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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 Jun 1999

Vol. 506 No. 2

Written Answers. - EUREKA Projects.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

116 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the amount of funding involved in supporting Irish participants in EUREKA projects since it began in 1985; and if she will give details of the allocation of this funding. [15404/99]

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

117 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the up-to-date assessment and cost benefit analysis, if any, which has taken place in relation to Ireland's EUREKA project participation; and the outcome of any such assessment or analysis. [15405/99]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together.

Each member state's annual contribution to EUREKA is linked to its GDP. In Ireland's case, this has amounted to an average of £11,600 per annum over the last ten years. The pan-European EUREKA programme provides opportunities for Irish companies to collaborate in joint research and development projects aimed at producing participating companies next generation of products for the market place. Irish companies involvement in EUREKA was low in the early years 1985-1993. This level of participation has, however, increased as a result of greater promotion and availability of Government funds through the in-company research, technology and Innovation – RTI – scheme – commonly known as Measure 1.

While no cost benefit analysis has yet taken place in relation to Irelands EUREKA project participation, there have been a number of evaluation studies which examined the EUREKA programme on a Europe wide basis. These studies have revealed a very high level of conversion of research results into successful new products and a strong level of satisfaction among participating companies.

In the context of future funding for research, technology and innovation as part of the National Development Plan 2000-06, the office of science and technology at our Department has asked Enterprise Ireland to assess Ireland's future involvement in EUREKA, having regard to Enterprise Ireland's strategic remit in terms of company development and the recent strategic review carried out by EUREKA which was completed earlier this year. This strategic review will be discussed by EUREKA Ministers at their annual conference on 29 June 1999 in Istanbul, Turkey.

A table outlining Irish involvement in EUREKA projects since 1985 follows.

Irish Involvement in EUREKA Projects

Irish State funding(IR£)

1985/93

EU 278 CALIES (1987-88).

Boland Higgins Purcell Labs Ltd. (Limerick).

Medical component development and testing.

EU 334 EUROCASE (1988/89).

Generica Software Ltd. (Dublin)

Computer-aided software engineering.

EU 325 GALILEO (6/89).

Aer Lingus Teoranta (Dublin).

Advanced computerised reservation system.

EU 127 JESSI (7/89).

Silicon & Software Systems Ltd. (Dublin).

Analogue circuit design system.

EU 439 CAESIN (7/91).

Dairygold Ltd. (Cork).

270K

Casein-based value-added products.

1994

EU 717 LRV SIMULATION (2/94).

Marine Computational Services Ltd. (Galway)

212K

Vehicle body composite structures.

EU 1186 SLC PROCESS (joined 7/94).

Aughinish Alumina Ltd. (Limerick).

Recovery of a waste material.

Irish State funding(IR£)

EU 1230 MICROVIA (9/94).

Substrate Technologies Ltd. (Dublin).

75K

Printed-circuit-board drilling techniques.

EU 1244 AQM (9/94).

Quality Enhancement (Irl.) Ltd. (Louth).

218K

Development of shop-floor software package.

1995

EU 630 QMIS (joined 1/95).

SPS International Ltd. (Clare).

69K

Quality management information system.

EU 6 EUROLASER (joined 3/95).

Optronics Ireland (Dublin).

Developments in industrial laser technologies.

EU 906 ELANEZ (joined 4/95).

Quest International (Irl.) Ltd. (Cork).

78K

Enzyme development for animal feed enhancement.

EU 1276 FLEETS (4/95).

University of Limerick.

Development of hybrid electric vehicles.

EU 1457 EUROHEALTH (11/95).

Norcontel (Ireland) Ltd. (Dublin).

60K

Healthcare interactive multi-media package development.

1996

EU 1420 INTERCOOP (2/96).

Fish Industries Ltd. (IAWS) (Donegal).

40K

Fish meal processing methods and nutrition quality.

EU 1489 EUROTRAC-2 (2/96).

UCG Physics Dept.

2K

Monitoring of atmospheric pollutants.

EU 1128 TIME TOOL (joined 6/96).

UCG CIM Research Unit.

Evolution of advanced manu-facturing systems.

EU 1612 CHERT (9/96).

Feely & Sons Ltd. (Roscommon).

64K

Cutting methods for limestone.

EU 1281 BISCUIT (joined 9/96).

Aqua-Fact International Services Ltd. (Galway).

43K

Sea-bed sensor equipment.

EU 1567 ENVISION (11/96).

Little Island Engineering Ltd. (Cork).

180K

Vision-based waste system.

EU 1661 BIOLIB (11/96).

TCD Genetics Dept.

On-line chemical and biochemical databases.

1997

EU 1221 EURHIS (JOINED 6/97).

Irish Medical Systems Ltd. (Dublin).

Medical software systems development.

EU 1440 FACTORY (JOINED 6/97).

Forbairt (Dublin).

Communication network for advanced industrial production systems.

EU 1704 PIRAMID (6/97).

Munekata Ireland Ltd. (Dublin).

Software systems in mould develpoment.

EU 1798 PALEMAN (10/97).

Tecnocad Ltd. (Sligo).

Paperless mould tool and manufacture.

1998

EU 1927 CIMASIA (4/98).

Waterford Institute of Technology.

Robotics research for garment industry.

EU 1799 EUCOPET (4/98).

Ceramicx Ireland Ltd. (Cork).

90K

Shared heating element design.

EU 1922 MOMENTUM (4/98).

Motorola Ireland Ltd. (Cork).

110K

Heterogeneous mobile telecommunications networks.

EU 2009 CARE SCARE (6/98).

Motorola BV (Dublin).

Eco-design and end-of-life management for electronics-based products.

EU 1751MONICA (9/98) continuous.

Guinness Ireland Ltd. (Dublin).

New process for fermentation of beer.

EU 1884 EURIMUS (joined 9/98).

National Microelectronics Research Centre (Cork).

Precompetitive and applied microsystems developments.

EU 1888 PIDEA (9/98).

M V Technology Ltd. (Dublin).

Improved manufacturing of electronic sub-assemblies.

EU 1888 PIDEA (9/98).

National Microelectronics Research Centre (Cork).

Improved manufacturing of electronic sub-assemblies.

1999

EU 2044 ECOCITY (4/99) environmental impact integrated traffic control system.

Electro Automation Ltd. (Dublin).

150K

Low.

PipelineThere are ten Irish projects currently being processed by the EUREKA secretariat. Decisions on these will be made in the second half of 1999.
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