PROFILE The Transformer
The Transformer Dr Siobhan Roche DIRECTOR, SCIENCE FOR T H E E C O N O M Y, S C I E N C E FOUNDATION IRELAND
AT A GLANCE
I relan d c a n p osition itse lf a s a wor ld le a d in g kn owle d g e econ omy in key ar eas, su ch a s lifesc ie n c e s, ag r i-fo o d , d ig ital tech n olog ies, en e r g y a n d su sta in a b ility an d m an u fa c tu r in g .
“Companies consistently report access to talented researchers and the opportunity to conduct cutting edge science and advance technology development.”
Tell us a bit about your collaboration with IDA Ireland Science Foundation Ireland is Ireland’s national foundation for investment in STEM. SFI collaborates with IDA to deliver our shared mission of supporting economic development. We showcase Ireland’s world class research, infrastructure and talent pipeline to clients with a view to increasing FDI and job creation. We develop key connections and support academic researchers to forge R&D partnerships with companies. We established SFI’s first international office in 2018 through placing a scientific staff member in IDA offices in California, a highly successful pilot. SFI has launched the SFI Industry RD&I Fellowship in collaboration with IDA. This programme provides companies with access to highly skilled researchers in Irish academic institutions through direct placements within the company. It’s a great opportunity to bring new scientific expertise into a company to support innovative R&D as well as seed new academic collaborations. FOR MORE: www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/sfiindustry-fellowship-programme/index.xml
Academia-industry collaborations are becoming more frequent, what results do you see these collabs yielding? Over 200 industry partnerships have been forged through the Fellowship Programme, in areas including renewable energy, smart manufacturing, and next generation medical devices. A recent survey revealed that 53% of companies participated to address specific skills gaps, while 42% wished to strengthen existing collaborations with an academic partner. Companies consistently report access to talented researchers and the opportunity to conduct cutting edge science and advance technology development as key benefits of the programme. Many Fellowships lead to a longer-term expansion of the R&D partnership and half of Fellows subsequently pursue a career in industry. Is ireland in particular fertile ground for collaborations? Yes, due to the significant investment made by the Irish government in developing Ireland as a world leading knowledge economy in key areas, such as lifesciences, agri-food, digital technologies, energy and sustainability and manufacturing. Much of this research excellence has been consolidated into a network SFI Research Centres, who engage in pioneering research in partnership with industry. SFI
200
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INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS HAVE BEEN FORGED THROUGH THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME
53% OF COMPANIES PARTICIPATED TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC SKILLS GAPS
1,000+ CURRENT COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN SFI RESEARCH CENTRES AND COMPANIES
Research Centres have engaged in over 1000 collaborations with companies and are open to new collaborations, including through the Fellowship Programme. What is the impact of collab on the economy/reputation of ireland? Over the last decade, the Irish academic research system in Ireland has been transformed into a highly collaborative research ecosystem. There has been significant growth in enterprise collaboration and co-funding of public research. For SFI Research Centres, every €1 invested returns €5 to the Irish economy. Furthermore, Centres have a significant impact on wider job creation. Additionally, Ireland has increased in global rankings for scientific research quality (12th) and innovation (15th overall, 1st for knowledge diffusion and impact), an achievement we are very proud of! What are your medium and long term goals for sfi? SFI has an ambition for Ireland to become a global innovation leader through further development of our excellent research base and talent and delivering positive benefits for Ireland. We aim to scale and evolve our enterprise facing programmes and invest in emerging areas of science and skills needed to futureproof Ireland’s knowledge economy. IDAIRELAND.COM
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