Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2022
88. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the progress or otherwise in the implementation of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy for Innovation 2022-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60489/22]
View answerThe National Smart Specialisation Strategy for Innovation 2022-2027 (S3) was launched on 11 July 2022. As the Deputy is aware, Smart Specialisation is an innovation policy concept developed by the European Commission to boost regional innovation, contributing to growth and prosperity by helping and enabling regions to focus on their strengths. This will promote broader benefits, including innovation-driven growth in regions and the promotion of sustainable growth models.
Ireland’s S3 embraces a regional approach to addressing Ireland’s Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) challenges. It provides a bridge between regional and national innovation strategy building and decision making, bringing coherence to RD&I planning for the benefit of enterprise and advancing the RD&I agenda regionally and nationally.
The preparation of Ireland’s S3 2022-2027, through extensive stakeholder engagement at regional, national and European level, identified regional economic and research strengths, along with emerging areas of opportunity, such as ICT, pharmaceuticals, agrifood and the growing renewable energy sector. Accordingly, the Strategy is focused on areas including digitalisation and digital transformation, green transformation for enterprise and international collaboration on research, development and innovation.
The Department is establishing and will chair a National Implementation Group (IG) for S3, with representation from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, along with the three Regional Assemblies. It will have overall responsibility for the delivery of S3 national and regional strategic priorities by bringing together relevant policy leads, as well as related agencies and bodies directly involved in its implementation. It will also be responsible for ensuring coherence and promotion of S3 principles across the whole of government. The group will have its first meeting on 15 December 2022 to discuss these and other issues which may arise.
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) supports regions in promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion in line with key EU priorities and works in concert with Smart Specialisation. The publication of the national Smart Specialisation Strategy was an enabling condition for Ireland to secure ERDF funding under Objective 1, A Smarter Europe, of the ERDF 2022-2027. On the 18th of November 2022, the EU Commission adopted the two ERDF Programmes for Ireland confirming a regional investment strategy of €853 million, of which €396 million is financed by the EU. Funding from the ERDF will support implementation of S3 and is targeted at regional innovation ecosystem strengthening initiatives including strengthening the ability of the technological universities to help with research and technology transfers between SMEs and higher education institutions, as well as towards clustering and smart hubs for entrepreneurial research and innovation.
