We are expecting even further export growth
in 2011, and I believe that this gives Ireland the
potential to become ‘the come-back economy of
Europe’.
What markets is Enterprise Ireland most
concerned with at the moment?
World growth for 2011 is expected to be
approximately 4-5%. Our main export markets,
the UK & the USA are both out of recession.
Increasingly, our attention is being drawn to the
BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China and
also Japan and the Middle East – Qatar, the United
Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in particular. These
are growth markets in which many Irish companies
have already earned success, and we see more
potential there in the future.
The key sectors that Enterprise Ireland concentrates
on are Life Sciences, including Medical Devices,
Education, Software, including E-Learning
and Financial Software, Food, Green Tech,
Internationally Traded Services, such as Finance
and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
The figures that were included in our end of
year statement for 2010 were that Irish exporting
companies had regained 70% of the exports that had
been lost since the dawn of the global recession
in 2008.
I am confident that, given the indicators at the
present time, by the end of 2011, our exports will be
higher than they were pre-recession.
What factors contribute to that view?
There are a number of factors. At the moment, we
have more and more companies that are exporting.
We also have a very high volume of business startups and a strong entrepreneurial culture.
Established entrepreneurs count for more than
9% of the population of this country. That is more
than the USA. It is also more than Germany, which
stands at 4%. Every year, there are more companies
investing in research and development. Even in
2009, the worst year of recession in our nation’s
history, investment in R&D rose by 2%. That is
how Ireland has got to where it is today in terms
of ICT and hi-tech, for example. We focus on
producing very sophisticated products and services.
Ireland is the second largest exporter of software in
the world. Both India and Ireland compete for that
second spot, (behind the US), each year. Sometimes
it’s India, sometimes it’s us. For a small island, that’s
an impressive achievement.
How is the ‘Innovation Ireland’ agenda
coordinated between the various State
agencies concerned?
Enterprise Ireland and our sister agencies; the
IDA, the Sustainable Energy Authority, Science
Foundation Ireland and Forfá 2?F?R7FFRvV?7??&W7??6?&?Rf?"V6????2?????r???&W?'BF?F?P?6?Rv?fW&??V?BFW'F?V?B( 2F?RFW'F?V?B?`?V?FW'&?6R?G&FRb????fF?????F?RFW'F?V?BF?W&Vf?&R?26??G&????p???f?VV?6R????r????fF????26'&?VB?WB??&V??B?vR6VR????fF?????B?W7B??FW&?2?`?&W6V&6??BFWfV???V?B?'WB&?v?B7&?72F?Rf?VP??3???