefits.

The General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill forms a key part of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. Impact 2030’s objectives include the promotion and support of excellence in research and innovation across all disciplines, spanning fundamental research to applied research activity. The General Scheme also seeks to promote and support the contribution of all such research and innovation to Ireland’s economic, social, cultural and environmental development and sustainability, as well as strengthen the engagement between the research and innovation system and enterprise, Government and public bodies, the voluntary sector and society.

Ensuring that the agency will be inclusive of all research disciplines will be achieved by placing all disciplines on an equal and statutory footing. In order to ensure that Ireland’s collective research and innovation investments and activities make as big a difference as possible to as many people as possible, the new research and innovation agency must drive research and innovation excellence in all disciplines across the spectrum of Arts, Engineering, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, Technology and others. It must develop capacity to respond to challenges using integrated approaches from scientific, behavioural, economic and cultural perspectives. Such support for all disciplines is essential in order to ensure that Ireland has a resilient and agile research base that can make a substantive impact on national challenges and opportunities.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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726. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to the Research and Innovation Bill 2023, if he considered the under-representation of research and researchers in the arts and humanities and social sciences, given that most western countries have specific funding agencies and programmes for social sciences and humanities research; the reason this Bill appears to have the intention of eradicating them altogether; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21272/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Impact 2030strategy clearly sets out the Government’s ambition for Ireland to be a research and innovation leader. The objectives of that strategy include the promotion and support of excellence in research and innovation across alldisciplines, spanning fundamental research to applied research activity. Importantly, the strategy also highlights the importance of growing Ireland’s international offering and reputation in the field of excellent research and innovation. Far diminishing the role of any discipline, the new agency will put all disciplines on an equal statutory footing for the first time.

I might add that the Government decided that as a matter of policy there should be an Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Council within the organisational structures of the new agency. This recognises the distinctive nature of AHSS research and its importance in Irish society. The legislation will, therefore, enhance the role of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in contributing to challenge-based research, which is instrumental in addressing the complex problems facing society now and in the future.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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727. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills given that the Research and Innovation Bill 2023 appears to place extraordinary power in the sitting Minister in appointing board members and directing public funds in research, and considering this Bill can lead to irrecoverable damages to the research and higher education systems the reason the decision was made to have no consultation process for such an important development in Irish research (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21273/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill forms a key part of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. Its main purpose is the formation of a new competitive research funding agency through the amalgamation of the functions and activities of Science Foundation Ireland the Irish Research Council. This represents a significant opportunity for all of us to reflect on the huge importance of research in Irish society and to further stimulate the creativity of that research.

The Heads of the Research and Innovation Bill provide that the new agency will have a board consisting of 12 members, including a chair. While I, as the Minister, will make the appointments to the board, members will be selected through a transparent Public Appointments Service process. This will ensure that the board consists of persons who have sufficient experience and expertise relating to matters connected with the functions of the new agency to enable them to make a substantial contribution to the effective performance of the agency. The agency will be compliant with the Code of Practice for State Bodies and the Guidelines for Appointment to State Boards.

The State’s financial resourcing of the agency will be, as is accepted practice, a matter for the annual Estimates process. It will be the responsibility of the agency to disburse its funding in accordance with the highest standards and norms, as part of the competitive processes it will oversee. The Heads of Bill provide an ongoing mechanism for me, as the Minister, to issue policy directions to the agency, in line with norms for other public sector agencies. This does not mean that I, or any other Government Minister, will be able to issue directions in terms of the awarding of research funding.

A programme of stakeholder consultation has been taking place since the development of Impact 2030 and was integral to the development of that whole-of-government strategy on Irish research and innovation. A number of formal structures have emerged to ensure the implementation of the strategy and these are playing an important role in supporting the establishment of the new agency. It is also important to note that the pre-legislative scrutiny process is currently ongoing, as managed by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and provides an avenue for consultation on the Heads of the Research and Innovation Bill. Furthermore, consultation with wider stakeholders, with particular regard to the research and innovation community, is being prepared in order to seek feedback on the operationalisation of the functions of the new agency and to keep them informed about progress. It is foreseen that this will be led by the CEO Designate of the agency, who will be appointed as soon as possible to assist the Department in undertaking the significant transitional and operational programme of work required to establish the agency. The Department will also continue its normal dialogue with external stakeholders on the research agenda as the Research Bill proceeds, including consultation as appropriate.