RESEARCH AND development will be a “core” element of any job creation proposals put forward by Government. Small Irish companies will also receive financial supports to help them become involved in research, the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation has said.
In one of his first major public statements on science policy made since becoming Minister, Richard Bruton emphasised the commercialisation of research, using it to help young companies and support jobs.
“We will be looking afresh at science strategy in the context of a jobs programme,” Mr Bruton said. “Evolving a science strategy is core to the enterprise programme and will be central to those reviews that we are undertaking on policy.”
His department was working on a new jobs strategy and the “jobs budget” would be used to kick-start that, he said.
“That would clearly be our priority in the short term but we recognise that that can’t be done without a very solid science base,” he added. “We are committed to this and this year funds are already committed.”
Mr Bruton was speaking in Dublin yesterday as he announced a “call for proposals”, a formal request for ideas for possible inclusion in the Dublin City of Science 2012 programme of events.
Dublin won the right to be the city of science in 2012 after facing down stiff competition from other cities including Vienna.
The year-long series of events will bring thousands of visitors to the city, particularly during the centrepiece event of the year the EuroScience Open Forum, planned for the Dublin convention centre in mid-July.
Mr Bruton likened Dublin’s selection to winning the “Olympic event of science in 2012”. It represented a great opportunity to showcase Ireland’s research capabilities. When asked about the contribution research could make to commercial development, Mr Bruton said: “Science is core.”
Ireland “was already recognised as a very strong centre for developing research and commercialising it. We need to do more of that and more Irish companies, SMEs, [small to medium enterprises] need to get in on that act”, he said.
His department was committed to the reform of research and development and this was something “we are now working on. It may not be in this budget in June but we hope that we would have the basis formed for the next year’s budget”, he said. The goal was to get the “cost base right” and also “to get the whole of government working on this agenda”.
He planned to change the tax credit scheme for investment in research to assist smaller companies.
“I think the design of the RD credit in the past was more aimed at the large companies who had established bases here. Now we are saying small companies need to break into this space for the first time and we want to make it easier for them to do that.”
The appeal for proposals was open to individuals and groups with ideas for ways to engage the public with science, Dublin City of Science 2012 project director David Fahy said at the launch.
He urged anyone with an interest in the impact of science and technology on art, literature, music and sport to submit their ideas.
More information is available on dublinscience2012.ie/pep