Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 February 2018
44. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to the recurring concerns from industry that State-sponsored research through its funding agencies is primarily concentrated on applied outcome driven and commercial research to the detriment of basic discovery driven and academic research (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5957/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraInnovation 2020, Ireland’s strategy for research and development, science and technology, contains a commitment to support excellent research across the full continuum from basic research to the creation and development of research-informed innovative products, processes and services.
Government investment in R&D includes funding for programmes that encompass all disciplines and all types of research. It should be noted that public funding for research is awarded according to the criteria set out in the various funding programmes operated by research funders irrespective of whether the research is basic or applied.
Public funding for basic research comes from many sources, including through the block grant from the Department of Education and Skills through the Higher Education Authority. The most recent survey of R&D performed in the higher education sector (HERD survey published May 2017) shows that basic research accounted for 45.3% or €331 million of R&D performed in that sector in 2014.
My Department and its agencies are important funders of research, with estimated expenditure of €426m in 2017. This accounts for approximately half of total Government investment in R&D. Science Foundation Ireland, an agency of my Department, funds a significant amount of basic research. Approximately 80%, or an estimated €130 million, of Science Foundation Ireland’s annual funding is committed to basic research projects which are aligned with the Government's Research Priority areas. Funding decisions are made through the international peer review on the basis of research excellence and impact.
As an additional support to drive basic research in Ireland, Innovation 2020 committed to the development of a competitive fund to support qualified researchers undertake project-based frontier basic research. In 2017, the Irish Research Council, an agency of the Department of Education and Skills, launched the Frontier Research Programme (LAUREATE), with initial funding of €2.5 million. Funding is awarded on the basis of the excellence of the research proposals and assessed through a rigorous and international peer-review process.
