9th MEETING OF EDF INNOVATION SUB-GROUP ON 3rd NOVEMBER 2006

 

Attendees:        Frank Bryan, IOD (Chair)

Gerry McCormac, QUB

Bernie Hannigan, UU

Bob Barbour, C for C

David McAuley, DEL

Boyd McDowell, DEL

Graeme Hutchinson, DETI

Anne Conaty, DETI

Tracy Meharg, Invest NI

Trevor Newsom, QUB

Eddie Friel, UU

Alan Blair, ANIC

John D’Arcy, ANIC

Edel Lamb, DETI

 

 

WELCOME / APOLOGIES

 

1.      The Chair welcomed members, Tracy Meharg, Trevor Newsom, Eddie Friel, Alan Blair, John D’Arcy and Boyd McDowell to the 9th meeting of the Innovation Sub-group.  He noted apologies from Chris Conway, Wilfie Hamilton and Stephen Kingon.

 

2.      The Chair noted that the minutes of the Sub-group’s 8th meeting on 6 September 2006 had been agreed by members via email.           

 

MATTERS ARISING

 

NI Science Industry Panel  (NISIP)

 

3.      Anne Conaty informed members that the first meeting of the NI Science Industry Panel would take place on Wednesday 8th November and would be accompanied by a press release.  Members were advised that the Panel would be formally launched at its second meeting on 16 January 2007. 

 

4.      Members were reminded that the Panel will be a business-led panel that will advise DETI and its minister on research-led science policies.  Professor Damien McDonnell OBE will chair the Panel.  Frank Bryan is also a member of the Panel and will provide a point of contact with the Innovation Sub-Group.  Other NISIP members are: Colin Elliot, Professor Jim McLaughlin, Dr Clare Passmore, Dr Brian Keating, Ed Vernon, Rotha Johnston, Professor Bernie Hannigan, Professor John Mann, and John D’Arcy.

 

HE/FE COLLABORATION FUND

 

5.      Trevor Newsom, Eddie Friel and Alan Blair gave a presentation on the HE/FE Collaboration Fund.  This outlined the strategic context for the proposal and the need for HE/FE Collaboration.  The presentation highlighted that the proposal for the Fund had been developed following widespread recognition of the need for businesses to engage in R&D and innovation to increase global competitiveness.  It emphasised that the proposal had been drawn up in liaison with the Business Alliance, who had highlighted the need for a central unit to provide seamless interaction with the relevant business solution provider in the Education sector.

 

6.      The presentation outlined the strands of the proposed programme, which include promoting HE/FE services, knowledge transfer project delivery and internal knowledge transfer.  It also indicated the intended outcomes of the Fund, and its potential risks and constraints. 

 

7.      Members expressed widespread support for the proposal.  However, during discussion they questioned the extent to which the work of the HE/FE Collaboration overlapped with the work of other agencies, such as Invest NI and the Centre for Competitiveness.  Presenters advised that they were keen to take this opportunity to avoid duplication of effort, but also noted that it was the intention of the HE/FE Collaboration Fund to provide the best possible way of working with business.

 

8.      Members asked how interest in the initiative would be stimulated, and were advised that this would be achieved in a number of ways, including hosting events and cold-calling.

 

9.      Members also suggested that it would be necessary to clarify the Fund’s objectives in the proposal.  HE/FE representatives informed members that the proposal was work in progress and invited members to submit comments and suggestions.     

 

ACTION:           EDF Secretariat to invite members to submit comments on the HE/FE Collaboration Fund Proposal to Boyd McDowell by Friday 17 November. 

 

ACTION:           Universities and ANIC to forward final proposal to DEL by 1 December 2006.

 

 

REVIEW OF THE REGIONAL INNOVATION STRATEGY (RIS)

 

10.   Anne Conaty updated members on the review of ‘Think, Create, Innovate – the Regional Innovation Strategy’.  Members were advised that the outcomes of this review, carried out by Deloitte were positive.  The review agreed with the key drivers of the RIS and indicated that a fundamental shift in Innovation policies would not be necessary.  It noted that there were positive indicators that progress had been made in the business sector, in particular with smaller companies.  The overall recommendation of the review was that the established priorities and objectives should continue to be the vision.  It also recommended that the EDF Innovation Sub-Group and the NI Science Industry Panel should continue in their challenging roles. 

 

11.   The review, however, did note the need to widen involvement of the tradeable services sector, to seek greater HE engagement with research councils, and to incorporate independent and external scrutiny.  It also noted that there was no positive evidence that the innovation message was being conveyed to micro businesses.  The review also recommended that the RIS needed to pay increased attention to education. 

 

 

12.   In response to the review, members agreed on the need for a robust Innovation Strategy.  They discussed the need for NI’s universities to compete on an international level for funding and the need to communicate the benefits of nanotechnology to businesses.  While members agreed with the review’s suggestion that nanotechnology is a cross-cutting theme rather than a sector in itself, they disagreed with the report’s suggestion that nanotechnology is overvalued.  

 

13.   The review also suggested that the RIS should be action-based rather than aspirational.  Members were advised that DETI would establish an Inter-Departmental Working Group to take this forward and to develop a post-2006 strategic action plan.  Members agreed that they were content with this way forward.   

 

 

UNIVERSITIES APPROACH TO THE ECONOMY

 

14.   Gerry McCormac and Bernie Hannigan presented a draft of the universities’ paper ‘The Current Economic Impact of the Northern Ireland Universities and Enhancing their Role in Future Economic Development’, which had been developed since the last meeting of the Innovation Sub-Group.  This version continued to emphasise the impact of high quality research on economic development and had incorporated further information on the need for enhanced funding of PhD students and on the benefits of an economic package for the universities.  The paper calls for additional investment of £44 million per annum into NI’s HE sector.  In contrast, the Irish Government has recently published its Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (2007 – 2013) which states that the net additional resources required to implement this Strategy have been costed at €1.88 billion over the period.  University Representatives reminded members that this paper should be considered in relation to other initiatives, such as the HE/FE Collaboration Fund and the Start a Business Programme.  They also reported that this paper has been received by the Economic Sub-Group and will be published along with their next report 

 

15.   Members discussed potential ways of encouraging businesses to contribute to research both in the short and long term.  It was noted that creating opportunities for co-funding of PhDs would be a useful way forward.  Members also discussed the benefits of improving the capacities of the business sector to undertake research.  The need to ensure consistency between increasing PhDs and the needs of the economy at a subsectoral level was also raised.

  

ACTION:           EDF Secretariat to circulate the universities’ report to all EDF members.

 

 

GLOBAL TRACKING OF INNOVATION

 

16.   Anne Conaty reminded members that the Sub-Group had previously asked DETI to prepare a paper on where innovation opportunities are arising around the world and where NI might be best placed to take advantage of these.  She advised members that while it is not for government to direct the private sector towards specific markets or innovative technologies – such market-based decisions are best carried out by businesses themselves – it can sign-post businesses to sources of advice including DTI’s Global Watch team, the Foreign Commonwealth Office, the UK Foresight programme, NI’s NICHE Technology Horizon Scanning Panels, and the Innovation Relay Centre based at Invest NI.  NI’s Innovation Relay centre has been identified as being one of the top 5 in Europe in the European League table.  The benefits of the various websites of these organisations (www.globalwatchservice.com; www.fco.gov.uk/science; www.northernirelandirc.com; www.investni.com/fp) for providing information were discussed.

 

 

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

 

Sub-Group Report for December Plenary Meeting

 

ACTION:           EDF Secretariat to prepare a short progress report for the December 2006 plenary meeting for clearance by the Chair.  This should include a note on the HE/FE Collaboration Fund, the Universities’ paper on their approach to the economy and on the post-2006 Innovation Policies that DETI will be taking forward.

 

 

Date for Next Meeting

 

17.   It was agreed that a meeting be arranged in advance of the March 2007 plenary.

 

ACTION:           EDF Secretariat to liaise with members on a date for the next meeting in early February 2007.

 

 

Items for the Agenda of the Next Meeting

 

18.   Members requested that Centres of Excellence be included on the agenda for the next meeting of the Sub-Group meeting.

 

ACTION:           Invest NI to liaise with the universities and the Centre of Competitiveness and produce a brief paper on world-class Centres of Excellence within NI and throughout Ireland.