I- PROPÓSITOS INSTITUCIONALES
1. Perfil de Egreso
Summary of Document
STIAC (Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council) was established in 1994, and this report subtitled Making Knowledge Work for Us, published in three volumes, was produced to argue the case for a new evaluation of how re- search should be funded in Ireland, both in terms of the industrial investment in research and in terms of the national government’s investment in research in higher education institutions. STIAC was chaired by Dan Tierney, and this re- port is often cited as the Tierney Report [STIAC, 1995]. Volume One is the main report. Volume Two comprises materials prepared by consultants (i.e. a CIRCA Group Europe report of 54 pages plus appendices, and a Technoplis report of 20 pages). Volume Three is made up of fourteen appendices, including working ver- sions of chapters of the main report. In sum this is one of the most comprehensive and professional reports ever produced on Science Technology and Innovation in Ireland, and considered over 150 submissions from interested parties.
The report was publicly launched on 27th March 1995 when the Minister for Enterprise was Pat Rabbitte of the Labour party, which was in coalition with Fianna Gael and Democratic Left, forming the so-called Rainbow Coalition. Following its publication the government created a Task Force, chaired by John
Travers, Chief Executive of Forf´as, and made up of representatives from relevant
government departments, to examine the recommendations of the STIAC Report and report to the Cabinet Committee.
In the Executive Summary Travers highlighted the following as the key rec- ommendations within the STIAC report:
“The Report goes on to make a series of detailed and practical recommendations through which these principles can be translated into action. Among the most important are:
• The objective to double the level of R & D undertaken by the Business Sector with State support by 1999.
• The objective to increase funding for basic research from £1.5 m to £6 m. per year, the proposal to provide a special fund for research equipment in the Third Level sector and the call for a Research Charter to promote greater interaction between the research capability of the Universities and other Third Level Bodies and the Business Sector.
6.2 POLICY FORMATION TEXTS 95 • The proposals to establish new management structures for the
Programmes in Advanced Technology (PATs) which will clarify their objectives and provide the means by which priorities can be established including those relating to the needs of the indigenous sector of Irish industry.
• The proposals to establish a National Task Force to achieve a ”state of the art” Communications Network.
• The objective to create a Special Awareness Fund of £1m per year to improve the awareness and understanding of the value of science, technology and innovation to the achievement of national social and economic objectives.
• The proposals to put in place new organisational arrangements to reflect the importance of Science, Technology and Innovation to our development policies including a Cabinet Committee on Science & Technology, the establishment of a National Office of Science & Technology and the preparation and prioritisation of an Annual S & T Plan.”
[STIAC, 1995, Executive Summary]
At the time the report sparked discussion, as is captured by Mulcahy’s paper [Mulcahy, 1996] summarising a debate hosted in November 1995 in the University of Limerick on the topic of “Challenges for Partnership between University and Industry: a Response to the Tierney Report on Science, Technology and Innova- tion”. The organisers were conscious that the publication of STIAC provided “an opportunity for those who are concerned about Science, Technology and Innova- tion (STI) policy in Ireland” to contribute to the debate in advance of a White Paper being published [Mulcahy, 1996, p. 50]. It should be noted that Mulcahy was a member of STIAC and so was very familiar with the report.
Summary of Document Significance
The report could be considered the starting point for the complete transformation of Irish funding for higher education institutions. It argued forcefully, and with strong academic credentials, the case for national policy prioritisation of research and development both in terms of industrial R&D and in terms of academic research. It had a strong theme of the need for an integrated policy for STI summarised in the following recommendation:
“There are 41 Agencies and institutions engaged in S&T activi- ties within the public sector. Opportunities for interinstitutional col- laboration, synergy, rationalisation or greater mobility of personnel
should be investigated. Arrangements should be put in hand to en- sure that institutions participate in national and international net- works through which new knowledge is acquired and shared. The Inter-Departmental Committee should provide a lead in this regard.” [STIAC, 1995, Chapter 8]
The report led directly to the setting up of a task force, led by John Travers
of Forf´as, to publish a White Paper on how to proceed based on STIAC.
Analysis: Evidence of Explicit Contextualisation
The STIAC Report directly refers to the idea of a National System of Innovation, stating that Ireland does not as yet have one.
“Innovation is a complex process and the concept of a ‘national system of innovation’
(NSI) has been developed internationally to identify the key factors influencing innovation.”
[STIAC, 1995, Chapter 2]
Volume One of the report contains a detailed set of references including the following academic paper: Mansfield [1992].
The CIRCA Report in Volume Two (not be to be confused with [CIRCA, 1996]) contains 118 references in which Freeman, Nelson, and Edquist are all explicitly cited with reference to National Systems of Innovation. This report also cites Porter on more than one occasion.
Analysis: Evidence of Implicit Contextualisation
The report is written from an economic perspective, with many references to the link between investment in research and development, and the potential economic benefit in innovation.
“Despite the apparently healthy picture painted by the official macroeconomic statistics, there are serious grounds for concern about the real state of indigenous enterprise.
These concerns are reinforced by a significant number of studies and reports relating to economic development, particularly industrial development. There is an increasing consensus that a poor record in innovation is at the root of the problem.
There is a link between science, technology and industrial innova- tion.”
6.2 POLICY FORMATION TEXTS 97 “Government must recognise and promote a long term investment strategy to build up the elements of NSI. Fundamental to this is the need for an integrated national STI policy.
The component parts of the innovation system need to be exam- ined in depth to identify the important weaknesses. On the demand side is the enterprise sector, while the supply side is represented by the Third Level and State sectors. Linkages with these sectors and with the rest of the economy are also critical.
Expenditures on research and development in Ireland is low com- pared to most other OECD countries. Business sector R&D is an important element of the innovation system and needs to be substan- tially increased. Funding for basic research is inadequate and the Government must increase its level.
The traditional low status of science and technology in this coun- try means that the political mechanisms and structures do not exist to co-ordinate and prioritise the State’s annual investment in S&T activities.”
[STIAC, 1995, Chapter 2]
In Volume One there is a list of definitions including: R&D, pure basic re- search, oriented basic research, applied research and experimental development with the definitions provided coming from the OECD Frascati Manual.
The STIAC report is comprehensive in its nature and covers more than one angle on most issues, whilst maintaining a strong theme that Ireland currently lacks a coherent integrated Science Technology and Innovation policy linking all the key players, and arguing for the creation of space for basic and oriented basic research funding in higher education.
Analysis: Summary
The Tierney Report, or STIAC Report, is the core document justifying the eco- nomic view of investment in R&D that led to investment over the next ten years and beyond. It explicitly follows the National Systems of Innovation model of research and development, arguing for investment in all elements that make up that system.