Conor Lenihan
Ceist:445 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to encourage third level institutions to co-operate closely with industry in relation to research and development. [22857/98]
Written Answers. - Research Funding.
Among the objects set out for universities in the Unversities Act, 1997, is "to support and contribute to the realisation of national economic and social development". Also included among their functions is to "promote and facilitate research" and to "collaborate with educational, business, professional, trade union, Irish language, cultural, artistic, community and other interests, both inside and outside the State, to further the objects of the university".
All institutes of technology are required in their legislation to provide vocational and technical training for the economic, technological, scientific, commercial, industrial, social and cultural development of the State.
The annual block grant to the universities is paid to and distributed by the Higher Education Authority. This grant constitutes the unified teaching and research budget for the universities and, therefore, provides the basic level of research funding.
A new allocation of £5 million was included in the 1998 Estimates for my Department for recurrent funding of research and development projects. This is the first time, that substantial dedicated funding for research and development, will be available, through my Department.
The scientific and technological aspect of the new programme is being administered, by the Higher Education Authority. The arrangements are as follows: £4 million for proposals which demonstrate a link with the strategic development of the institution from which they come. This is the core of the programme and has involved putting in place a system of competitive biding between third-level institutions for submitted research programmes based on, and consistent with, the stated research policies and strategies of the individual institutions, including direct support for doctoral and post-doctoral students. These institutional research proposals have been evaluated by an international assessment panel which decided on the allocations; £0.5 million to enable the Higher Education Authority to fund projects approved by the National Research Support Fund Board during 1998.
The objectives of the programme are: to promote a strategic and planned approach by third-level institutions to the long-term development of their research capabilities in the areas of science and technology, consistent with their existing and developing research strengths and capabilities; to promote the development of high quality research capabilities in third-level institutions, so as to enhance the quality and relevance of graduate output and skills; within the framework of these objectives, to provide support for outstandingly talended individual researchers and teams within the institutions and the encouragement of co-operation between researchers both within the institutions and between institutions, having particular regard to the desirability of encouraging inter-institutional co-operation within the two parts of the binary system and within Ireland, the EU and internationally.
Further recognition of the importance this Government attaches to the development of the research and development activities undertaken by the third level institutions can be seen in the provision of £30 million from the Scientific and Technological Education Investment Fund to support a comprehensive programme of equipment renewal in the institutions. In 1998, my Department is providing £10 million to the institutions in this regard. A further £15 million is being provided in the Scientific and Technological Education Investment Fund for the provision of substantial new research facilities to focus particularly on the transfer of advanced technology into production.
My Department also operates a scheme of post-doctoral fellowships whereby fellows undertaking scientific research receive an annual grant of £20,000 for two years. The fellowships are administered by the Higher Education Authority. Nine fellowships were awarded in 1997 and a further seven have been awarded in 1998.
These wide ranging measures complement the programmes operated by the Office for Science and Technology in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment through the National Research Support Fund Board, which provides direct funding for indvidual researchers.