Relative to the EU average in 2019, the programme area underperforms across the following key innovation indicators which can be addressed by PO1; Trademark applications, Innovative SMEs collaborating with others, Lifelong learning, Non-R&D expenditure business sector, R&D expenditure business sector, Sales of new-to- market and new-to-firm innovations, Design applications, R&D expenditure public sector, and EPO patent applications. The Programme responds to the S3 and to the RSES, together with challenges and policy responses set out in Innovation 2020, the NDP, the National Economic Recovery Plan, Enterprise 2025 Renewed, SME and Entrepreneurship Growth Plan, the National AI Strategy, Industry 4.0 Strategy, Our Rural Future, Science Foundation Ireland Strategy 2025 and the Regional Enterprise Plans.
The programme focuses on addressing the following five key challenges in the programme area under PO1.
(i) RD&I capacity building Technological Universities (TUs) are a part of the changing face of higher education in Ireland. These multi- campus technological universities will drive access, excellence, and regional development, strengthening the links with enterprise and employers in their regions and beyond. The first TU in the country, Technological University Dublin, was established in the programme area in January 2019. It has now been joined by three new TUs in the programme area; Munster Technological University (MTU), established January 2021; Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, established October 2021; and South East Technological University, established May 2022. The technological universities have a critical role to play in supporting higher levels of investment, both public and private, in industry-focused research in the regions. This will require significant capacity building. The Programme will focus on strengthening the TUs’ research and innovation offices and the industry gateways that support delivery of collaborative projects. This increased capacity will support far greater engagement with enterprises in the regions, recognizing that collaboration with SMEs in particular will frequently begin through smaller non-financial supports. (ii) Supporting knowledge transfer The S3 consultation emphasized the importance of funding the Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) in the universities, technological universities and Institutes of Technology in the regions, building on the success of the Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative (TTSI) that is due to end in 2022. These TTOs support: the increased use of national template agreements to simplify and speed up contracting with higher education institutes, as well as to bring more consistency for companies and innovators; the collection and publication of information on the facilities, equipment and supports available to companies to access within the third level and State- funded research base at national and regional level; the need to orchestrate existing and emerging capacities in regional areas and to raise the profile nationally and internationally; the continuity of industry-academic collaborations beyond a completed project to help companies to bring a project’s innovations to market; and the development of spin out companies. (iii) Accelerating the translation of cutting-edge research into commercial applications The OECD study on SME and Entrepreneurship Policy in Ireland (2019) stated that “Ireland is a successful generator of high-growth firms and its SMEs are innovative. Attitudes toward entrepreneurship are also positive overall. However, business dynamism and the start-up rate are relatively low, Irish SMEs are not very active in international markets, and SME productivity growth is stagnant. Approaches are also needed to connect SMEs and entrepreneurs in remote regions with broader entrepreneurship ecosystems in urban centres and larger cities”. Science Foundation Ireland’s 2025 strategy recognizes that the human capital, innovation and technology created by SFI-funded research must be transferred effectively to the domestic SME sector. The Programme will support SFI’s new strategy to help boost the productivity of domestically owned enterprises by focusing on building partnerships and connections between SMEs and Higher Education Institutions in the regions. This will be done through knowledge exchange, through formal technology licensing, through new SME supports, through spinning out new companies, and through working with Enterprise Ireland, the Institutes of Technology, the universities and the new technological universities. One of SFI’s KPIs is the creation of a ‘unicorn’ company (value > €1bn) by 2025. This ambitious target sets the bar for what SFI believes can be achieved from its funded research.
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