Address by Dr. Jimmy Devins T.D., Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Conference for Irish Research Performers on the 7thEU Framework Programme (FP7) Brussels
4 November 2008
I am delighted to have this opportunity to address you today at this Conference on the 7th Framework Programme for Research. Your presence here today testifies to the importance of the Programme for the research community, for industry and for Ireland.
I would like to extend a special welcome to Commissioner Potocnick and his Commission colleagues who are giving us their time in order to share their insights into the operations of the Programme.
I would also like to say a special word of thanks to Brian Crowley MEP for organising this important event.
Over the course of this afternoon we will hear about the opportunities for participating in EU funded collaborative research, which is addressing some of the key research and competitiveness challenges facing Europe today.
Transnational cooperation brings together resources, disciplines and scientific excellence and this will help in finding new methods of protecting our environment, ensuring safer food and medicines, safer and sustainable energy resources.
The goals of European research policy continue to be consistent with Ireland's strategy to be one of the world’s leading knowledge-based economies. We fully subscribe to the development of the European Research Area and to the objective of raising EU research efforts to 3% of EU GDP, two thirds to come from industry.
Our success in meeting the challenge of global competition will depend on our ability to cooperate and share experiences and knowledge for our mutual benefit. This is the very basis upon which the concept of the European Research Area is built.
The story of Ireland’s economic development is very much connected to our membership of the European Union and nowhere is this more true than in the case of our increasing strengths in science, technology and innovation. Our membership of the European Union has affected the culture for science and innovation in many direct and indirect ways. Two instruments which have made a substantial contribution in this regard are the Structural Funds and the Framework Programme.
The investments in physical and human capital supported by the Structural Funds formed the basis for the science system we are continuing to build today. The initiatives funded as far back as the 1980s allowed us to build up general capacity across the research system and helped to foster closer linkages between the worlds of academia and industry.
The Structural Funds were also used to make investments in strategic technologies such as telecommunications, materials, biotechnology and computer science, all of which have proven to be of direct relevance to building our industry base and all areas that remain high on our list of priorities today.
The Framework Programmes proved popular with our academic and industry communities from the early 1980s, often making up for limited national funding in difficult times.
While meeting an immediate financial necessity, exposure to the Framework Programme brought with it the long-term benefits to researchers and companies of being part of an international network – exposure to fresh ideas and methods, access to a larger pool of talent, alignment with the strategic research visions of Europe’s most important players in different technology areas and even direct commercial opportunities.
In the current Framework Programme, FP7, Ireland has continued to be successful across a broad spectrum of academia and industry and it has opened up opportunities beyond the scale and scope of things that can be achieved in a purely national context.
The recent European Commission report on FP7 Subscription and Performance during the first year of implementation (June 2008) compared Ireland’s Success Rate versus other Member States for both FP6 and the FP7, and it confirmed a positive move from the second quartile to the first, bringing Ireland up to the highest performing category in terms of successful applicants
Specifically, in the period from commencement of FP7 in January 2007 to September 2008, 1,492 applicants from Irish-based organisations took part in proposal submissions. From these proposals, 353 applicants were successful, giving a success rate of 23.66%, above the European Member State average of 21.59%. In the SME-specific part of the programme Ireland led the Member States with the highest success rate at 27.54%
This success to date has not happened by accident. You will hear in the course of this afternoon from Catriona Ward about the national support structure that we have put in place to give practical effect to the stated Government priority on FP7. A key feature of the strengthened support structure is a dedicated FP7 Office based in Enterprise Ireland.
Our FP7 Office supports the work of an extensive network of National Contact Points and acts as a first port of call for newcomers to the programme. It ensures that a co-ordinated and coherent approach is adopted across all of the components of FP7 so that researchers and companies are fully aware of all of the relevant opportunities. In addition specific measures to facilitate collaboration on an all island basis are being pursued.
There is a clear recognition by the Irish Government that continued investment in research and development is key to transitioning toward a knowledge-based economy.
Over the lifetime of the current National Development Plan 2007-2013, the State has committed to unprecedented investment in Science, Technology and Innovation.
In the recent budget, the Government delivered on its commitment to this strategy. Notwithstanding difficult economic circumstances, increased investment will continue to be made in Science, Technology and Innovation in 2009. The expenditure provision for Science, Technology and Innovation in my Department’s Vote will be ¤335 million in 2009, an increase of 3% on the 2008 allocation and is now over 9 times the level of investment made in 2000.
This investment is testament to the determination of the Government to maintain the already substantial effort to build a knowledge economy and to underpin Ireland’s competitiveness in order to make secure our economic future.
The enhancements to the tax credit scheme for Research and Development announced in the budget are also a sign of the Government’s strong commitment to promoting research partnerships. This measure will further enhance our competitiveness as a location for new internationally-mobile research-related investment and will also encourage existing overseas and indigenous firms to add to or increase their level of research activity.
As I said at the outset, the Government is committed to the development of a European Research Area and to the development of knowledge based economy, capable of sustaining economic growth and more and better quality jobs. But, rest assured we know that there is no room for complacency in what is a highly competitive and rapidly evolving global environment.
It is clear that we in Ireland, like many of our EU colleagues, still have some serious work to do. In this regard, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of Commissioner Potocnik, on introducing new funding initiatives under FP7 to ensure a tight connection between European research funding and the needs of European industry.
Ireland, in common with other member states, has continuously emphasised the importance of the Framework Programme to the enterprise base. Enterprises need to see the direct relevance of European research programmes to their future development.
Ireland is also very supportive of Commissioner Potocnik’s efforts, which have re-energised the debate on the European Research Area (ERA) through the publication of the ERA Green Paper. This debate has help to reinforce the relevance of our research policy goals for other policy domains. We look forward to progressing the ideas in Green Paper and its follow-up proposals over the coming period.
In conclusion, I am satisfied that Ireland is approaching FP7 from a stronger position than ever before. A critical mass of research activity is developing in both the public and private sectors. The policy imperative now is to ensure that the research community in Ireland, both public and private, engage fully in the programme in a way that maximises the strategic benefits available so that the programme contributes to the goal of building Ireland’s knowledge economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to finish by thanking the organisers of today's event. Most especially, I wish to thank all of you who have come here today to find out more about this Programme and in whose hands the success of the 7th Framework Programme lies.
ENDS/IP70
Last modified: 04/11/2008
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