Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 January 2008
634 Deputy Seán Sherlock asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on funding a number of bio-incubator labs on publicly owned land in Youghal, County Cork for the purposes of attracting biotechnology companies into this region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1345/08]
View answer635 Deputy Seán Sherlock asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on funding a number of bio-incubator labs on publicly owned land in Mallow, County Cork for the purposes of attracting biotechnology companies to the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1347/08]
View answer636 Deputy Seán Sherlock asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on funding a number of bio-incubator labs on publicly owned land in Mitchelstown, County Cork for the purposes of attracting biotechnology companies into this region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1348/08]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 634 to 636, inclusive, together.
Funding is provided for the establishment of Enterprise Incubators through a programme operated by Enterprise Ireland in the context of company creation rather than as a process through which new companies are attracted to a specific region or regions. The types of companies that occupy existing facilities are firms which have "spun out" from third level funded research and as such there is a need for incubation space to be located near, or physically linked to, a parent third level facility rather than green field sites.
To date, Enterprise Ireland's Bio-Incubator centres have all been linked to university research on the basis of the necessary scale and the required research competencies of Lifescience based research activities.
