Horizon 2020, the European Union’s new €79 billion programme for research and innovation to create new growth and jobs in Europe, was launched this week by Commisssioner Máire Geoghegan Quinn and Minister Sean Sherlock to an audience of over 2,000 delegates in the Convention Centre Dublin.
Dublin Web Summit 2013 boasted 10,000 attendees from 97 countries, over 60 speakers, and hundreds of exhibitors, and this year achieved the distinction of being Europe’s largest technology conference.
A major boost in business confidence has Irish CEOs projecting a far brighter outlook for 2014. This was signalled by the results of a new survey undertaken by Enterprise Ireland and Deloitte in advance of the CEO Forum which found that more than 9 out of 10 (93%) of Irish CEOs surveyed felt more confident in the performance of their business this year than at the same time last year.
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD recently led a five-day trade and investment mission to India involving 42 Irish companies and education institutions, organised by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. The intensive five days of business activity on the mission covered three cities, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai.
Irish companies participating in the Enterprise Ireland trade mission to South Africa and Nigeria in November led by Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello T.D., secured new contracts totalling over €7m and agreed significant business alliances in the region – demonstrating the growing opportunities for Irish companies in the developing Sub-Saharan Africa region.
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, recently announced the establishment of a new fund of €125million which will focus on investing in Irish SMEs. Enterprise Ireland has made a €25million commitment, under the Government’s Development Capital Scheme, to the first and final close of the fund.
€21M was recently announced for the functional foods Technology Centre, Food for Health Ireland (FHI). Details of the investment were made at the first Technology Centres Expo recently.
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, recently welcomed 500 Brazilian third-level students to Ireland at an event in Dublin Castle. Under the Brazilian Government’s new Science without Borders scholarship programme, the number of Brazilian students studying in Ireland has jumped from 120 to 1200 in the last year.
Former Enterprise Ireland CEO, Frank Ryan, is awarded an honorary doctorate degree from University College Dublin and the Irish Management Institute "Innovation in Management Award".
EnterpriseIreland, through its ambitious women initiative is delighted to have sponsored several female entrepreneur awards in 2013. We applaud the winners and congratulate all of the applicants who have taken the time to promote their success and the successes of their businesses.
