DETI — Review of the support mechanisms provided by the Northern Ireland Executive to support delive

Descriptions

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), on behalf of the Executive Sub Committee on the Economy wishes to appoint a Contractor to review the effectiveness of the NI Executive approach to support delivery of its target to drawdown 145 000 000 EUR Horizon 2020. Central to this will be an assessment of the existing support mechanisms which have been put in place to support NI participants engaging successfully in Horizon 2020. Horizon 2020 is the European Union's Framework for Research and Innovation. It is the world's largest competitive research and innovation programme with a budget of nearly 80 000 000 000 000 EUR. Running from 2014 to 2020, it funds all stages of research and innovation, from blue skies research through to near market activity. Programmes such as Horizon 2020 have an important role to play in helping transform Northern Ireland's economy into one that is knowledge based and export orientated and in so doing raise the profile of Northern Ireland research and innovation capabilities. More information on Horizon 2020 and the support available to NI applicants can be found at www.h2020ni.com In September 2014 the Northern Ireland Executive set a target of securing 145 000 000 EUR from Horizon 2020. This target represented a 65 % increase in Northern Ireland performance under FP7 — the predecessor to Horizon 2020. In setting the target the Executive recognised that success will require a substantial increase in both the number and the quality of the applications submitted under Horizon 2020 than were submitted in FP7. (NI secured 89 000 000 EUR from FP7 — more details on NI past and current performance can be found at www.h2020ni.com) The successful Contractor will have full access to NI data on Horizon 2020. The overall aim of the Review is to ensure that the Northern Ireland Executive's Horizon 2020 policies, programmes and resources are appropriately targeted to help achieve the target of 145 000 000 EUR. The review will determine if the existing support mechanisms and actions being taken across the Executive are sufficient to deliver the Executive's target, and make recommendations for improving performance moving forward. The review will inform future decisions on the allocation of both financial and non financial support provided by the NI Executive Departments and arms length bodies to potential Horizon 2020 applicants. This is particularly relevant as funding for the current primary source of support to potential applicants, i.e. The Northern Ireland Horizon 2020 Contact Point Network is due to end in August 2016. The Review will examine the impact of this network and assess the extent to which the focus of the NI Executive's efforts should be on either promotional and awareness raising activity aimed at widening participation or whether instead resources should be concentrated on a number of smaller number of discreet areas that have the potential to deliver larger and more successful Horizon 2020 projects. This tender is below the OJEU threshold but is being advertised in the OJEU to attract interest (The Public Contract Regulations 2015 will not apply and this is a voluntary notice).