SFI links 349 firms with college researchers to create high-quality jobs - Minister Lenihan
‘SFI annual report says links between academia and industry grew by 25pc last year’ - Minister
The Government’s science agency, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), linked 349 firms with college researchers last year in a move that will create jobs by harnessing the commercial potential of college research, according to the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan TD.
Minister Lenihan was launching SFI’s 2009 annual report.
‘Collaborations and partnerships between Ireland’s scientific research and enterprise communities are now being formed at an unprecedented level and they are a critical component of our developing “smart” economy.
‘Last year, SFI linked 184 multinational firms and 165 small and medium-sized enterprises with academic teams.
‘And the agency supported 29 top-class research centres and 3,225 researchers in higher education institutions,’ said Minister Lenihan.
Minister Lenihan said SFI is playing an important role in supporting world-class scientific research and the creation of ‘smart’ jobs.
‘SFI’s partnerships between academia and industry grew by 25pc last year.
‘Almost 350 firms are now linked to SFI-funded research teams, bringing a more market-conscious focus to their work and adding value to their business models.
‘These new patterns of collaboration are making good on the promise of the Government’s “smart” economy plan by delivering targeted research that can create new high-quality jobs and make Ireland Europe’s innovation hub.
‘SFI’s support for world-class scientific research is contributing to the success in attracting foreign direct investments to Ireland.
‘For example, half of all new project investments won by IDA Ireland last year had a research and development component worth about €500 million to the economy,’ said Minister Lenihan.
He said the quality and volume of our scientific publications has dramatically improved.
‘In a little over two decades, Ireland has gone from a level below Bangladesh to breaking into the top 20 in the scientific global rankings according to Thomson Reuters Essential Scientific Indicators.
‘And largely on the back of SFI investments in biotechnology over the past decade, Ireland now ranks third in the world in immunology,’ said Minister Lenihan.
The chairperson of SFI, Professor Pat Fottrell, said: ‘Pioneering research, innovation, commercialisation and the delivery of success all involve tireless dedication and strategic input from many different individuals, institutions and organisations.
‘Working closely with IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Health Research Board, Higher Education Authority, Teagasc and other vital partners, SFI is confident of sustaining the progress recorded last year into the future.
‘The Government’s recently-announced capital investment programme is an endorsement of the progress made in innovation and a clear pledge to sustain investment in this highly competitive and critically important arena.’
Over the next six years, the Government will invest €2.4 billion in science, technology and innovation programmes.
Click here to view SFI Annual Report 2009 and SFI Census 2009
Notes to Editor
SFI, established in 2000, is the national foundation for investment in scientific and engineering research. SFI, with 54 staff, invests in academic researchers and research teams most likely to generate new knowledge, leading-edge technologies and competitive enterprises in biotechnology, information and communications technology, and sustainable energy.
The SFI 2009 Annual Report highlights a number of scientific case studies across Ireland’s research community. SFI’s highlights from last year are:
Supported 29 top-class research centres and 3,225 researchers in higher education institutions.
Research leaders leveraged funding from other sources to double the research community to over 6,400.
Academia-industry partnerships with multinationals grew from 170 in 2008 to 184 last year. Academia-industry partnerships with small businesses grew from 108 in 2008 to 165 last year. SFI researchers are involved in 601 collaborations with firms and organisations - up 33pc from 2008.
Total capital expenditure by SFI on awards amounted to €171 million, with 251 new awards to 19 research bodies.
SFI established a new Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology, led by University College Dublin, in the emerging area of systems biology. It is supported by researchers in NUI Galway and industry partners Hewlett Packard, Servier, Agilent Technologies, Siemens Ireland, Ark Therapeutics and Protagen AG.
Seven new SFI Strategic Research Clusters were established in path-breaking collaborative research activities involving eight academic institutions and 32 companies in sectors such as telecommunications, financial mathematics and cancer.
Largely on the back of SFI investments in biotechnology over the past decade, Ireland now ranks third in the world in immunology, according to Thomson Reuters Essential Scientific Indicators.
SFI-funded research community produced 4,057 scientific publications - a 26pc increase on 2008. The number of SFI-supported post-doctoral researchers rose from 688 in 2008 to 846 and the number of PhD students increased from 1,156 in 2008 to 1,344.
The increased scientific output, largely through SFI investments over the past decade, has seen Ireland move from 36th place in 2003 to 19th place in 2008 in the scientific global rankings, according to Thomson Reuters.
SFI-funded researchers won €159 million in multi-annual research investments from other sources such as the EU Framework Programme, the Wellcome Trust and Enterprise Ireland.
SFI launched its first Energy Strategy to build on an extended remit from May 2008 which allows SFI to fund research proposals for sustainable energy and energy efficient technologies.
ENDS
