SFI maintaining ireland's competiveness through innovation

1. Science Foundation Ireland;
Supporting Excellence with Impact
Ruth Freeman PhD
Director,
Programmes, Enterprise &
Research for Ireland’s Future International Affairs

2. What is the purpose of SFI Funding?
• An instrument of Government polices
• With particular focus on economic/enterprise
development (funded from the Industrial
development budget)
• Achieve excellence in Science as a foundation for
Enterprise, enabling
– Innovation
– Upgraded human resources
– Higher education institute (HEI) capability
– Enterprise/Academic collaboration

3. What is the profile of the annual SFI budget?
Public R&D: €600m SFI Annual Budget
Grants to HEIs
€150m
€9m Pay/
SFI: €150m
Non-Pay
Other: €450m
SFI Spend Profile
Centres/
Individual Clusters
Teams
& Other

4. SFI Budget 2000-2012
180
160
Millions Euro
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

5. Enabling Infrastructure
Helium Ion Clean room facility Human Studies Germ-free facilities
Microscope platform
..almost €1bn invested through a single scheme (PRTLI)

6. Agenda 2020
Excellence with Impact
Research for Ireland’s Future

7. Agenda 2020 –
Scientific and Engineering Research…
Powers an innovative and enterprising
economy
Creates high-value jobs
Attracts, develops and nurtures
businesses, scientists and talented people
Is connected and respected
internationally

8. Four Goals in Agenda 2020
To be the best science funding agency in the world at creating
impact from excellent research and demonstrating clear value
for money invested
• Invest in research excellence in areas identified by NRPE
• Invest in SFI’s translational research capability
• Develop a set of centres that are recognised internationally
• Increase the number of SFI-trained researchers hired by industry
To be the exemplar in building partnerships that fund excellent
science and drive it out to market
• Build strategic partnerships
• Diversify the funding sources for Ireland’s scientific base
To have the strongest public support for its scientific mission
To represent the ideal modern public service
organisation, staffed in a lean and flexible manned, with
efficient and effective management

9. What has SFI achieved?
 Built a credible base of world class research teams : SFI supports approximately 3,000
researchers in Ireland led by over 300 lead scientists
 Has helped drive Irish universities up the world rankings: Ireland has ascended the
international ranking of scientific research capability – from 36th in 2003 to 20th in 2010 :
Ireland has scored a world ranking of 8th in materials science, and 3rd in Immunology
 Has contributed to the internationalisation of Irish research – SFI researchers are engaged
over 1,900 international partnerships in over 60 countries
 SFI researchers secure over €60 million from international sources annually
 Created a high level of Intellectual Property: SFI researcher’s pre-commercial outputs: an
average per year: 6 spinouts, 83 patents filed, 14 patents awarded, 145 invention
disclosures, 25 licenced technologies (650 awards)
 Has assisted IDA/EI in anchoring & transforming the industrial base - SFI researchers have
links to the companies that generated approx. 60% of recent IDA-supported job
announcements.
 SFI supports over 35 conferences annually, involving over 2,500 international
delegates, which generate an economic return to Ireland of €3.5million

10. Publication Output: Quality
There has been a
commensurate increase in the
level of pre-commercial GERMANY AND UK
outputs including OECD
WORLD
patents, licences and spin-out
POLAND, GREECE
companies
8th in Materials
1981 1991 2001
3rd in Immunology
11th in Computer Science
Source: Thomson Reuters InCites March 2010

11. SFI researchers are involved in over
900 collaborations with almost 600
companies.
These collaborations are with both
small and large, indigenous and
external companies

12. Research Prioritisation - Industry-led committee to
prioritise academic research
14 Priority Areas
• A Future Networks & Communications
• B Data Analytics Management, Security & Privacy
• C Digital Platforms, Content & Applications
• D Connected Health & Independent Living
• E Medical Devices
• F Diagnostics
• G Therapeutics - synthesis formulation, processing and
drug delivery
• H Food for Health
• I Sustainable Food Production and Processing
• J Marine Renewable Energy
• K Smart Grids & Smart Cities
• L Manufacturing Competitiveness
• M Processing Technologies and Novel Materials
• N Innovation in Services and Business Processes

13. SFI Confidential
6 Underpinning/Platform Science and
Technology Areas
 Basic Biomedical Science
 Nanotechnology
 Advanced Materials
 Microelectronics
 Photonics
 Software Engineering

14. Priority Area G: Therapeutics: Synthesis, Formulation, Processing and
Drug Delivery
Priority Area L: Manufacturing Competitiveness
Priority Area M: Processing Technologies and Novel Materials
Key Investments in these areas
 SSPC (Solid State Pharmaceutical Research Cluster)
 IDDN (Irish Drug Delivery Network)
 AGRC (Alimentary Glycoscience Research Cluster)
 REMEDI (Regenerative Medicine Cluster)
 Martin Clynes (National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, DCU, CHO cells)
 Richard O 'Kennedy (DCU, Genetic methods of antibody production)
 Oliver Dolly (DCU, Recombinant Botulinum Neurotoxins as Therapeutics)
 Pat Guiry, Declan Gilheany, Stephen Connon (Synthetic Chemists)
Infrastructure
 Continuous Processing Platform Technology (SSPC in UCD)
 National GMP facility (REMEDI)
 Facilities in DCU (Martin Clynes, Oliver Dolly, Ian Marison)
 Bioreactor for Biocatalysis Production (UCD School of Chemical Engineering)

15. SFI Partnership Programme
SFI is open to partnership opportunities
with industry
Flexible approach depending on needs
May be at a national level or in
partnership with individual Higher
Education Institution

16. Email: ruth.freeman@sfi.ie
Tel : +353 1 607 3142
www.sfi.ie
alerts@sfi.ie
the foundation of the smart economy