Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2017
138. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans for the next cycle of the programme for research in third level institutions; the amount to be allocated; the timeframe for the cycle; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46656/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) has been an important funding programme in developing research capacity within the higher education system in Ireland. Approximately €1.2bn of public and private funding has been invested through PRTLI since the commencement of the programme in the late 1990s. PRTLI has complemented other research funding programmes of Government including in particular the funding provided by my Department through Science Foundation Ireland (€162m in 2017).
Innovation 2020 includes an action to scope out and develop a successor to PRTLI to support new investment in research infrastructure. It also contains an action to increase the enrolment of PhD and research masters students. The creation of additional physical space for research and funding for structured programmes for postgraduate researchers are two key elements associated with previous cycles of PRTLI.
In the context of Budget 2018, the Government announced that €7.5 million would be made available through my Department in 2018 to commence a new programme specifically aimed at increasing the enrolment of PhD and research masters students as per the action in Innovation 2020. This particular programme is to be rolled out through Science Foundation Ireland and further detail on the programme will be provided by SFI in the coming months. I envisage that additional funding will be provided in 2019 and subsequent years to continue growing this programme and to allow for new student intake in subsequent years.
In the context of Budget 2018, the Minister for Education and Skills also announced a range of measures addressing physical infrastructure and human capital development in the higher education sector including for research. This includes €21m to increase the pipeline of researchers across all disciplines and €200 million for Public Private Partnerships with a particular focus on physical capital needs across the Institute of Technology sector. It also includes an additional €257 million over the period 2018 to 2021 for higher education institutions to expand capacity and upgrade campus infrastructure, including for research.
The funding announcements made in the context of Budget 2018 will allow the Government to start making new investments that will address objectives encompassed by previous cycles of PRTLI.
