Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 April 2017
784. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the value of innovation partnerships undertaken by Enterprise Ireland for each of the years 2006 to 2016, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18108/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraResearch, Development and Innovation (RDI) is globally recognised as a key economic differentiator. RDI enables companies in Ireland to make products and services that are better, cheaper or more novel than those in global markets. Thus, in order to export, and to provide insulation from market shocks, such as those posed by Brexit, companies in Ireland must innovate.
Enterprise Ireland’s role in this regard is to support and de-risk such RDI either by supporting companies to (1) do RDI within the company (2) collaborate with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) or (3) source or licence new technologies from HEIs which can provide a step change in innovative capabilities. These supports all help companies to develop new and improved products and services which serve as the basis for sustainable economic growth.
It has proved extremely useful for firms to access innovative “know how” and R&D solutions across the HEI sector. However, participating in larger scale collaborative research projects can be both a risky and a costly process. By providing financial support, Enterprise Ireland can help to reduce both the cost and the risk associated with larger collaborative research projects. Innovation Partnerships offer financial support to companies who engage in collaborative research projects with Irish universities and Institutes of Technology with Enterprise Ireland providing grants of up to 80% towards eligible costs of the research project with a view to developing new products, services and cost efficiencies.
A 2014 independent evaluation of the Innovation Partnership Programme carried our for Enterprise Ireland reported that for every €1 invested in this scheme company turnover increased by over €6.69. In addition, for every €1 invested, the evaluation found that €0.50 in investment from industry was leveraged, enabling the programme to be 50% bigger than it would have been if entirely funded by Enterprise Ireland. The evaluation also found that 95% of companies supported through the Innovation Partnership Programme would recommend the Programme to other businesses.
There have been 569 Innovation Partnership projects approved in the period 2006-2016. The table below presents the expenditure on innovation partnerships by Enterprise Ireland for each of the years 2006 to 2016.
|
Year |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
€m |
7.22 |
6.74 |
7.35 |
5.52 |
4.19 |
6.71 |
4.66 |
7.88 |
10.52 |
8.75 |
8.09 |
