Speech by Minister Devins at the Official Opening of the ITSBIC, Business Incubation Centre, Sligo IT

I am pleased to be invited to officially open the ITSBIC business incubation centre. I am delighted that one of my early duties, as Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, has been to open this business centre here in IT Sligo.

It is one of fifteen such centres funded under Enterprise Ireland’s Campus Incubation Programme and the European Regional Development Fund since the programme commenced in 1997. It is a concrete example of how the supports provided by Enterprise Ireland are used to deliver facilities that are of real tangible benefit to businesses in their drive to increase competitiveness through innovation.

It is interesting to note that IT Sligo was one of the first Institutes of Technology to develop a business innovation centre on campus back in 1989. This was replaced in 1998 to match growing demand and the new building had enough capacity to take in 19 small companies from the Sligo area and help them develop.

In 2003, the Government, through Enterprise Ireland, invested €2.5 million under the campus incubation programme to develop the incubation facilities, which led to the centre doubling in size.

It is this significantly expanded facility that I am delighted to officially open today.

In bringing the centre to the present state of development, I would like to acknowledge the achievements of Dr. Richard Thorn, Director of IT Sligo, and Janette Gillen, Manager of the ITSBIC Centre, for the dedication and hard work that has resulted in the undeniable success of this centre.

Facilities such as this play a vital role in fostering regional economic development, and the energy and commitment which has gone into growing and nurturing the centre demonstrates a real commitment, by the college, to the wider economic development of the Sligo Region.

Despite the news this week, it remains a fact that Ireland’s overall economic performance remains healthy compared with many of our industrialised partners; however it must be recognised that Irish companies have been operating in an increasingly difficult global economic environment.

To maintain our competitiveness in the face of these challenges, we must move our products and services up the value chain, by harnessing the outputs of our research investment in the last number of years.

The Government has a vital role to play in this process of maintaining competitiveness. Investment in science and technology is now firmly embedded in Irish economic policy.

This did not happen overnight, but is rather the culmination of a series of initiatives, on the part of many stakeholders, that ultimately formed an accepted national priority.

Balanced regional development is a Government priority, and the Institutes of Technology have a unique and critical role to play in achieving this goal.

The Government Strategy for Science, Technology & Innovation, the SSTI, recommended that we focus on building up the research and innovation functions of the Institutes, so that they can nurture start-up companies and develop innovative solutions for existing companies.

The Institutes of Technology represent an important resource in the context of regional economic development. When it comes to building innovative capacity in the regions, the Institutes of Technology have a number of unique selling points including:

multi-regional location;

well recognised openness to working with local industry; and

a focus on applied research which in turn leads to increased levels of collaboration with companies.

Under the SSTI, we have set ourselves a goal to see Ireland become a leader in research, development and innovation. The Strategy also seeks to ensure the sustained development of human resources in science and technology.

It is only by guaranteeing the availability of well trained, top-class personnel, that can we be sure of successfully participating in the challenging future that confronts developed countries such as ours. The SSTI also recognised that there is a continuing requirement to strengthen the Institutes’ overall research capability, while ensuring that coherence is maintained within the higher education system.

The current National Development Plan provides for a step-change increase in the investment in technology, innovation and scientific research. This amounts to a commitment of €8.2 billion which is earmarked for the period 2007 to 2013, and aimed at building the skills needed for a modern knowledge-based economy and strengthening Ireland’s research base.

Of this investment, €3.4 billion will go towards enhancing world-class research in our higher education institutes.

The Government, through its agencies, provides substantial support to colleges and higher level institutions, to develop their research capability and foster links with industry, thereby encouraging an increased use of cutting edge technology.

Very considerable resources have been allocated to programmes which focus on realising the commercial potential of Ireland’s research community. I am pleased that IT Sligo has been an important beneficiary through schemes administered by Enterprise Ireland in this area.

For example:

• IT Sligo is an active Knowledge Provider in Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Voucher Initiative, which is proving to be a most successful programme. Already, more than 600 Innovation Vouchers have been distributed to companies all over Ireland and at the end of May, the initiative was expanded to include Northern Ireland. As a result of the close linkages between the programme managers in Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, companies in the Republic of Ireland have access to an additional 10 knowledge providers in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of third level research institutes offering their skills and knowledge to companies in the whole island of Ireland to 38.

➢ Sligo IT has made excellent use of the €1.25 million in funding from Enterprise Ireland’s Applied Research Centre Programme to establish the Design Innovation applied research centre. This centre fosters and supports more effective design of products, and is researching design management & methodologies to assist companies in the Sligo area to develop their design capabilities. Design is becoming an essential part of the innovation toolkit which modern companies must use to differentiate their products, and I am pleased to see the emphasis which the centre applies to this issue. It represents a significant resource for the enterprises in the region.

So have no doubt, you have the full support of the Government for your efforts. These are long term state investments in the greatest asset Ireland has – its people. This work will produce results for Ireland for decades to come. It is vital that public funded research does not remain just as published research, but that it is taken forward to the product development and production stages, where the most significant economic benefits can be harvested.

I will conclude by thanking you for your valuable contribution to the Irish economy thus far. I am confident the centre will be a success, even in the increasingly competitive business climate across the globe and in Ireland, and congratulate the companies currently based in the centre and wish you well in your future enterprise.

Once again, I would like to commend Dr Thorn for his work here in Sligo IT and to offer him my very best wishes for the future years.

ENDS/IP53a