8th MEETING OF EDF INNOVATION SUB-GROUP ON 6th SEPTEMBER 2006

 

Attendees:        David Dobbin, CBI (Chair)

Frank Bryan, IOD

Gerry McCormac, QUB

Bernie Hannigan, UU

Bob Barbour, C for C

Stephen Kingon, Invest NI

Linda Bradley, DEL

Wilfie Hamilton, DETI

Graeme Hutchinson, DETI

Anne Conaty, DETI

Bernard McKeown, DETI

Tracy Meharg, Invest NI

Nigel Carr, Invest NI

Victor Jordan, Invest NI

Linda Jamison, Invest NI

John Speers, FSIP

Edel Lamb, DETI

 

 

WELCOME / APOLOGIES

 

1.      The Chair welcomed members, Nigel Carr, Linda Jamison, Victor Jordan, Linda Bradley and Bernard McKeown to the 7th meeting of the Innovation Sub-group.  He reminded members that this would be his last meeting as chair and welcomed Frank Bryan, who will take over this position.  He also welcomed Gerry McCormac and Edel Lamb to their first meeting of the group.  He noted that John Speers, FSIP, would join members at 11.15am and also noted apologies from David McAuley and Chris Conway.

 

MATTERS ARISING

 

NI Science Industry Panel  

 

2.      Bernard McKeown informed sub-group members that all but one of the members of the Northern Ireland Science and Industry Panel have now been identified.  The panel will include representatives from businesses, the Universities, the Invest NI Board, and the Innovation Sub-Group, and it will report to DETI and its Minister.  The first meeting of the panel will focus on establishing a work programme and priority issues to be addressed for the future.  The panel will develop a communications strategy and aims to have a visible presence as soon as possible.

 

3.      Members discussed the links between NISIP and the Innovation Sub-group.  The EDF representative is still to be confirmed, it was suggested that this may be a role for the new sub-group chair.

 

ACTION:           DETI to liaise with David Dobbin and Frank Bryan to determine who will represent EDF on NISIP.

 

Tradeable Services and Innovation Research

 

4.      Following a procurement exercise, Graeme Hutchinson was able to report that Aston Business School and QUB have been selected to begin analysis in September into the innovative activity of the tradeable services sector.  This work will address the nature of tradeable services, current innovation levels in the UK and Europe, barriers to development and the potential range of support for tradeable services.  Initial output is expected in November 2006 with final report due in January 2007.

 

HE/FE Collaboration Fund

 

5.      Linda Bradley reminded members that the HE/FE Collaboration Fund is a new initiative led by DEL which aims to increase the technology transfer capability of both universities and colleges to respond to the needs of business.  DEL is currently finalising the details of the fund with ANIC, QUB and UU but the proposal has been delayed until late October / early November to permit the universities to establish quantifiable targets.  This delay will not impact significantly on the progress of the fund as funded activities are not due to start until April 2007.  Members were reminded that there are three strands to the project — making companies aware; identifying expertise so that the universities and further education colleges can work together to make use of this expertise; and training.  Members raised concerns about the need to create a business facing resource in the FE sector which would stimulate business demand and act as conduit through to HE as well as FE R&D and technology transfer activity.  Means of promoting the scheme to stimulate general business demand and to enable companies to provide input and gain from this project.  The benefits of developing an internet portal for this purpose were discussed.

 

ACTION:           DEL to consider the views of the sub group in finalising the proposal and to present to the sub-group at its next meeting.

 

Innovation Metrics

 

6.      Bob Barbour and Graeme Hutchinson informed members that the Centre for Competitiveness and DETI are continuing work on the Community Innovation Survey.  It has been agreed that there will be an NI survey of innovation conducted in 2006, with the main CIS survey running in 2007.  The potential for an annual NI survey on innovation to be held in alternate years to the main CIS will be considered in light of the 2006 survey result.  Preliminary results from the NI survey will be available in Spring 2007.  Members discussed the benefits of surveying the same company repeatedly and tracking the results.  It was also suggested that there might be merit in running the survey on at least two occasions before evaluation.

 

ACTION:           Centre for Competitiveness and DETI to circulate a copy of the survey among members when it is complete.

 

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

 

7.      Nigel Carr, Invest NI, updated members on the ‘Search for Spillovers’ project commissioned by Invest NI on the RTD Centres of Excellence programme.  This evaluation aims to profile the development of the centres’ activities over the funded and continuation periods; to highlight the gains provided by the centres to the sponsoring organisation; and to identify wider regional benefits.  Mr Carr reported that early findings of the evaluation were encouraging and highlighted the success of many of the centres.  The presentation raised questions about the sustainability of successful centres and noted that while Invest NI typically provided initial funding for 3 years many of the centres have continued beyond this period on a self sustaining basis.  Others, especially those involved in fundamental research or long term projects, still require support funding and funding support for these should be considered.

 

8.      Members noted the potential benefits from collaboration on an all Island basis between centres of excellence.  They asked that further information be provided on centres throughout Ireland that could be defined as “truly world class”, (and on the potential to develop other Centres to become world class), which might become beacons for future foreign direct and indigenous investment.

 

9.      Members also discussed the implications of the term ‘Centres of Excellence’ as referring to both global and local contexts.  It was suggested that it would be beneficial to pursue both levels of centre so as to service near market activity in existing sectors and develop truly world class leading edge capability.

 

ACTION:           Invest NI to provide further information on all centres of excellence throughout Ireland, identifying in particular those that are world class, or have the potential to do so.

 

CLUSTERING

 

10.   Victor Jordan and Linda Jamison, Invest NI, and Bob Barbour updated the group on their work on mapping existing clusters and identifying gaps where the creation of a cluster would facilitate increased levels of innovation.

 

11.    Members noted the success of the case studies presented and the important role of Invest NI in facilitating clustering.

 

12.   It was agreed that Invest NI would continue this work with particular consideration to be given to the potential for FE colleges as facilitators of future clusters and networks.  Members suggested that the Collaboration fund activities could possibly include promoting cluster technology transfer/innovation activity with colleges/universities.

 

ACTION:           Invest NI to consider the potential for FE colleges as facilitators of future clusters and networks.

 

FOOD FORESIGHT REVIEW

 

13.   The Chair welcomed John Speers from the Food Strategy Implementation Partnership and invited him to give his presentation on the work of the Food Foresight Leadership Group.  Dr Speers outlined the challenges facing the Agri-Food industry.  The foresight group has established 4 key visions (Integrating Food, Diet and Health; Leading Edge Food and Ingredients; New Alternative Enterprises; and Mastering Change and Risk) and 18 programmes for Innovation. The characteristics needed to foster this innovation agenda and catalysts for achieving success were outlined.

 

14.   Members of the Sub-Group agreed that this was a suitable foresight plan on which to build recommendations for the future of the Agri-Food sector. They noted that following finalisation of the Group’s report the next stages will be engagement with key stakeholders on respective prioritisation of issues and implementation working in partnership with the proposed Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel.

 

15.   Members agreed that an update of the work of the Food Strategy Implementation Partnership, including the work of the Foresight leadership Group, should be made at a future EDF plenary meeting.

 

ACTION:           Secretariat to liaise with the Foresight Leadership Group to arrange a presentation of its work at plenary EDF.

 

UNIVERSITIES’ APPROACH TO THE ECONOMY

 

16.    Members noted QUB and UU’s paper which had been written in response to the sub-group’s request for an account of the universities’ joint vision and approach in relation to the economy, the initiatives they want to pursue, targeted outcomes and budget priorities.  They were advised that this was an initial draft and that following feedback from sub-group members the university representatives would develop the strategy paper further.

 

17.   Members agreed that the paper was a useful starting point from which to consider the universities’ role in developing the economy.  They noted the contribution of the universities to economic prosperity, highlighted in the paper, and suggested that issues such as the importance of funding additional PhDs in Northern Ireland to increase knowledge and expertise in local companies should be in revised versions of the paper.

 

ACTION:           University Representatives to further develop the paper and bring a revised draft to the next meeting of the sub-group.

 

GLOBAL TRACKING OF INNOVATION

 

18.    It was agreed that due to time constraints discussion of the paper on Global Tracking of Innovation would be postponed until the next meeting.

 

ACTION:           Secretariat to include Global Tracking of Innovation on the agenda for the next meeting of the Sub-Group.

 

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

 

Plenary EDF Meetings – Agenda Items

 

19.   Other than the item on Food Foresight (detailed in note 14 above), members had no items to add for discussion / debate at future meetings.

 

Sub-Group Report for September Plenary Meeting

 

ACTION:           Secretariat to prepare a short progress report for the September 2006 plenary meeting for clearance by the Chair.

 

Date for Next Meeting

 

20.   It was agreed that a meeting be arranged in advance of the December plenary.

 

ACTION:           Secretariat to liaise with the new chair, Frank Bryan, on a date for the next meeting in late October / early November.