Balancing Objectives and

1
Balancing Objectives and Needs of Industry and
Academia the Role of Government Presentation
by Mary Cryan Meeting of National Councils
for ST Policy Prague, 25/26 May 2006
2
Overview

• The Research Enterprise Relationship
• Role of Government

3
Education Research Enterprise

• Excellence Relevance
• Economic Social
• Development Progress
  

Prescription Break down silos (of thought)
more interaction
more interchange of people.
4
Interdependence is growing

• Education
• More advanced
• More Pervasive

Requires greater financial commitment
Research - a vital Catalyst!
Enterprise More Complex More Competitive

Requires world class human knowledge and social
capital
Realising our full potential for human
development and social progress requires success
in both fields.
5
A Good Sign
Lots of Change!
In Academia Excellence
Restructuring
Access
many others
In Enterprise Globalisation
Technology
Innovation many others
6
Competing on Knowledge
Innovation Knowledge Technology Converted to
Research Converted to Knowledge Technology
Integrated Value Chain
Sales Marketing
Innovation/ RD
Production of Goods/Services
7
Business Expectations of the Research System

• Relevant knowledge and technologies
• Appropriately skilled people
• Research capability responsive to industry needs
• Access

8
Academic Research Freedom

• Autonomy to explore new ideas
• Tradition of publishing results
• Yet evolving role increasing economic relevance
  of research activity

9
Role of Government

• To balance and respect the objectives and needs
  of the enterprise and academic communities
• To support activities that will facilitate these
  and maximise synergies arising

10
How? Stakeholder Involvement in Priority Setting

• Policy coherence through STI Governance system
• Cabinet Committee for Science, Technology
  Innovation
• Interdepartmental Committee
• Advisory Science Council
• Chief Science Advisor
• Bring stakeholders together to identify research
  areas emerging globally of national importance
• Enterprise representation on funding agency and
  research centre boards
• Irelands Technology Foresight Exercise 1998
• Expansion of infrastructure investment in third
  level institutions of 600m
• Establishment of Science Foundation Ireland to
  invest 700m in excellent research in ICT and
  biotechnology.
• Strategic technology assessment NanoIreland

11
Future Challenges and Priorities

• Innovation mission of higher education needs
  parity with teaching and research to capture
  commercial potential - appointment of VPs for
  innovation
• Develop an open innovation system with pro-active
  partnering between enterprise and the science
  base in research programmes, projects, technology
  transfer, spin-outs, people
• Deliver Fourth Level Ireland focusing on
  postgraduate development in collaboration with
  enterprise
• Increase enterprise input to research agenda to
  improve balance
• Improve enterprise RD absorptive capacity

12
How? Proactive Engagement

• Implement related activities through separate yet
  connected research and development agencies
  within framework of cohesive governance
• Incentivise and use enterprise-friendly
  mechanisms for collaboration
• Innovation Partnerships and Centres for SET
  important first steps
• Industry-led networks and competence centres
• Distinctive roles for universities, research
  institutes and institutes of technology
• Strengthen technology transfer capabilities
  within third level to optimise return on research
  investments being made

13
Looking to the Future
The recent increase in state investment in
basic research should continue and it should be
complemented by a similar programme of market-led
applied research in order to fully realise its
economic benefit. Both basic and applied
research programmes need to be focused so that
they are relevant to national needs and so that
they achieve critical mass and coherence. Enterp
rise Strategy Group (2004) Ahead of the Curve
Irelands Place in the Global Economy