North and south: making research happen
The Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) Bill 2012 will bring forward changes allowing closer research collaboration between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The proposed law, when enacted by the end of 2013, will also allow Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to fund joint research projects of excellence with Northern Ireland for the first time.
Horizon2020projects.com spoke to influential figures from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to gauge their thoughts on the new legislation. It’s hoped that by encouraging greater cross-border collaboration, Ireland will be able to benefit more greatly when bidding for Horizon 2020 funding.
Seán Sherlock, Minister for Research and Innovation, Irish government
For context, I think it is important to bear in mind that the total population on the island of Ireland is just over six million people. I have no doubt that the extension of Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) remit through this legislation will give rise to a number of significant benefits on an all-island basis in the years to come.
For 15 years or so in the Republic of Ireland, largely through SFI and the Higher Education Authority (HEA), we invested significantly in research and technology as we played catch-up and then, thankfully, surpassed many OECD countries in terms of our scientific capability. Now we have an internationally recognised scientific capability in areas such as the life sciences and ICT.
I believe that we have reached a natural evolutionary phase of the SFI’s research offerings. For us, this essentially means the next phase of investments should feature greater levels of commercialisation; smarter, more targeted investments in areas of real strength; and opportunity and greater levels of collaboration. This enhanced collaboration piece means across the whole island of Ireland; as well as across Europe and beyond; and deepening collaborations with industry.
Quite simply, what we are trying to do now is to deliver further economic and societal impacts for our people. We need to create, attract and maintain the types of quality jobs needed in order to sustain our economy into the future. Broadly speaking the same enterprise issues and challenges also apply in the North too.
Bearing in mind these points and now that we have recently concluded a successful Irish Presidency of the EU, I believe it makes absolute sense to look to areas of real strength across the whole island, to compete and win in the likes of Horizon 2020 in the years ahead.
The talented research capability that already exists within Northern Ireland, primarily at Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster can certainly help us in this quest. I am also certain that our talented cohort of researchers across the Republic’s seven universities and our Institutes of Technology can do likewise and deliver benefits – both north and south.
Both countries are ranked within the global Top 20 (based on Thomson Reuters ‘Science Watch’ – scientific citations index) for scientific capability. By deepening our research collaborations through extending SFI’s remit and via other cross-border initiatives, I am convinced that the people on the island of Ireland will benefit significantly in the years ahead.
Arlene Foster, Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Northern Ireland Executive
The amendments to the new bill will undoubtedly open up further opportunities for Northern Ireland organisations, in particular Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster, helping to engage in cross-border R&D. This will build upon the large number of highly effective cross-border research collaborations, which have stemmed from major initiatives driven, and funded, by the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL). For example, through the highly prestigious US-Ireland R&D partnership, DEL is supporting seven projects in nanotechnology, sensor technology and telecommunications representing a current commitment of over £2m. All these tri-national projects have been approved under the rigorous “Gold Standard” international peer review system of assessment operated by the US National Science Foundation.
From 2008 to 2011, through the ‘Strengthening the all-Island Research Base’ programme, DEL also invested over £17m to enable the NI universities to establish 12 major research projects with key internationally recognised research centres in the Republic of Ireland with the overall aim of creating critical mass in areas of strategic interest to both governments. The projects are now operating on a self-sustaining basis and are currently being evaluated.
Furthermore, in supporting such strategic initiatives, both Dr Stephen Farry (Minister for Employment and Learning) and I recognise that the development of a close, R&D focused, relationship with a neighbouring EU member state presents Northern Ireland with a real opportunity for increasing success under Horizon 2020.
InterTradeIreland continue to develop strong links between companies, academics and others on a north-south basis and so would be ideally placed to ensure that the drive behind the proposed changes are brought to fruition, for the benefit of companies as well as the academic research base.
Aidan Gough, director of strategy and policy, InterTradeIreland
We welcome the bill and the extension to the North. It contributes to the development of an all-island ecosystem and will build on cross-border initiatives such as the US-Ireland research and development partnership that brands the island as world class in many spheres of R&D activity such as nanoscale science and engineering, sensors and sensor networks, telecommunications and energy and sustainability.
I think there is also a strong alignment between the bill and the on-going work to encourage collaboration of north/south participants in Horizon 2020.
Seán Sherlock
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Arlene Foster
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Aidan Gough
