Sunday Independent: Innovation is a key driver of business growth. At Enterprise Ireland we see that - in relation to sales, exports and job growth - companies which innovate will most often outperform those that don't.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD, with Michael Brougham, Regional Director- Midlands, Enterprise Ireland and James Maloney, Senior Regional Development Executive, Enterprise Ireland at the National Ploughing Championships.

There was double success for Agri-Spread International at last week’s National Ploughing Championships. The Co. Mayo firm won the Machine of the Year competition and the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Award, with their Automatic GPS Section Control precision trailed spreader.

Machine Eye, a Newry-based agri-tech company, won the award for best safety innovation at this year’s Innovation Arena Awards, run by Enterprise Ireland in conjunction with the Irish Farmers Journal.

From maximising crop yields to novel farm safety solutions, the most innovative Irish agritech products were named last week at the National Ploughing Championships by Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen TD.

More than 50 Irish companies are to take part in a trade mission to Scotland this week as Enterprise Ireland warns of the “challenges” of Brexit.

Last week, Enterprise Ireland hosted 15 leading and world-renowned healthcare providers from the USA and Canada at the inaugural North America Healthcare Forum. Industry leaders met with over 100 Irish companies operating in the healthcare solutions sector. 

The €625,000 pilot Online Retail Scheme was developed by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) with Enterprise Ireland to encourage a step change in online capability in the retail sector.

Ireland's exports to Arab markets topped €4.3bn in 2016 and are forecast to exceed €9bn in the next 10 years.

Breaking into the US market isn’t always easy but with the right supports, infrastructure, attitudes and product, it is achievable.

Avail Support offers help to people with autism to lead independent lives. Founder Lisa Marie Clinton features in last week’s Fora Start-up Spotlight series.

Galway supplement business Revive Active is investing €500,000 in a new manufacturing plant as it brings that part of its business back in-house.

“Kite Medical is a medtech start-up with an experienced team developing a non-invasive, child-friendly solution for detecting kidney reflux to remove the need for complicated procedures and hospital visits,” Kite Medical CEO Joan FitzPatrick.

Limerick start-up CloudCARDS is seeking €1.5m for the global roll-out of an aircraft asset management system designed for use by airlines and aircraft leasing companies.

When patients around the world are being tested for tropical diseases such as the Zika virus, dengue fever or yellow fever, it is highly likely that the diagnostic kit will utilise products developed and manufactured by Dublin company Aalto Bio Reagents.