Education in Ireland, an Enterprise Ireland initiative that promotes higher education study opportunities in Ireland, announced today that new statistics indicate a jump in Ireland’s popularity as a study abroad destination among U.S. students.
For the school year 2011/2012, Ireland saw a 9% increase in the number of U.S. students coming to the country to study, according to the Open Doors Report, an annual survey conducted by the Institute of International Education providing information about study abroad trends. The report ranks Ireland as the ninth most popular study destination overall for U.S. students. Ireland’s increase outpaced the overall growth in students studying abroad – pegged at 3.4% by the report.
Data collection and analysis performed independently by Education in Ireland confirms the increase and projects the trend to continue for the 2013/2014 school year. Of particular note, Education in Ireland data shows a major increase – a 55% jump from the 2012/2013 to 2013/2014 school year -- in the number of U.S. post-graduate students coming to Ireland for post-graduate degree work and research.
'We attribute our growing popularity to a number of factors,' said Michelle Dervan, U.S. manager for Education in Ireland in Enterprise Ireland. 'Ireland’s universities and colleges offer unique academic programs that can be highly cost competitive when compared to U.S. education costs, particularly at the post graduate levels. Many students report to us that their overseas study experiences– both on campus and off – gives them global perspective and a hiring advantage after graduation. And certainly, students appreciate the easy access that Ireland provides to other parts of Europe." Dervan also credited Ireland’s increased popularity to a range of new promotional programs designed to heighten U.S. student awareness, including a highly regarded student ambassador program.'
SoftTrace, a Cork based provider of Food industry software, recently announced a partnership with Wisconsin based Mullins Cheese and Mullins Whey. Mullins have selected the SoftTrace suite of quality management and traceability modules to support all aspects of whey and cheese production at the company’s state-of-the-art Mosinee facility.
As the largest family owned and operated cheese manufacturer in Wisconsin, Mullins produce a range of cheese products for national distribution. The company’s whey products are distributed globally for use in nutritional supplements, sports drinks and food products.
The individual SoftTrace modules add up to a plant-wide data collection and management system. The suite can be implemented on a modular basis to create a system with the required degree of flexibility to meet the specific needs and budget of individual customers in the Dairy industry.
Mullin’s have elected to implement the full SoftTrace suite. They will use it to eliminate areas of data disconnect within the facility and easily meet the traceability mandate with bi-directional traceability at the touch of a button as well as enhanced rapid response and product recall capabilities. They will benefit from real-time quality management and the integration of quality data with all other operational areas as well as enhanced production efficiency, waste and cost reductions.
SoftTrace Traceability and Quality Management software systems are used by Dairy and Food companies in Europe and USA - not only to address their complex quality, traceability, product safety and risk management challenges. SoftTrace also supports industry leaders in achieving increased operational efficiency and profits, effective control of inventory, maximised product yield management, improved operating profits and a reduction in overhead costs.
In Hand Guides Ltd an Irish start-up company established in 2005 with the support of Enterprise Ireland is continuing to expand their client base in North America
In Hand Guides Ltd. an Irish start-up company that was established in 2005 is continuing to expand their client base in North America with the support of Enterprise Ireland.
The Skydeck Chicago is a spectacular glass walkway around the top of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). The Willis Tower is now the second tallest building in the U.S. – it has just been overtaken by the new 9/11 Freedom Tower.
Skydeck attracts over 1.5 million visitors annually who will now be offered an In Hand Guides souvenir audio player to purchase at the ticket desk. This will replace the ‘rent out and return’ type system that is currently in use. Now visitors will be able to simply purchase an audio guide and keep it as a souvenir.
Since the first design launch in 2008, In Hand Guides will have manufactured and sold over 200,000 units by the end of 2013, with expansion plans to sell over 300,000 units in 2014.
With further support of an accelerator package from Enterprise Ireland, the US will be a prime target during 2014.
Patrick Joy, founder and chairman of Enterprise Ireland client company Suretank has been crowned the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2013. Headquartered in Dunleer, Co. Louth, Suretank is the world’s largest manufacturer of cargo-carrying units for the offshore oil and gas industry. Holding a 62 per cent global market share, it is also the leader in the transport tank industry. It employs 600 people and has revenues of more than €68 million.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards is a global awards programme designed to recognise and support entrepreneurs. While the programme runs in more than 50 countries, the event in Ireland, now in its 16th year, has been identified as one of the strongest in the world.
There are three categories – emerging, industry and international. There is a winner from each category announced, from these three winners the overall Entrepreneur of the Year is chosen.
This year’s winners were selected from 24 finalists shortlisted by the judging panel. Ranging from financial services and technology to agriculture and manufacturing, the finalists span a diverse range of sectors, collectively employing over 6,000 people and generating revenues of over €1 billion.
The judges are business people who have achieved success in their own right. Criteria include growth in turnover and employee numbers, as well as vision, degree of innovation, creativity in production, marketing and selling and expansion in local and international markets.
The GreenBusiness Winter Seminars took place in Athlone, Dublin and Cork recently. These environmental events were organised by GreenBusiness.ie in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and Enterprise Ireland. Presentations were balanced between information on available supports from government agencies together with case studies from Irish small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) on environmental initiatives which they have undertaken.
The focus of the seminars was on the savings that a business can make by identifying opportunities for resource efficiency in their day to day operations. Resource efficiency is essentially about using less water, energy and raw materials to manufacture a product or provide a service. In every business steps can be taken to address specific areas of a process and identify opportunities to prevent waste and save money.
Government Agency Supports:
• GreenBusiness programme. GreenBusiness is a free service funded by the Environmental Protection Agency aimed at providing supports to Irish SMEs with the objective of delivering substantive resource efficiency improvements and cost savings, through waste prevention and reductions in water and energy consumption. More information on the supports GreenBusiness offers can be seen here.
• Enterprise Ireland Environmental Supports Programme. The Competitiveness Department of Enterprise Ireland provides various financial supports to their client companies to aid them in their endeavours to become more sustainable. Alongside the financial supports Enterprise Ireland also offers information and advisory services. More information on Enterprise Ireland supports can be seen here.
• Environmental Protection Agency National Waste Prevention Programme. The aim of this initiative is to deliver substantive results on waste prevention and minimisation and integrate a range of initiatives addressing awareness-raising, technical and financial assistance, training and incentive mechanisms. More information on the EPA initiative can be seen here.
• Bord Iascaigh Mhara. BIM aims to provide a sustainable future for the Irish seafood industry by focussing on water usage, energy consumption and waste prevention. This improvement in resource usage has resulted in significant cost savings and increased reputational benefit. If you are interested in finding out more about BIM’s initiatives please click here.
The recurring theme from these seminars was that Irish companies should be identifying opportunities for resource efficiency. It is possible to achieve significant savings as a result which will increase the profitability and competitiveness of the companies.
If you are interested in finding out more about sustainable strategies that are right for your company please contact Enterprise Ireland’s Green Team at green@enterprise-ireland.com
Tyndall National Institute recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PCH International to support the generation and scaling of new high tech start-up companies in Ireland targeting the global market.
The announcement was made at the launch of Tyndall's 5-year Strategic Plan which aims to contribute to the generation of over 500 new jobs in high-tech start-up companies, new multinationals investing in Ireland, and established Irish companies.
PCH International offers transparent, sustainable product development and supply chain management services to a diverse range of clients from fortune 500s to innovative start-ups. The MOU provides for close collaboration between PCH's two programmes for startups, Highway1 and PCH Accelerator and Tyndall's international network of over 200 industry clients to identify market opportunities.
Speaking at the launch, Tyndall CEO, Dr. Kieran Drain said: “Powerful synergies exist between Tyndall's skill in breakthrough ICT research and product development and PCH's world class design for manufacturing and delivery. Together we aim to provide end-to-end support for high-tech start-ups from concept to shelf, benefiting from PCH's insights as a market leader to extend commercial reach from Ireland to China and beyond."
Commenting on the partnership, PCH International CEO, Liam Casey said: "We are delighted to partner with Tyndall. The research work we have seen from them is world-class, particularly in the health and wellness market, and we are both focused on promoting successful high potential hardware startups. Tyndall's expertise in ICT hardware research, combined with PCH expertise in getting products to market, means that we are creating huge opportunities for entrepreneurs in Ireland to achieve success on a global scale."
Crowley Carbon, an Enterprise Ireland client and Ireland’s fastest-growing Energy Services company, recently announced the creation of 20 new jobs at the launch of C³, the world’s first Carbon Control Centre located in Enniskerry, County Wicklow.
The state-of-the-art facility, which is the first of its type in the world, will enable Crowley Carbon to monitor, control and alert clients to any event that is causing their equipment to consume more energy than should be required. The project is supported by the Department of Jobs through Enterprise Ireland.
The ground-breaking, proprietary technology has been in development for the past two years and undergone extensive testing at sites in Ireland where its use has reduced energy costs by as much as 30 percent.
Speaking of the announcement, Norman Crowley, Chief Executive Officer of Crowley Carbon said: “With ever-rising energy costs, the roll-out of C³ technology will allow businesses to be pro-active, rather than reactive, towards any potential increases that may arise in relation to ongoing energy bills.”
He continued: “By providing our customers with accurate, reliable, and real-time information around excessive energy consumption, Crowley Carbon has re-set the benchmark for Irish consumers and businesses, all of whom will benefit from the significant cost savings, job creation and environmental benefits that will arise as a direct consequence of greatly-reduced energy consumption.”
For a monthly service fee, C³ customers willreceive 24/7 monitoring from a team of highly-qualified engineers who will constantly review up to 800 different energy-consuming points throughout a client’s site. The Centre is the first to integrate the multi billion dollar technology revolution, known as Internet of Things with a product for the energy efficiency market.
Internet of Things represents a new era for the digital age by enabling devices ranging from domestic fridges to industrial chillers and everything in between to communicate and be controlled over the internet.
Eamon Eastwood, an Australia-based entrepreneur has been appointed as Enterprise Ireland’s Start-up Ambassador for Australia. This appointment forms part of our strategy to encourage overseas entrepreneurs to locate their start-up businesses in Ireland.
Mr Eastwood is the founder and CEO of Taste Ireland, importing and distributing Ireland’s leading food brands across Australia and New Zealand. Taste Ireland have sizable supply contracts (700 stores) with both Retail Giants Woolworths and Coles who between them own 70% of the Australian retail market. He is closely involved in the Diaspora community and is a member of the Global Irish Network. He has close links to other aspects of the start-up ecosystem in Australia and is a Director with the Club Kidpreneur Foundation, a not for profit social enterprise committed to assisting young people start and grow their own micro-enterprises in order that one day they may choose entrepreneurship as a career. He will now bring this vast experience to working closely with Enterprise-Ireland to highlight Ireland and what it has to offer for international start-ups.
Eamon Eastwood joins other start-up ambassadors appointed by Enterprise Ireland including Dylan Collins for the UK market, Paul Kenny for the Middle East, Liam Casey for the Greater China Region, and Dr Art Rosenthal as Life Sciences Start-up Ambassador for the US.
A key priority for Enterprise Ireland and for the start-up ambassadors is to spread the word in these international communities about what Ireland has to offer as a very attractive and competitive location for starting innovative, scalable businesses in sectors such as IT and lifesciences. It is a great place for business, for living and for targeting Europe and the Eastern US and is ranked by World Bank and Forbes as one of the best countries in the world for both starting a business and doing business. Ireland welcomes and supports incoming entrepreneurs with a world-class start-up support system including highly-regarded mentoring and development programmes for start-ups across all stages of growth, and the largest amount of early-stage funding per capita in Europe available, including direct investment from Enterprise Ireland. Enterprise Ireland also offers hand holding and introductions for suitable incoming projects who can, if needed, also avail of entrepreneur friendly visas.
To find out more about the International Start-Up Fund and Ireland as a location for your business visit: www.startinireland.com
On December 9th, the biggest names in the Lean Startup world and more than a thousand entrepreneurs gathered at The Lean Start-up Conference in San Francisco. Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Programme was named an official simulcast partner for Dublin and streamed the opening of the event at Enterprise Ireland’s Head Offices. Brimming with founder stories, fresh case studies and in-depth expert advice, the conference delivered advanced lessons in entrepreneurship. The Lean Startup Conference brings together leaders from start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and non-profit organizations to share lessons for building innovative, lean organizations.
New Frontiers is Ireland’s national entrepreneur development programme. It is delivered at a local level by the Institutes of Technology. Each year, the programme provides 150 entrepreneurs with a package of supports to help accelerate their business development and to equip them with the skills and contacts they need to successfully start and grow a company. While knowledge about the science of entrepreneurship has gone global, start-up ecosystems are always local. Participants of the New Frontiers Programme gathered to watch the conference and to learn more about Lean Start-up Principles from seasoned experts as well as each other.
If you are interested in the Lean Startup movement and principles you can find more info here: http://theleanstartup.com/book.
Trinity College Dublin has announced plans for a €70 million project involving a new Trinity School of Business, co-located with an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub, as part of efforts to drive a culture of job creation across the campus and in Dublin city centre.
The project will support a growing entrepreneurial culture among Trinity’s students and faculties, drive job creation in the city centre, and help position Dublin as global node for innovation and start-up enterprises.
It is expected that the sod will be turned on the new project next summer and it will be completed in 2017. The Trinity School of Business, located on the technology side of the campus along Pearse Street, Dublin, will offer a full range of business-related programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education levels as part of a new approach to entrepreneurship and innovation training for the whole university.
The new Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub, co-located with the Trinity School of Business, will provide space for prototyping and company incubation projects and academic and administrative offices.
The overall development, spanning some 13,000 square metres with six storeys above ground and three below, will include a 600-seat auditorium, restaurant spaces for 200 people, public space where students can meet and ideas exchange, ‘smart’ classrooms with the latest digital technology, and a rooftop conference room.
Trinity has raised significant funding towards the cost of the project from philanthropic sources, and plans to raise more, privately and publicly, are well advanced.
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.
Dublin Web Summit 2013 boasted 10,000 attendees from 97 countries, over 60 speakers, hundreds of exhibitors, and this year achieved the distinction of being Europe’s largest technology conference.
The event consisted of a main stage where talks and panel discussions featuring the technology world’s most prestigious and esteemed took place. The focus of these talks was the current state of technology and what developments we can expect in both the near and distant future. The central hall featured large pitching stages where over 900 ambitious young entrepreneurs pitched their start-ups to panels of investors. The web summit attracts entrepreneurs from all over the world, with exhibitors from the US, Europe, Israel and as far afield as Dubai all gathering alongside an army of Irish entrepreneurs for the chance to impress and network.
335 Irish Jobs Announced at Web Summit 2013
During The Summit 335 Irish jobs were announced in nine European and US tech companies that are expanding their business to Ireland. The jobs are in the areas of software development, online security, internet and digital media.
Enterprise Ireland HPSU, Trustev, also announced seed funding of $3 million at The Summit which will be used to finance the company’s expansion in the US. Trustev, who provide real-time identity verification to help reduce e-commerce fraud, will expand its Irish operation, with numbers expected to grow to 20 from 15 before the end of the year.
Enterprise Ireland Client Company Viddy Ad wins ESB Spark of Genius award
The 2013 ESB Spark of Genius award was won by Enterprise Ireland Client company ViddyAd. The Spark of Genius award is an annual award which this year saw over 100 Irish technology companies battle it out to win a cash prize of €25,000 plus a fund of services.
Viddyad is the world’s first cloud based video ad creation tool, with access to over 10 million videos and images to choose from. Users select their videos and images, add text, logo, music and special effects and the Viddyad platform creates a video commercial in seconds for use online, through social media, blogs or websites.
The ESB Spark of Genius Award focuses on high potential technology start-ups and was open to any Irish start-up which has been in operation for less than three years and has received under €1m in funding to date. Entrants were judged on the uniqueness of their idea, their level of development thus far, and their potential for future growth.
No sooner was this year's Web Summit over when plans for next year's began and the website is already advertising tickets with a current deal of a 2 for 1 voucher costing €790. Visit it here at www.websummit.net.
Check out the selection of photos from Web Summit below: (Photo Credit: Conor McCabe Photogrpahy and Heisenberg Media)
An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, writes a letter to the Irish people as Ireland exits the IMF bailout.
This week, Ireland will exit the international bailout and regain economic sovereignty.
The Irish people have worked hard to achieve this step in Ireland's recovery. They deserve credit for their patience and resilience in turning around the fortunes of our country.
Since 2011, the Government's priority had to be to stabilise the economy by dealing with the huge hole in the public finances we inherited. This was an absolute must to attract in new jobs and investment. We had to prove that Ireland was serious about fixing our problems.
I know it has been a really tough few years for families all over the country. I also know that, for many of them, the recent positive signs in the economy have yet to be felt in their daily lives. But, while challenges remain, our economy is starting to recover.
While we still have too many of our people out of work, over 1,200 jobs a week are now being created.
What is important now is that we stick to our plan to build on recent progress.
We need to use our economic freedom to build a better future and to ensure that the mistakes that caused the economic crisis are never repeated.
To ensure this, the Government will next week publish a new Medium Term Economic Strategy to set out a new sustainable economic pathway back to prosperity for the country.
This will include reinforcing our commitment to bring Government borrowing down to sustainable levels during the remainder of this Government's term of office.
It will be an economic plan based on enterprise, not speculation.
Never again will our country's fortunes be sacrificed to speculation, greed and short-term electoral gain.
The exit from our bailout will not be an end in itself. There is much hard work ahead and we must stick to our plan.
But from next week, Ireland's international reputation, which suffered greatly in recent years, will be largely restored. Our economic destiny willbe once again in our own hands.
Our aim must be to build an economy where our people have the jobs and opportunities to realise their ambitions, provide for their families and live in a country that makes them proud.
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.
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.
There was a similarly strong belief amongst respondents (97%) that Irish businesses, supported by Government policy, can collectively outperform nations of a similar scale in the global economy. The survey was carried out on 420 CEOs registered to attend this year’s Ceo Forum which was held in Dublin Castle on November 21st. The survey looked at a number of areas which are relevant to the theme of this year’s forum - “Innovation and Success in the New Global Economy”.
Key findings from the survey were discussed at the forum, which lead to a lively discussion on the future of Ireland’s economic fortunes and the key drivers that Ireland’s best-in-business believe will get us to where we want to be. A similar survey was conducted in advance of last year’s CEO Forum and found that just 21% of business leaders believed that Ireland would return to consistent strong GDP growth in 2013. That number has now tripled to 69% when looking ahead to 2014.
Julie Sinnamon, Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise Ireland commented, “The strong belief shown by Irish CEOs in our ability to compete on an international stage ties in with the feedback we’re getting directly from Irish exporters. There’s a real sense that the collective effort between Government agencies and Irish businesses is producing the desired results and will ensure that Ireland continues to outperform other nations of a similar scale in the global economy.”
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.
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.
The schedule for the mission included over 30 high-level meetings and events all focussed on two key aims - supporting Irish companies and education institutions to increase exports to India, and attracting investment and jobs into Ireland from key Indian Companies.
The extremely successful mission boasted a number of announcements including:
Number of 3rd level Indian students studying in Ireland set to double by 2014 Ireland is on track to more than double the number of Indian students coming to Ireland to pursue third level education programmes by the end of 2014, the majority of which will be at advanced post-graduate level. Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is to grow the number of Indian students to over 5,000 over the next five years, generating fee income of approximately €50 million, with a further €50 million direct spend in the economy on accommodation, services and other related expenditure.
Taxback Group to generate €15million revenue with India launch of Pay to Study Kilkenny based The Taxback Group is expanding into the Asian market with the launch in India of PaytoStudy and has announced contract agreements with two of the top five educational agents in India, among others. These are expected to generate €15 million in new revenue for PaytoStudy.
New office for RED MILLS in Bangalore Kilkenny company Connolly RED MILLS has also captured significant business since launching in the Indian market in 2012, and has now opened a new representative office in Bangalore.
Globoforce partner with Tata Communications Dublin company Globoforce, a world leader in employee recognition programmes, announced a new multi-year contract with Tata Communications, part of Tata Group, India’s leading conglomerate.
Indian company Aditi Technologies coming to Dublin Aditi Technologies a ‘Cloud First’ Technology Services company, is to establish its European Services and Business Development Centre in Dublin with the creation of 40 local jobs.
Synowledge announces plans to locate International HQ in Dublin. Synowledge an Indian company specialising in the provision of drug safety and regulatory affairs services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device sectors, is to establish an international headquarters in Dublin with the creation of 35 new high quality jobs.
UCD Open New Office In Delhi University College Dublin launched an office in Delhi to support partnerships in education, research and innovation with institutions, companies and other organisations in India, as well as support students who apply to UCD. UCD also announced ‘V.V. Giri’ Global Excellence Full Tuition Fee Scholarships. V.V. Giri, the fourth President of India, studied Law in UCD between 1913 and 1916.
WIT Sign Numerous MoUs Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with two prestigious Indian Universities, VIT University Vellore and Manipal Institute of Technology (Manipal University) focussing on collaborative research and staff and student exchange programmes. This brings to 27 the number of formal MoUs beween Irish institutes of higher education and Indian counterpart higher education institutions.
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.
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 five-day trade mission, which involved 37 Irish companies, was organised by Enterprise Ireland in close cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Embassies of Ireland in Pretoria and Abuja, and focused on Financial Services in Johannesburg, Telecommunications in Cape Town and Financial Services and Education in Lagos.
South Africa is the economic hub and gateway for access to Sub-Saharan Africa – a market of over 900 million people. Enterprise Ireland client companies exported more than €400m worth of goods and services in 2012, representing a 20% increase since 2010, while 30 Irish companies have a presence on the ground.
In South Africa Minister Costello opened Enterprise Ireland and ESB International’s new offices which are co-located in Johannesburg, and visited the Ireland Pavilion at the Africa Com expo where six Irish companies were participating for the second consecutive year.
The trade mission also visited Nigeria, supporting Enterprise Ireland’s “hub and spoke” approach to driving exports in other key economic growth areas in Sub-Sahara Africa. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and has a GDP rate of 7% per annum.
While in Nigeria the Minister opened Wexford company Chevron Training and Recruitment’s new training centre, and Kerry Group’s new Nigerian office, and launched Enterprise Ireland’s “Access Nigeria” Guide.
Among the contracts and alliances agreed during the trade mission were:
Digisoft.tv (Cork) signed a development and agency agreement with Discover Digital (South Africa). The Discover Digital and Digisoft.tv program promotes OTT (Over The Top) Video supporting the distribution of TVOD educational and entertainment content in hard to reach and less connected environments. Digisoft.tv will manage this development effort from their headquarters in Cork.
Sentinel Fuel Products (Mayo) signed an initial contract worth €500k with South African company Lebone Engineering (Pty) Ltd. Lebone will distribute Sentinel’s Oilguard 9000 product range and provide front-line support across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Sentinel Fuel Products is a start-up business targeting global markets for the manufacture and supply of fuel anti-theft devices and fuel management systems.
SourceDogg (Galway) signed a partnership agreement with Resolve Solution Partners (South Africa) to deliver their cutting-edge e-procurement solution to the South African market. Resolve Solution Partners, a subsidiary of the Imperial Logistics Group, has identified a strong need for effective e-procurement among public and private organisations in South Africa where uncompetitive procurement practices and non-compliance are longstanding problems.
Nasctech (Dublin), the leading provider of Field Operation Support Systems for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) announced that its STREAMLINE™ solution has been deployed by Vodacom in the Democratic Republic of Congo. STREAMLINE™ is a unique solution that enables CSPs to reduce their network field OPEX spend while increasing visibility and control over their field operations, including fuel management.
Chevron Training and Recruitment (Wexford), specialists in the provision of construction skills training to international learners, officially opened their new Training Centre in Lagos. In February 2013 Chevron Training & Recruitment partnered with Nigerian company ETIWA Vocational Training to provide construction workers in Nigeria with international best-practise training. The partnership will see Chevron Training and Recruitment train 1000 constructions workers in Nigeria in a deal worth €3m over three years.
Hybrid Energy Solutions Ltd. (HES) announced details of a deal with Airtel Nigeria - the world’s 3rd largest mobile phone provider - to improve its network availability and massively reduce operating costs. HES and Airtel, along with HES’ local partner on the ground - ‘Eureka Power’ will invest up to $50m to upgrade and optimize the power supply to Airtel’s Nigerian network.
Dublin International Foundation College (DIFC) and Professional Global Training Institute (PGTI) (or Greenville Schools) signed an agreement to run education programmes in Nigeria and Ireland for Nigerian students who want to progress to Irish and other EU universities to study Medicine, Business and Engineering. The first programme will concentrate on Medicine and will start in Lagos in January 2014 with an initial intake of 50–100 students. These students will transfer to DIFC Dublin in September 2014 to complete their Foundation Course and then progress on to medical-related courses in Ireland, the UK and Central European universities.
Check out photos from the trade mission below of client companies Chevron and Sentinel Fuel Products, and the official opening of Enterprise Ireland's new office in Johannesburg.
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.
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.
The establishment of the Development Capital Scheme has the objective of increasing the availability of risk capital and closing the ‘equity gap’ experienced by SMEs seeking risk capital in excess of €2million. A total of €75million in funding has been made available from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland, with the aim of leveraging a minimum total of €150million in additional funding from the private sector.
This announcement represents the first fund launched under the scheme, and investments in Irish SMEs will commence shortly, with the investment team led by Neil McGowan and Rory Quirke of MML Growth Capital Partners Ireland, already established in Dublin.
The Development Capital Scheme forms part of the suite of new finance measures put in place through the Action Plan for Jobs, which will make a total of more than €2billion in additional funding available to Irish companies of all sizes over the coming years.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, commented: “Commercial funding is a critical component for Irish businesses to scale and create jobs. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the MML team on raising their Irish fund and on establishing a presence in the Irish market. The amount and quality of the International private capital raised for this fund is a testament to the investment opportunity that Irish SMEs represent.”
€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.
Richard Bruton T.D. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation recently announced a second term of funding worth €21M for the functional foods Technology Centre, Food for Health Ireland (FHI). Details of the investment were made at the first Technology Centres Expo which was hosted jointly by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in Leopardstown, Dublin. FHI is one of 15 Technology Centres in the €100M Technology Centre Programme.
Promoting a healthy diet for a healthy life, FHI ‘mines’ milk to identify novel bioactive ingredients to develop functional foods which will offer health benefits to consumers. FHI is increasing its focus on infant nutrition, healthy cheese, sports drinks, ‘healthy aging’ drinks and products that can be used to manage Type 2 diabetes and obesity using the €21M it has received for its second research phase.
There are more than 300 companies in Ireland, both multinational and indigenous, engaged with the 15 Technology Centres currently in existence. These Technology Centres are industry-led research centres of excellence operating at the interface between industry and the academic environment to increase the generation of new, commercially viable knowledge into industry. They currently focus on developing new technologies in the areas of cloud, analytics and learning technologies; manufacturing and materials; energy; food and health and financial services and business processes.
Speaking at the Expo Julie Sinnamon, CEO Enterprise Ireland, said “Irish companies need to engage with these Technology Centres to get a competitive advantage by introducing more innovative technologies to their business which can reduce costs and assist in the development of new commercially viable products and services”.
“Like the other 14 Technology Centres that Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland support, the model that has proven successful for FHI is where a group of companies with similar development needs set the research agenda which is then delivered by the best researchers in the field.”
To find out more about the Technology Centres programme or to see how your company could get involved please click here.
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.
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.
Science without Borders provides scholarships to undergraduate and postgraduate students from Brazil for one year of study abroad. Scholarships are given primarily to students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Brazilian students can be found in every higher education institution in Ireland.
The programme was devised to help address the capacity gaps appearing in the Brazilian workforce, gaps which are beginning to impinge on the rapid economic growth Brazil has shown over more than a decade. Companies are complaining loudly that they cannot find the qualified staff needed to underpin expansion and demanding more rapid production of skilled workers from the education system and a loosening of the immigration regulations on skilled migrants. The Science without Borders initiative is regarded as a serious investment in addressing the issue.
Science without Borders is a global initiative but in Ireland’s case Enterprise Ireland was responsible for securing an agreement with the Brazilian government. Enterprise Ireland began a process of consultation with the universities and institutes of education in Ireland to assess if Ireland was in a position to participate and how many Brazilian students might be accommodated. Following this process of consultation a proposal was brought to the Brazilian government and an agreement was reached that Ireland would facilitate between 1,100 and 1,500 Brazilian students each year for the next four years.
Commenting on the success of the initiative Marina Donohue, Head of Education with Enterprise Ireland said; ‘Brazil is a priority market for Enterprise Ireland’s Education clients and EI works directly with these Institutions and also sectorally through our role in managing the Education in Ireland Brand. Ireland’s participation in Brazil’s Science without Borders programme provides a good foundation for partnership on a government-government basis and has directly resulted in over 1300 fully funded scholarship students now enrolled in Irish HEI’s. The reception marked their arrival in Ireland and extended a warm welcome to them. These students will in the short-term contribute to the colleges they are studying in but longer term can act as Ambassadors for Ireland and perhaps support EI clients conduct business in Brazil.’
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".
Enterprise Ireland would like to congratulate former CEO, Frank Ryan on receiving an honorary doctorate degree in law from University College Dublin. He also received the prestigious Irish Management Institute "Innovation in Management Award, in University College Cork.
The Management Innovation Award is presented annually to recognise a business figure who is judged to have made a particularly significant contribution to management innovation.
Dr Ryan was presented his doctorate degree from Professor Peter Clinch, Vice President of Research & Innovation, UCD, in recognition of his contribution to management excellence in Ireland and his ten years at the helm of Enterprise Ireland supporting good management practices and innovation across Irish SMEs.
Enterprise Ireland successfully navigated through the recession and supported our clients in a joint effort to turn the economic climate around under Frank’s watchful eye. Frank spent 10 dedicated years in Enterprise Ireland and therse two awards are in recognition of his many achievements.
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.
One of the most valuable resources available to any start-up entrepreneur is access to a network of other entrepreneurs who can open doors through trusted referrals. For women in particular, access to appropriate networks and role models remains a challenge, with many women identifying it as a barrier to success. Awarding and recognising female role models is vitally important. It shines a light on their journey to success and whilst that journey is not always smooth, it is inspirational, has changed the course of their lives, has demonstrated a path to success and can inspire others to reach their full potential. 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. Below is a summary of some of our winners:
Overall Winner: IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year 2013
Caroline Keeling, CEO, Keeling’s Keelings started producing fruits and salads on their farm in 1930s. As CEO of Keeling’s Caroline leads the Keeling Group which is now made up of five divisions and has operations in Ireland, UK, Europe and Asia. Photo Credit: Kieran Harnett
The IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year Awards: Start-Up
Marissa Carter, Founder and Creative Director, Cocoa Brown. Marissa is a regular media contributor as a beauty expert and business owner, her business has seen considerable growth in 2013 through the cocoa brown tanning range with one product sold every three minutes across Ireland and UK. Photo Credit: Kieran Harnett
The IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year Awards: Entrepreneurship
Linda Kiely, Co-Founder, Voxpro Linda is responsible for shaping the business strategy and driving growth. Linda manages Voxpro’s CSR activity and has raised over €250,000 for Cork Charities in the last three years. Photo Credit: Kieran Harnett
Enterprise Ireland Life Sciences & Food Commercialisation Award
Prof. Louise Kenny, Metabolomic Diagnostics. Professor Kenny won the award for developing and commercialising the first predictive diagnosis for pre-eclampsia in early pregnancy. A new company called Metabolomics Diagnostics Ltd. has been built around the test and aims to create 40 jobs.
Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards
Leonora O’Brien, Pharmapod Pharmapod is a secure cloud-based Medication related Incident Management software designed specifically for pharmacists, by pharmacists.
The Enterprise Ireland WMB Female Entrepreneur 2013
Kira Walton, VOYA VOYA is a family-owned, Irish business, and produces one of the world's first range of luxury certified organic seaweed-based products and therapies, with a full range of innovative treatments and supporting professional products. Kira manages product development and innovation with her eye on new international markets.
The Enterprise Ireland and Cleaveland Clinic Clinical Innovation Award
Julia O'Rourke, Rempad.
Julia won this award for her the development of Rempad, a new software tool which uses multi-media content to connect carers and residents with memories from the past to enhance the overall wellbeing of nursing home residents suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Showcase – Ireland’s Creative Expo - is a boutique-style trade show which offers buyers a rich product mix from directional, contemporary and commercial Irish designers from Home, Gift, Fashion and Jewellery companies. Irish companies participating at Showcase are committed to excellence in design, innovation, new product development and building sustainable business relationships.
Featuring 400 exhibitors, Showcase attracts over 5,000 buyers of which almost 1,000 are international buyers from 26 countries – providing Irish companies with the opportunity to introduce their products to a global community of buyers and journalists.
Showcase has evolved over the years with a strong focus on buyer needs. 2014 will see the introduction of two themed product strands – Fashion & Jewellery and Home & Gift. Showcase will also hold exciting runway shows during the four-day event from Fashion & Jewellery exhibitors.
Showcase Ireland is promoted internationally by Enterprise Ireland across markets including North America, Europe, UAE and Japan. For the duration of Showcase, Enterprise Ireland provides an International Buyers Lounge and Media Centre offering a suite of business services to enhance international visitors’ experience.
Ireland’s Creative Expo will take place in the RDS, 19-22 January 2014 For more information please click here.
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.
Horizon 2020, the European Union’s new €79 billion programme for research and innovation to create new growth and jobs in Europe, was launched in the Convention Centre Dublin this week.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science and Seán Sherlock T.D. Minister for Research & Innovation launched the largest European fund to date to support research and innovation to an audience of over 2,000 people from companies and academic researchers in Ireland.
Speaking at the launch, Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn outlined the opportunities for Ireland’s economy and society presented by Horizon 2020: “Investment in research, innovation and science is essential if Europe and Ireland are to create new high-quality jobs. Horizon 2020 funding is based on competitive calls that are open to everyone. It is up to individual researchers, research organisations, companies or other organisations to get involved". The Commissioner urged Irish companies and researchers to ‘be ambitious, find partners to collaborate with and apply now.
Seán Sherlock T.D. Minister for Research & Innovation stated: “Ireland has adopted a new strategy to ensure strong participation by Irish researchers and companies in Horizon 2020, with an ambitious target of winning €1.25 bn over the programme period". Minister Sherlock drew attention to the measures taken to make it easier for SMEs to participate. “Irish SMEs can engage in large collaborative projects, or seek support through a new dedicated SME instrument for highly innovative smaller companies. The amount of red tape has been slashed and a risk finance support for SMEs is being put in place to generate commercial value from their research, resulting in economic growth and job creation” said Minister Sherlock.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, (right) with Seán Sherlock T.D. Minister for Research & Innovation and Dr. Imelda Lambkin, Director of Ireland’s support network for Horizon 2020 at the Irish launch of Horizon 2020.
Dr. Imelda Lambkin, National Director of Horizon 2020, Enterprise Ireland highlighted the high levels of interest from ‘newcomers’ to EU funding in the build up to today’s launch. “It is vital that we attract new companies and researchers to apply for funding from Horizon 2020. The National Support Network for Horizon 2020 led by Enterprise Ireland is driving participants to go for bigger and more valuable projects as this is how we will reach our target of winning €1.25BN in funding for Ireland over the next seven years”, said Dr. Lambkin.
If you would like to find out more information about Horizon 2020 and the potential opportunities for you check out the video below or click here to visit the website.
