Enterprise Ireland
Annual Report and Accounts 2007
Annual Report and Accounts 2007
In 2007, Enterprise Ireland continued to support Irish companies to undertake R&D, to drive industry-led research within third-level institutions, and to facilitate collaboration between enterprise and academia to ensure the maximum commercial applicability of Irish research.
Enterprise Ireland has a lead role in delivering a number of the key objectives of the Government’s Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006–2013. Working closely with IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland in the context of Technology Ireland, delivery of our responsibilities under this strategy has resulted in the successful roll-out of a number of initiatives. These have centred around supporting the commercialisation of technology generated from publicly-funded research, promoting interactions between industry and Irish academic researchers, simplifying R&D grant support structures and increasing support measures for technology transfer in the Institutes of Technology.
Consequently, there is a two-way transfer of knowledge between markets and the research community taking place in Ireland. This amplified R&D activity is leading to increasing numbers of breakthrough products and processes for Irish companies, the creation of spin-off companies, increased numbers of patents and licences, as well as increased company involvement in R&D and, ultimately, higher export sales.
Enterprise Ireland set targets at the beginning of the 2005–2007 strategy to increase substantially the innovation and R&D activity in our client base. Following strong results in 2005 and 2006 we continued throughout 2007 to input strongly to the R&D agenda, proactively encouraging clients to invest in R&D in their own right or in partnership with others.
As a result, 624 client companies are now investing over €100,000 annually in meaningful R&D projects, and 42 clients are undertaking significant R&D projects requiring an investment of over €2 million per annum. This commitment by Enterprise Ireland clients to focus strongly on R&D means that our three-year targets of 617 companies carrying out meaningful research, and 42 performing significant R&D were surpassed.
In all we approved €59.6 million funding in support of in-company R&D projects during 2007.
A key initiative in helping companies to engage with R&D is the Advocates for R&D programme. This highly proactive programme involves experienced R&D consultants making direct contact with companies to engage them in practical R&D, many for the first time. To date, Enterprise Ireland has engaged with over 600 small and medium-sized companies across all sectors. As a result, 56 client companies have successfully completed, and a further 54 are actively engaged in, R&D projects.
The Food sector remains Ireland’s largest indigenous employer and is of central importance to the Irish economy with total export sales of €7.65 billion in 2007. Enterprise Ireland, in partnership with Bord Bía, works to ensure clients in this sector secure new export sales through sourcing new technologies and implementing innovation programmes. In 2007, Enterprise Ireland approved five major investments to clients in the Food sector. These included support for a significant expansion of Glanbia’s Innovation Centre in Kilkenny.
