Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
33. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number and value of R&D and consultancy agreements signed with industry and non-commercial and public sectors for each year that data is available in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40677/22]
View answerThis Parliamentary Question has been transferred to me for response as Enterprise Ireland, an agency of my Department, is responsible for Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI).
The Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey (AKTS) is published by KTI in conjunction with the Higher Education Authority. It provides a review of business engagement and commercialisation activity in the State funded research sector. Data are submitted to KTI by each research Performing Organisation (RPO). The RPOs that submitted data to the 2021 AKTS include the higher education institutions, as well as Teagasc, the Marine Institute and the Irish Manufacturing Research Centre.
Over the past five years the results from the survey have been broadly consistent, if not improving, with regards to R&D Agreements and Consultancy Agreements with industry and non-commercial entities. The value of these contracts is not requested as part of this survey and therefore I am unable to provide that information to the Deputy. However, as the RPOs are asked to provide the overall research expenditure in the reference year, and of that expenditure the amount derived from industry (as a whole) and how much was derived from non-commercial entities (as a whole), this information has been provided.
The table below outlines the annual figures around this request from 2017-2021.
|
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Total |
|
|
Number of R&D Agreements (Research Collaboration Agreements with Industry plus Innovation vouchers) |
1226 |
1293 |
1262 |
1386 |
1339 |
6,506 |
|
Number of Research Collaboration Agreements with Non-Commercial Entities |
n/a |
296 |
476 |
477 |
347 |
1,623 |
|
Number of Consultancy Service Agreements with Industry |
670 |
818 |
751 |
680 |
782 |
3,701 |
|
Number of Consultancy Service Agreements with Non-Commercial Entities |
114 |
140 |
153 |
1138* |
210 |
1,755 |
|
Value of Research Expenditure** |
€563m |
€599m |
€636m |
€636m |
€672m |
€3,106m |
|
Value of Research Expenditure derived from Industry |
€48m |
€49m |
€53m |
€48m |
€58m |
€256m |
|
Value Research Expenditure derived from Non-Commercial Entities |
€40m |
€56m |
€29m |
€38m |
€33m |
€196m |
*Figure is significantly higher in 2020 due to 1 RPO reporting a large volume of soil sampling carried out for non-commercial entities
** These figures do not include any academic costs dedicated to research, costs of administrative support and capital expenditures on new equipment, buildings or land.
This table shows that from 2017 to 2021 the number of R&D Agreements by RPOs increased by 113 with an average of 1,301 per year.
R&D Agreements include Research Collaboration Agreements with industry and Innovation Vouchers which are projects between industry and the RPO which can be fully or partly funded by the company involved. The purpose of these projects is the generation of new knowledge and potentially (but not always) a publication.
Consultancy Service Agreements with industry from 2017-2021 increased by 112 with an average of 740 per year and those agreements with non-commercial entities has increased by 96 (exception in 2020 explained above). Consultancy Service Agreements are where the RPO provides professional work to an external client through an academic, researcher or other RPO staff member for a commercial fee.
