NO. 332

To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the criteria that will apply to the public sector R and D projects, which will receive funding under the Competitive Fund of the STI strategy; the parties outside of the respective Government Departments to be involved in the projects; the monitoring mechanism that will be introduced to oversee the proper execution of the fund; and the targets that have been set for the fund.
- Eamon Ryan.

* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 5th April, 2007.

Ref No: 14080/07

R E P L Y

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Mr. Martin)

The comprehensive STI Strategy launched by Government on 18 June last year, and supported to the amount of 8.2bn euro in the current National Development Plan, included a new Competitive Fund of 40million euro for additional public sector research in 2007 and 2008.

Following submissions to the Interdepartmental Committee on STI and consultation with the Minister for Finance, this Fund has now been allocated across the four research performing/funding Departments covering; agriculture and food, energy, the marine, environment and health research. The emphasis is very much on collaboration between relevant sectors for added value and this innovative Fund exemplifies our whole of government approach to STI policy. The Fund will continue in 2009 and 2010.

Fundamental to this new Fund is its cross-cutting nature, promoting synergies between a number of departments and sectoral research areas such as food and health or energy and the environment. It is the first time that research funds have been allocated to the sectoral Departments in this way and it has proven to be a very effective and stimulating process for all concerned, leading to an exciting range of new projects and programmes. Examples of valuable cross-cutting research supported by the new Fund include the development of marine functional foods and research related to climate change, including aspects of early warning using the facilities of the Marine Institute. The Fund is also supporting linked research projects and programmes in the areas of Food & Health, Agri-Environment, and Bio-Energy. This research will underpin the development of Agri-Food & Forestry policy in areas of shared interest between the Departments involved.

Apart from the Government Departments concerned the public sector research agencies who will draw on the fund include Teagasc, COFORD (National Council for Forest Research and Development for Ireland), the Environmental Protection Agency, the Marine Institute and the Health Research Board.

Monitoring of investment under this programme will, in the first instance, be supervised by the parent Department. Like the rest of the STI Strategy, the Fund will be monitored by the Interdepartmental Committee on STI, lead by my Department, which reports to the Cabinet Subcommittee on STI, which I chair. This is the first such allocation arising under the competitive fund. The information to be gleaned from ongoing monitoring and from ex-post review will help us refine the Competitive Fund model for future tranches of investment.

Details of the agreed allocations for 2007 and 2008 are attached in tabular form and additional detailed information on the research supported by this Fund is available to the Deputy from the individual departments concerned.

Over 2007-2008 an additional total ?40 million funding is being provided for public sector research, having regard to the priorities and linkages between sectors identified in Chapter Six of the STI Strategy, the importance of competition and peer review and the strategic requirements of relevant Departments. The agreed allocations from this fund are as follows:
Lead Dept./ Agency 2007 2008 Total Bid from Competitive Fund (?m) Linked Dept. ? Funding from Competitive Fund Linked Dept. ? Funding from own resources Project Proposed
1 DAF 0.70 1.30 2.00 DHC ?2.00m
See Item 22 Development/Updating databases (Gene library, adult food consumption
2 DAF 0.35 0.65 1.00 HRB 1.00 Nutritional Health in Elderly
3 DAF 0.46 0.86 1.32 HRB 1.00 Nutrigenomics
4 DAF 0.20 0.35 0.55 Food Safety ? Monitoring and Surveillance
5 DAF 0.20 0.35 0.55 HRB Consumer Cognitive response to food
6 DAF 0.35 0.65 1.00 Crop Production Studies
7 DAF 0.175 0.325 0.50 Biogas from anaerobic digestion
8 DAF/COFORD 0.35 0.65 1.00 Supply chain management for bioforest derived biomass
9 DAF/COFORD 0.70 1.30 2.00 Impact of intensive farming on groundwater
10 DAF 0.35 0.65 1.00 EPA GM releases to environment
11 DAF 0.265 0.485 0.75 Farming aspects of biodiversity
12 DAF 0.35 0.65 1.00 Soils
13 DAF 0.35 0.65 1.00 EPA 1.00
See Item 19 Transboundary and air pollution
14 DCMNR 0.77 1.43 2.20 Marine Environment and Climate Change
15 DCMNR 1.10 2.20 3.30 Integrated Marine Exploration
16 DCMNR 0.90 1.80 2.70 DAF Marine Functional Foods
17 DEHLG/EPA 2.20 4.50 6.70 DCMNR Climate Change
18 DEHLG/EPA 0.10 0.20 0.30 Developing National Response to GMES
19 DEHLG/EPA 0.33 0.67 1.00 DAF 1.00
See Item 13 Transboundary Air Pollution
20 DHC 0.35 0.65 1.00 Development of Health Research Networks
21 DHC 1.50 2.50 4.00 Clinical Research Centres, Cork and Galway
22 DHC 0.72 1.28 2.00 DAF 2.00
See Item 1 Genelibrary
23 DHC 0.60 1.20 1.80 Ph. D. Programmes
24 DHC 0.63 0.70 1.33 R&D Partnerships
Total 14.00 26.00 40.00

Estimates Allocation by Department ?m
DAF 13.67
DCMNR 8.20
DEHLG 8.00
DHC 10.13
Total 40.00