Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 October 2009
7 Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Taoiseach the terms of reference of the recently established Innovation Taskforce to support the development of the smart economy; when he expects that the task force will report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27239/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra8 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach the functions, programme of work and membership of the Innovation Taskforce which he established on 29 June 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27251/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra9 Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Taoiseach the progress made to date by the task force on innovation; when he expects to receive the final report of the task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30661/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra10 Deputy Enda Kenny asked the Taoiseach the role and remit of the Innovation Taskforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33521/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 10, inclusive, together.
I appointed the Innovation Taskforce on 29 June last. The task force has been asked, in the context of the Government's framework for sustainable economic renewal, Building Ireland's Smart Economy, and the strategy for science, technology and innovation, to: examine options to increase levels of innovation and the rates of commercialisation of research and development on a national basis with a view to accelerating the growth and scale-up of indigenous enterprise and to attract new knowledge-intensive direct investment; bring forward proposals for enhancing the linkages between institutions, agencies and organisations in the public and private sectors to ensure a cohesive innovation and commercialisation ecosystem; and identify any specific policy measures which might be necessary to support the concept of Ireland as an international innovation development hub including in the areas of legislation, educational policy, intellectual property arrangements, venture capital and immigration policy.
The task force members have a wide range of expertise and include individuals with global experience in international companies and entrepreneurs who have recently established and grown successful start-up companies. There is also representation from the higher education sector and senior representatives from a number of Departments and agencies. A full list of members is being circulated with this reply.
The task force has established four working groups focusing on more specific aspects of its terms of reference. It has also undertaken a public consultation process giving groups and individuals the opportunity to provide relevant views or submissions for consideration. The closing date for submissions was 18 September and approximately 100 have been received.
The next meeting of the task force is on 30 October and it is expected that the task force will report early in the new year.
Membership of the Innovation Taskforce
Mr. Dermot McCarthy (Chair), Secretary General, Department of the Taoiseach
Mr. Lionel Alexander, VP and GM, Hewlett Packard (Manufacturing) Ltd.
Professor Don Barry, President, University of Limerick
Dr. Hugh Brady, President, University College Dublin
Mr. Damien Callaghan, Investment Director, Intel Capital
Mr. Michael Carmody, President, Institute of Technology, Tralee
Dr. Steven Collins, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Kore Virtual Machines
Mr. Ned Costello, Chief Executive, Irish Universities Association
Professor Frank Gannon, Director General, Science Foundation Ireland
Mr. Seán Gorman, Secretary General, Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment
Mr. Joe Harford , Chair of the High Level Action Group on Green Enterprise
Dr. John Hegarty, Provost, Trinity College Dublin
Dr. Chris Horn, Co-founder & former Chief Executive Officer Iona Technologies
Dr. Brian Kelly, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Celtic Catalysts
Mr. Michael Kelly, Chairman, Higher Education Authority
Dr. Burton Lee, Stanford University School of Engineering,
Mr. John Lynch, Chief Executive Officer, Merrion Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Ms Tara MacMahon, IP Lawyer
Mr. Dan MacSweeney, Chief Executive Officer, Carbery
Ms Brigid McManus, Secretary General, Dept. of Education and Science
Mr. Bryan Mohally, VP Supply Chain Operations Europe, Johnson & Johnson
Mr. Jim O'Brien, Second Secretary, Department of Finance
Mr. Mark O'Donovan, Director, Raglan Capital
Mr. Barry O'Leary, Chief Executive Officer, IDA Ireland
Mr. Barry O'Sullivan, Senior Vice-President, Cisco Systems
Dr. Paul Roben, President Celtic Consulting
Mr. Frank Ryan, Chief Executive, Enterprise Ireland
Ms Anna Scally, Partner, KPMG
I was struck by the comments and contributions made at the event in Farmleigh recently and the emphasis put by many of the attending business leaders on the need for Ireland to do more in the area of innovation and research, and therefore this work is important.
The Taoiseach stated that he expected the group would report by beginning of next year, and I presume its report will be published. Has he any indication of the areas at which the task force is looking and could he outline for the House the four areas on which the working groups are working, which would obviously give us some idea of the topics and the agenda items they are addressing?
I can get for the Deputy the full details of how they have divided up their work. They are looking at the question of innovation, research and development, how one interacts with the education system and how one can do all of that in terms of culture and tourism as well.
Will the task force be mindful of the problems which were associated with the Media Lab debacle, for instance, the problems which arose when the State tried to encourage the likes of Media Lab to Ireland. In the area where Media Lab located, the rest of the Digital Hub project is highly successful and has managed to attract quite a number of businesses. Would the Taoiseach encourage the innovation taskforce to look at that model but also to address the problems and failures that they have encountered in terms of not having enough space to attract to the area more small indigenous businesses, which are developing innovation and which have been highly successful in terms of the smart economy?
It is important to point out that we have learned lessons as we have sought to address this area. Unfortunately, ten or 15 years ago we were providing little or no money into this area. It is now a significant part of investment. On the question of Science Foundation Ireland being set up, I note how highly credible is the good peer review that goes on there and how well it is regarded. All of the PRTLI investment has been relatively recent, in the past decade or decade and a half. This innovation is now about how we commercialise research and development and how we assist start-up companies because it is only those companies who can move forward, innovate and reposition themselves which will be able to be in business. These might be different businesses than what they were originally when they were founded.
Adding value and providing greater productivity through innovation is the means by which we can effect recovery in many respects. That is not simply about science laboratories and PhDs; it is about the culture of innovation right across the economy and the need for everybody, in whatever work they do and however mundane the service they provide, to look at how we deliver service and how we can do so in a more streamlined, effective and efficient way. It is as important an agenda for the public service as it is for the private sector. In fact, it is a hugely important agenda and the transforming public services project is about trying to inculcate that culture of innovation constantly as a matter of course, moving beyond organisational boundaries and getting people to co-ordinate and work together. That is what innovation is about. It is about doing things better and more efficiently and getting greater productivity for the amount of resources being applied. There may be cases in which initiatives fail or are not as successful as we had hoped. That is the nature of risk-taking. There is no guarantee of success for every initiative that seeks to develop innovation or technology. Some technology companies fail; some prosper and become multinationals. That is the nature of the risk. We must ensure we manage risk in the context of using public moneys but we must also be prepared to take a chance in certain areas in an effort to achieve success and contribute to good outcomes.
I opened a conference on wind energy in Galway on Thursday last, the day before the referendum. There were 300 people there, including investors, innovators and people with real drive. The analysis given at the conference was that this country has some of the best locations in the world in terms of mean wind speeds, which is beneficial for wind energy. I support the concept of a task force on innovation, which is interesting and good. If we are to develop renewable energy sources such as wind, pumped storage, waves or tides, we must first deal with the grid. There is no point in trying to do this on a piece-by-piece basis in various parts of the country. It is a real problem for everybody.
If we aspire to putting in infrastructure and capacity all over the country as a result of the deliberations of the task force on innovation, this cannot happen unless we deal with the grid. Has the task force taken this into account in respect of the locations it proposes for particular types of innovation? There is no reason this country should not be a world centre in the development of wind energy. As has been pointed out by others, we could be exporting energy in a relatively short time if we get it right. However, this cannot happen, irrespective of the good work the innovation task force may do or moneys the Government draws from the innovation fund, if there are problems with the grid. This is a real problem and it must be analysed and focused on in everybody's interest.
Opportunities for development of the green economy generally are central to the vision for a smart economy, which recognises the need to move to a low-carbon society, drawing on our natural resources to tackle the interrelated challenges of climate change and energy security. We are making progress on the question of how we can build a sustainable energy industry in our own country. Targets are being met and there has been much investment, not only by companies such as the ESB but also by other companies entering the field. We do have identifiable advantages in wave and wind energy, which we need to harness, and we are in the process of developing these in the context of an all-island electricity market. The innovation task force is not related directly to that sector but it will provide assistance to those who wish to achieve innovation right across the economy, in terms of fiscal ideas as well as the generation of innovation within companies, change management, and a range of other issues that are fundamental in moving to a different way of doing things. Greater effectiveness and efficiency will result in higher productivity.
