THE GOVERNMENT should establish a single internet portal providing information on all sources of funding for research and development, according to Brendan Butler, director of policy with employers’ group Ibec.

Mr Butler was speaking as Ibec introduced a guide to the supports available for R&D and innovation. It identifies over 30 R&D supports available from 14 State and semi-State agencies as well as other sources of funding, including €11 billion available through the European Commission’s seventh framework programme.

“As a country that has a requirement to significantly up its R&D spend, we must make it easier for companies to access the funding that is available,” said Mr Butler.

The Ibec publication Unlock the Opportunities includes information on venture capital, tax incentives, Government supports and grants, as well as research collaborations with higher education institutes. It is published online and is open to all, not just Ibec members.

“The real issue is the smaller companies who really need to be helped and supported,” said Mr Butler

Ibec member Karl Flannery, founder and chief executive of Storm Technology, said his firm had received State support for its collaboration with the Digital Enterprise Research Institute in Galway, but it was “a complex environment” for a relatively small firm to navigate.

He said a major issue for the private sector was how to get access to the intellectual property generated by any collaboration with academics.

“That doesn’t seem to be consistent across research institutes,” said Mr Flannery.

Mr Butler said he did not think the “bureaucracy is excessive for some of the Irish funding streams compared to the EU”, with Ibec members regularly complaining about the difficulty of accessing funding from Europe.

The Ibec guide is available at www.IBEC.ie/researchguide