Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
864. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the successor strategy to Innovation 2020 will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43027/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe development of a new national strategy for research and innovation (R&I) is a key commitment in the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan 2021, which sets out the “dual ambition of placing research, development and innovation at the heart of addressing Ireland’s economic and societal challenges, and building capacity and capability across the research and innovation system to move R&I up the value chain.”
The strategy will be a whole-of-Government strategy, as was the case for Innovation 2020, with my Department leading the development of the strategy.
A public consultation on the strategy was held in June & July earlier this year. In total, we received over 110 submissions in the public consultation from a range of stakeholders. In late June, the Department held an online stakeholder event where a wide range of stakeholders from across Ireland’s R&I system came together to discuss the issues raised in the consultation paper and inform the strategy. A number of further meetings with key stakeholders have begun and will continue to run into autumn of this year.
Development is ongoing, but it is the intention that the next strategy will set a vision and ambition for Ireland’s R&I system that all relevant actors will identify with and contribute to, with ambitious national strategic goals and objectives out to 2027. Successive action-led Work Programmes will map out specific deliverables over shorter timescales. This will enable agility and responsiveness over the full period of the strategy and a strong focus on delivery and reform.
I intend on bringing the strategy to Government for approval and subsequent publication later this year.
