The objective of this priority is:
"to enhance the research, innovation and ICT infrastructure and capacity of the BMW Region, to promote entrepreneurship and enterprise development and to support collaboration and technology transfer between research institutions and the business sector, that responds to the economic development needs of the region"
The analysis of the strengths and weaknesses in the BMW Region in chapter 3 highlighted the challenges facing the region in terms of raising its research and innovation capacity, (note 57) increasing entrepreneurship, making broadband services more widely available and promoting the emergence and growth of more businesses.
The rationale for this priority is outlined in chapter 4. Interventions are proposed which will raise the applied research capacity of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by providing infrastructural supports for both applied research facilities and expanded incubation facilities. In addition, the development of appropriate research-funding initiatives will take into account the distinctive and separate missions and focus of the Institutes of Technology and NUI Galway within the Region. In parallel, as set out in this Priority, Enterprise Ireland is developing a closer relationship between HEIs and regionally-based enterprises focusing on applied research, collaboration and existing sectoral requirements.
If the BMW Region is to contribute significantly to the attainment of national objectives, investment that will improve the scale and capability of regional research is needed. It is in that context that the requirement to strengthen the overall research capability in the BMW region is set out. The advancement of legislation to bring the IoTs under the ambit of the Higher Education Authority in 2007 is an important step forward in that regard.
As set out in the previous chapter, new initiatives are needed if real and substantive progress is to be made in addressing the infrastructural requirements for research and in building the research capacity of the HEI sector.
In the context of a peripheral region within a small open economy, promoting entrepreneurship, the establishment and expansion of new firms and promoting the technological adaptation of SMEs which are innovative and knowledge-based are essential if the BMW region is to raise its productivity levels, create high quality sustainable employment and remain competitive.
The provision of modern telecommunications infrastructure on a cost effective basis is also considered essential to stimulate increased knowledge economy activities. Broadband is particularly beneficial to SMEs in peripheral regions as it enables them to share information regardless of their physical location. Modern telecommunications infrastructure also facilitates more flexible working patterns, thus reducing operating costs for commercial and public sector organisations, and reducing the need to commute to urban areas (with significant environmental benefits for the region).
Interventions that will be supported under this Priority include:
Applied Research Enhancement, Incubation Facilities and other related Collaboration initiatives that may be developed
Building Research Capacity
Micro-Enterprise Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Broadband Provision and Demand Stimulation
Building world-class human capital in research through Science Foundation Ireland Awards
Experimental Innovative Actions
Intervention: Applied Research Enhancement, Incubation Facilities and related Collaboration initiatives
The region’s third level institutions already provide poles of research, innovation and business incubation activity that can be built upon, linked with existing and emerging sectoral specialisations within the region. The National Strategic Reference Framework (note 58) specifies that regional strategies should concentrate on investing in R&D, innovation and entrepreneurship and applied research and technology transfer infrastructure, ensuring that these investments respond to the economic development needs of the region. The limited absorption capacity of the Institutes of Technology particularly impacts on the BMW Region with its high proportion of Institutes of Technology.
This intervention will be targeted at the Higher Education Institutes and will raise the applied research capacity of the Institutes by providing infrastructural supports for both applied research facilities and expanded incubation facilities. Funds will be provided to the Higher Education Institutes to develop and expand incubation space and commercial research and development facilities in order to:
Support the development and expansion of campus company activity;
Encourage and support the commercialisation of R&D carried out in the Higher Education Institutes, to benefit companies in the region;
Embed the Higher Education Institutes as major supports for companies in the region; and
Provide research space for the commercialisation of innovative ideas.
In addition to the Applied Research Enhancement and Incubation Centres, additional collaboration initiatives will be developed over the 2007-13 period.
Intervention: Building Research Capacity
The application of research and technology to the creation of new, high-value products and services will be an important driver for innovation and enterprise in the future. Also, closer to market and applied research capabilities need to be strengthened nationally so that there is better synergy between institutions that generate new knowledge and those that translate and transform it into new products and services.
This intervention will focus on the development of institutional competencies and capabilities that will support the application of research and technology and the transfer and translation of knowledge for regional and local development.
This intervention which includes future calls for proposals under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions and the Marine research programme will work to achieve the following goals:
Build underpinning research strength in the region that is of high quality and of strategic relevance in the regional context;
Enhance the collaboration and networking across the regional research institutions so as to optimise return on investment; and
Strengthen the culture of and training on Intellectual Property capture and management among research performers at a laboratory level within regional institutions
In addition, research commissioned and/or undertaken by the Marine Institute in the BMW region will be supported. Selectivity and inter-institutional collaboration will characterise the approach of the HEIs and the Marine Institute to this initiative, particularly collaboration on a regional basis. This will require a strategic approach by the HEIs and other research institutions, prioritisation that reflects their present research capability strength and/or clear regional needs, with collaboration with other third level institutions featuring for improved effectiveness and critical mass.
The HEIs and the Marine Institute will continue to have access to other funding mechanisms, such as the Research Framework Programmes.
Intervention: Micro-Enterprise Innovation and Entrepreneurship
This intervention will evolve the supports provided by the County Enterprise Boards to increase the rates of business start-up and expansion and increase competitiveness, innovation and technological adaptation by micro-enterprises. A suite of accessible, focused business support services will be provided by the County Enterprise Boards to enable existing and start-up enterprises to increase their capability to raise productivity, adapt ICT applications and increase employment.
The CEBs are charged with primary responsibility for cultivating a favourable culture of entrepreneurship and for supporting the development of enterprises at local level. Through their enterprise promotion initiatives, financial supports and training/mentoring Programmes the CEBs have enabled their client base to become a key source of start-ups. In light of the challenges presented by the dynamics of the global economy it is critical that the CEBs continue to be supported in their efforts to maintain and develop their promotional activities so that their client base continues to successfully fulfil that role and deliver high quality enterprises which have potential for growth and high added-value for the domestic economy.
The nurturing of a positive culture of entrepreneurship and promotion of the formation of new, particularly innovative, enterprises with growth potential will remain a key objective over the timeframe of the Regional Operational Programme. Based on their record of achievement to date in this regard the CEBs are well positioned to deliver on these objectives over the coming years.
In pursuing the above objectives the CEBs will:
promote local enterprise culture and entrepreneurship throughout society through initiatives such as their Start-Your-Own-Business training courses, provision of business information, schools enterprise programmes, awards schemes, networks including the Women-in-Business networks, etc.
support business start-ups and expansions with appropriate financial supports;
encourage and facilitate higher levels of exporting businesses, greater innovation and more effective ICT usage within small businesses; and
build the capacity of owner/managers of micro-businesses through training and development actions, including mentoring programmes, and business networks.
Intervention: Broadband Provision and Demand Stimulation
Under the Regional Operational Programme 2000-2006 the Government addressed infrastructure deficits by part funding private sector infrastructure (local access and backbone) and by constructing State-owned, open access Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) in towns and cities nationwide in association with the local and regional authorities. Continued investment is required under the 2007-2013 Regional Operational Programme with an emphasis on addressing the outstanding infrastructure and service deficits in the Border, Midlands and Western Region.
This intervention will support the delivery of broadband services to all areas of the BMW Region. Activities to be supported include:
Completion of the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANS) in partnership with local and regional authorities
Scheme to subsidise the provision of broadband services in un-served areas
Facilitating access to advanced telecommunications infrastructure by SMEs
Provide 100Mbps broadband access and associated services to selected second-levels schools; and
Stimulation of demand for advanced telecommunications services among SMEs
Intervention: Building world-class human capital in research through Science Foundation Ireland Awards
Consistent with the priority objective, it is proposed to include a number of Science Foundation Ireland research programmes in Priority 1 of the BMW Regional OP.
Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology Programme (CSET) – CSETs help link scientists and engineers in partnerships across academia and industry to address crucial research questions, foster the development of new and existing Irish-based technology companies, attract industry that could make an important contribution to Ireland and its economy, and expand educational and career opportunities in Ireland in science and engineering, e.g., DERI (semantic web) and REMEDI (regenerative medicine) centres at NUI Galway
Strategic Research Clusters (SRC) - The SRC Programme has been designed to facilitate the clustering of outstanding researchers to carry out joint research activities in areas of strategic importance relevant to Industry in the region, e.g., medical devices in the Midlands and West, while also giving the time and resources to attract and cultivate strong industry partnerships that can inform and enhance their research programmes.
Principal Investigator Programme (PI) - The SFI PI Programme supports those fields of science and engineering that underpin biotechnology, information and communications technology, and sustainable energy and energy-efficient technologies and may be 3-5 years in duration
Intervention: Experimental Innovative Actions
Under this intervention, the Managing Authority will establish a Steering Committee, building upon the existing Innovative Actions Steering Committee, which will be mandated to identify and pilot test a number of strategic initiatives or themes, that have the potential to address deficiencies in the existing regional innovation system: identify key technologies, benchmarking and comparative analyses, studies, study visits and exchanges, facilitate new approaches to technology transfer, build regional innovation capacity, mobilise regional actors and improve the effectiveness of linkages between actors in the regional innovation process through participation in new networks.
The intended method of implementation will be through a series of competitive public calls for proposals that will be backed up with public information initiatives. The delivery of this intervention will ensure effective monitoring within a well-designed evaluation framework that enables outcomes to be assessed and systemic learning to take place. It is anticipated that each of the selected projects will be of a relatively short duration (c. 2 years). . This intervention provides the possibility to mainstream some of the findings which will emerge from the fast-track networks to be set up under the Regions for Economic Change Initiative (note 59). Regions for Economic Change is a Commission initiative designed to discover and disseminate best practice in economic modernisation in order to stimulate economic growth.
Intermediary Bodies
The Intermediary bodies for the interventions under this priority will include:
Enterprise Ireland
Higher Education Authority
Enterprise Ireland CEB Central Coordination Unit
Office of Science, Technology and Innovation at the Depatment of Enterprise, trade and Employmant; and
Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources
Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of EU co-financed assistance under this priority will include:
Research institutions and networks of institutions
SMEs and micro-enterprises
County Enterprise Boards
Broadband Service Providers
Educational institutions
Science Foundation Ireland
Public bodies in the region
Performance Indicators (note 60)
| Indicator Class | Indicator |
Baseline | Final Target (2013) |
| OUTPUT | Increase in no. of Regional Incubation Centres |
5 |
9 |
No. of PRTLI Research Awards |
0 |
19 |
|
No. of Principle Investigator Awards |
7 (June '09) |
12* |
|
No. of Research Centres (SRC & CSET) |
2 (June '09) |
4* |
|
No. of training days provided to SMEs |
35,572 |
119,572 |
|
No. of microenterprises supported |
2,511 |
5,011 |
|
No. of initiatives to enable braodband infrastructure and service provision |
0 |
3 |
|
| RESULT | Total employed in Incubation Centres |
168 |
218 |
No. of researchers engaged in the approved projects* |
0 |
170* of which: 100 PRTLI 70 SFI Awards |
|
No. of enterprises collaborating with SFI-funded centres |
9 |
15* |
|
No. of enterprises in Incubation Centres |
52 |
68 |
|
No. of recipients of microenterprise training |
26,550 |
61,530 of which: 27,562 Male 33,668 Female 300 Other |
|
No. of jobs created in assisted enterprises |
16,684 |
20,884 |
|
Additional businesses with broadband available |
0 |
89,377 Residential 5,348 Commercial 28,261 Residential & Commercial |
|
| IMPACT | The Managing Authority in co-operation with the Departments and Agencies implementing research activities under this priority, will commission an evaluation of the impact of the co-financed research projects on economic growth and job creation and on the broad strategic impact of the interventions |
|
|
* The above figures are indicative in nature and are subject to the outcome of the competitive processes underpinning the PRTLI (Cycle 4), SFI and marine research process.
Relevance to Earmarking
All of the indicative operations envisaged under this priority are eligible for consideration as contributing towards the Lisbon objectives (see Annex 7).
note 57 Border, Midland and Western Regional Assembly (2004) Audit of Innovation in the BMW Region http://www.bmwassembly.ie/innovative_actions/Audit_Reports_2004.htm
Note 58 Government of Ireland (2006) Supporting and Enabling Dynamic Regions: The National Strategic Reference Framework
Note 59 For information see http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/interregional/ecochange/index_en.cfm
Note 60 Where feasible, core indicators recommended in the Methodological Working Paper on Monitoring and Evaluation have been used
