Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 February 2018
275. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if the Government has reviewed Innovation 2020 in view of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8802/18]
View answerThe vision as set out in Innovation 2020, for Ireland to become a Global Innovation Leader, is even more relevant in the face of Brexit. Creating an internationally competitive research and innovation system which drives a sustainable economy is a key strand of our Brexit response. The cross-Government Innovation 2020 Implementation Group is critical in driving delivery of the strategy’s commitments in order to achieve national innovation objectives.
A key commitment in Innovation 2020 is to enable firms to innovate which has been demonstrated to build resilience in enterprise to manage, exploit and survive global challenges such as Brexit. ‘Building Stronger Business’, launched in November 2017 also sets out my Department’s approach to managing Brexit impacts on the national research and innovation system.
Together with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Enterprise Ireland (EI) and IDA Ireland, my Department is driving and supporting greater engagement in research, development and innovation by both Irish and foreign owned enterprises and by both SMEs and large scale enterprises. We are responding to the changing needs of the enterprise sector and are tailoring our supports to meet these needs.
SFI, EI and IDA Ireland are targeting R&D funding to support innovation in new products and processes which firms need to compete and grow and to invest in the pipeline of the next generation of innovators through a new postgraduate researcher programme.
Budget 2018 saw a €4.25 million increase in SFI’s budget for a new Research Centre bringing to 17 the number of large scale Research Centres. SFI is working to identify potential opportunities for Ireland in the context of EU-funded researchers wishing to relocate post-Brexit and is strengthening the research collaborations with the UK and Northern Ireland.
EI is helping clients to access external sources of innovation, enhancing internal innovation capabilities through training and supporting an increase in client research, development and innovation investment.
As innovation is a key cornerstone of enterprise policy, a review of ‘Enterprise 2025’ will be published shortly which will ensure that the enterprise policy framework remains robust in the context of Brexit. The Action Plan for Jobs 2018 will also be published in Q1 this year with a specific focus on Brexit mitigation policies and will outline actions which can commence in 2018 to support firms to overcome the challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities presented by Brexit.
Furthermore, I intend to have a mid-term evaluation of Innovation 2020 undertaken this year to determine the extent to which the specific actions outlined in the strategy remain robust and so that any relevant adjustments may be made in a timely manner to ensure successful delivery on the vision and objectives.
