Sustainability of Research Centres - Advisory Science Council

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Executive Summary Introduction Over the years there has been recognition of the need to consolidate publicly funded research, development and innovation (RDI) activity into research centres and networks, as a way of building critical mass in research excellence which in turn is an integral part of the development and evolution of our higher education system. State-supported research centres is a term used in this report to indicate those centres to which a Government department or agency provides/has provided a stream of funding. The vast majority of these centres are embedded in higher education institutions (HEIs), in line with previous policy decisions made and so it is acknowledged that the sustainability of these research centres should be considered in a manner that considers the resources of the HEIs. The portfolio of State-supported research centres 1 has evolved rapidly over the past decade through significant funding by a number of Government departments 2 and agencies 3 and the HEIs. These State- supported research centres now form a substantial part of the publicly funded research base. They represent a set of centres focused on research excellence, the majority of which are combined with the educational mission of the HEIs, and a number of which also have linkages to industry. Investment in the underpinning research activity funded to date needs to be continued as it forms a necessary platform for the international recognition of Irelands RDI activity and is a necessary building block for medium and shorter term applied research activities. There has been significant progress in Ireland’s innovation system. However, it is still not as advanced as other longer established systems (eg. Finland and Sweden). Furthermore, due in part to the accelerated pace in developing the State-supported research centre landscape and in part to the significant number of variables that can be used to characterise a research centre 4 , a diverse range of different funding models currently exist in the Irish research centre landscape. It is in this context that the Advisory Council for Science Technology and Innovation (ACSTI) appointed a task force to take stock of the composition of the current State-supported research centre landscape, and determine how it might be further strengthened in the future. Furthermore, they were tasked with developing guidance on funding models for research centres and with determining policy interventions that might be required in order to address issues associated with research centre sustainability. Forfás provided management, research and analytical support to the task force. Forfás also developed a report characterising the publicly funded research centre landscape in Ireland 5 , and engaged Technopolis 1 See the report The Publicly Funded Research Centre Landscape in Ireland in 2011, Forfás, 2012 2 Including, The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, The Department of Education and Skills, The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and the Department of Finance. 3 Including Science Foundation Ireland, Higher Education Authority, Enterprise Ireland, Health Research Board and the IDA. 4 Including size, thematic area, type of research, maturity of centre, location inside or outside a HEI etc. 5 The Publicly Funded Research Centre Landscape in Ireland in 2011, Forfás, 2012 Sustainability of Research Centres vi June 2012
Ltd. to collect and analyse further data and information for the study 6 . This report finds that that there is a broad range of issues in relation to sustainability of research centres. These are linked to the mix and profile of research centres in the landscape, the need for oversight of the landscape to meet RDI requirements and the need for funding models that support individual centres in achieving sustainability. It is noted that the wider sustainability issues, associated with indirect funding costs that arise for centres hosted in HEIs, did not form part of the study. The study has also found that a gap exists in the current State-supported research centre landscape that needs to be addressed in order to fully support the commercial opportunities emanating from research. Findings: State-Supported Research Centre Landscape A typology of research centres was developed in this study in order to provide a simpler terminology with which to discuss the research centre landscape (Recommendation 1). This report concludes that it is a more appropriate use of Government department and agency funds to support a smaller number of research centres than exists today, and to re-divert some funding towards resolving centre sustainability issues and the development of new centres (Recommendation 2). In the future State-supported research centre landscape we would expect to see the creation of new centres, the growth of existing centres where they enhance delivery on their current mandate, the broadening of the mandate of some centres to incorporate near to market activity, the evolution of some centres away from their current mandate, and the wind-up of some centres. Considerations that will influence the future shape of the State-supported research centre landscape include the outputs of the National Research Prioritisation Exercise (NRPE), research performance of centres, the evolution of the missions of HEIs, the need to support evolution of the industrial base and fiscal constraints. The current research capability and infrastructure should be the basis for continued evolution of ever more effective centres. However, it is also recognised that in a healthy research environment a diversity of research centres in terms of scale and mission is both normal and desirable. So, as we look to build on the investments made to date it is recognised that the contribution of industry focused research should be valued to the same extent as academic focused research in order to optimise the overall potential for social and economic returns. International comparison indicates that Research and Technology Organisation (RTOs) are typical in other innovation leading locations to which Ireland aspires. RTOs are focused on applied research directed at medium term and shorter term technology development and technical services for industrial clients. RTOs need to operate with a business-like culture in line with their industrial clients’ needs. Some RTOs should 6 Research Centres in Ireland: Funding Models, Oversight Mechanisms and Vision of a Future Research Centre Landscape, An independent report by Technopolis Ltd. on behalf of Forfás, 2012 Sustainability of Research Centres vii June 2012
Page 1 and 2: Sustainability of Research Centres
Page 3 and 4: Foreword In all mature research per
Page 5 and 6: Chairman’s Statement I am very pl
Page 7: Appendix 1: Members of the Task For
Page 11 and 12: Recommendations Recommendation 1 (C
Page 13 and 14: Recommendation 6 (Centre Requiremen
Page 15 and 16: Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Objectiv
Page 17 and 18: Ireland has built up a portfolio of
Page 19 and 20: ensuring clarity for research centr
Page 21 and 22: A task force meeting of the ACSTI o
Page 23 and 24: Chapter 5 presents the findings and
Page 25 and 26: 2.2 Definitions 2.2.1 Research Cent
Page 27 and 28: Centres fitting into the category t
Page 29 and 30: 2 A shift in the rationale or purpo
Page 31 and 32: in areas such as materials and nano
Page 33 and 34: The State-supported research centre
Page 35 and 36: 3.2 Numbers of State-Supported Rese
Page 37 and 38: through some other intervention as
Page 39 and 40: Furthermore in the design phase of
Page 41 and 42: Performance metrics and a set of st
Page 43 and 44: Chapter 4 Funding Models for State-
Page 45 and 46: Table 2 Groups of State-Supported R
Page 47 and 48: Recommendation 4 (Expected Outputs)
Page 49 and 50: Note Box 3: Desription of Funding S
Page 51 and 52: It is assumed that for most of the
Page 53 and 54: 4.3 Key Elements for Centre Sustain
Page 55 and 56: permanent HEI employees. However, i
Page 57 and 58: of base-centre-funding support, the
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generally and therefore any form of
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Chapter 5 Oversight Mechanism of th
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Develop a common set of high level
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Research centres should have clear
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Appendix 2: Membership of the Advis
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Centre Type Description University
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Appendix 4: Pasteur’s Quadrant As
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Appendix 6: Names of State Research
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Appendix 7: Details of the Centres
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Appendix 8: Points to Note in Relat
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Appendix 9: RTOs Appendix 9A: The k
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Appendix 9B: Potential Options for
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