English: Can I thank you, Tom Giffard, for bringing forward this debate and giving me some time? I think all of us in this Chamber agree with the notion that research, development and innovation are important drivers to economic growth and prosperity, and of course universities are fundamental to this. Now, there is good news. Wales has been noted as a consistently strong player within international and regional research and innovation, and recent statistics show that Wales has a higher proportion of academic publications in the most cited global publications compared with any other part of the UK. But, as my colleague mentioned in his contribution, there is more that we can do to support universities to boost their capabilities. One thing I think we need is more focus. So, what particular areas do we lead on, and what areas do we want to grow in? This comment has been made about the Welsh Government's innovation strategy. The general missions of the strategy, whilst laudable, are quite broad. By being more focused and specific we can make it easier for universities and indeed Wales to develop and then scale the new ideas we require. And we've seen examples of how well this can work. For example, the Cardiff capital region city deal invested in developing the compound semiconductor appliances industry, prioritising investment in research and development and supporting innovative business, and we've seen universities engaging with this investment, with the Institute for Compound Semiconductors being established at Cardiff University. We need to ensure that we don't just invest in research and innovation, but we also need to create synergies between academia and businesses to ensure that their needs and priorities align with one another. Thank you.
Welsh: A gaf fi ddiolch i chi, Tom Giffard, am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon a rhoi ychydig o amser i mi? Rwy'n credu bod pob un ohonom yn y Siambr yn cytuno â'r syniad fod ymchwil, datblygu ac arloesi yn sbardun pwysig i dwf economaidd a ffyniant, ac wrth gwrs mae prifysgolion yn allweddol i hyn. Nawr, mae yna newyddion da. Nodwyd bod Cymru'n chwaraewr cyson o gryf o fewn ymchwil ac arloesi rhyngwladol a rhanbarthol, ac mae ystadegau diweddar yn dangos bod gan Gymru gyfran uwch o gyhoeddiadau academaidd ymhlith y cyhoeddiadau byd-eang a ddyfynnir amlaf o'u cymharu ag unrhyw ran arall o'r DU. Ond fel y soniodd fy nghyd-Aelod yn ei gyfraniad, mae mwy y gallwn ei wneud i gynorthwyo prifysgolion i hybu eu galluoedd. Yn un peth, rwy'n credu ein bod angen mwy o ffocws. Felly, pa feysydd penodol rydym yn eu harwain, a pha feysydd yr hoffem dyfu ynddynt? Mae'r sylw hwn wedi cael ei wneud am strategaeth arloesedd Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae negeseuon cyffredinol y strategaeth, er yn ganmoladwy, yn eithaf eang. Drwy fod â mwy ffocws ac yn fwy penodol, gallwn ei gwneud yn haws i brifysgolion, a Chymru yn wir, ddatblygu a chynyddu maint y syniadau newydd sydd eu hangen arnom. A gwelsom enghreifftiau o ba mor dda y gall hyn weithio. Er enghraifft, mae bargen ddinesig prifddinas-ranbarth Caerdydd wedi buddsoddi i ddatblygu'r diwydiant lled-ddargludyddion cyfansawdd, gan flaenoriaethu buddsoddi mewn ymchwil a datblygu a chefnogi busnesau arloesol, ac mae pawb ohonom wedi gweld prifysgolion dangos diddordeb yn y buddsoddiad hwn, gyda'r Sefydliad Lled-ddargludyddion Cyfansawdd yn cael ei sefydlu ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Mae angen inni sicrhau ein bod yn gwneud mwy na buddsoddi mewn ymchwil ac arloesedd yn unig, mae angen inni hefyd greu synergeddau rhwng y byd academaidd a busnesau i sicrhau bod eu hanghenion a'u blaenoriaethau'n cyd-fynd â'i gilydd. Diolch.