Meath continues to be at the forefront of Innovation and Entrepreneurship after 5,000 years – English

Friday, 22nd September 2017

“Meath continues to be at the forefront of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship after 5,000 years.” That’s the view of local Minister
for Housing and Urban Renewal, and Fine Gael T.D. for Meath West
Damien English, speaking after comparing and analysing the jobs data
between the most recent 2016 Census, and the 2011 Census which took
place during Ireland’s recessionary period.

“In 2016 83,254 people in Meath had a job, this is 8,917 more people
than in 2011. Meath based companies who were supported by our State
agencies such as the IDA or Enterprise Ireland employed 8,732 people
in Meath in 2016. This figure is up 2,134 people on the 2011 figure,
or 32%. These jobs are particularly important as they represent jobs
within the County meaning less commuting. They represent native
entrepreneurial spirit and local relevant skills and are mostly export
orientated” stated Minister English.

“Companies supported by our Local Employment Office as part of Meath
County Council employed 927 people in 2016.  This figure was up 86 on
the 2015 figures, a rise of 10%.  On the unemployment front 10,533
Meath people were unemployed in 2016, down 5,769 on the 2011 figure,
or 35%.  Clearly the National and Regional Action Plan for Jobs are
working, in tandem with Meath County Council’s Economic Development
Plan and the work of Meath LEO and Meath Enterprise, but we need to
constantly renew and refine our efforts until every one wants a job
has one, and that job is as local as possible. In this regard I will
continue to back plans for the Boyne Valley Food and Innovation Hub
and the Meath Digital Hub for our County” stated Minister English.

“This  month the unemployment rate fell nationally again to 6.1%, its
lowest rate in 9 years.  These new jobs both locally and nationally
represent dignity and opportunity for people old and young.  New jobs
allows people to fulfil their dreams and their potential, we want to
continue creating that opportunity for everyone who wants it”
concluded Minister English.

ENDS

English welcomes halving of unemployment since 2008

Monday, 10th October 2016

Local Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal and Fine Gael T.D. for
Meath West Damien English has welcomed the recent news from the CSO
that unemployment has effectively halved since the financial crisis
hit Ireland in 2008.

However he said continued effort was needed locally in Meath and
nationally to reach full employment with a constant focus on skills,
innovation and the importance of local SMEs as well as FDI.

“In Meath our native agri-food sector, Boyne Valley Food Series, Boyne
Valley Food Hub and Tourism sector are all strong local assets for
more local and sustainable jobs” Minister English stated.

“Now standing at 286,490, the unadjusted Live Register has dropped
below 300,000 for the first time since 2008. This is a year on year
decrease of 13.92%. It’s further evidence that good progress is being
made in tackling joblessness and helping people back into work.

Three major milestones have now been passed since Fine Gael entered
Government in 2011:  1) the Live Register falling below 300,000 2)
unemployment falling from its peak of 15% to below 8%, and 3) the
number of people employed exceeding two million, all for the first
time in eight years” Minister English stated.

“To reach full employment we must continue one-to-one engagements with
jobseekers; we must keep talking to business people about the barriers
in creating jobs, making work pay through sustainable wage increases
and finally tax reductions that also make work pay and welfare less
attractive. Developing new policies, investment and infrastructure
across the whole of Government in education, training, housing and
childcare all depends on reaching full employment” concluded Minister
English.

ENDS

Response to Fintan O’Toole and the importance of FDI to Ireland

I was somewhat surprised to learn that Fintan O’Toole takes his policy views from US talk Radio (I would have thought he was more a Guardian reader myself) but that probably explains why his view on foreign direct investment and Ireland’s industrial policy is so out of touch with reality.

As the economist Seamus Coffey recently argued elsewhere we need to kick back on ill informed taunts that Ireland is some kind of tax haven. Multinationals make a massive contribution to the Irish economy.   According to a recent report by Grant Thornton, there are 1,033 overseas companies operating in Ireland, employing over 161,000 people, spending €24bn, paying Irish staff €8bn in wages and generating €122bn in exports.

The taxation of multinationals is based on a fundamental principle: corporate profit-taxing rights are granted on the source principle. Put simply countries can tax the profits from operations located in their countries. Although some of the world’s largest companies have operations in Ireland, we can only tax them on the profit they generate from their activities in Ireland, which we do.

The issue being debated in the US at the moment however relates to a loop hole in the US tax code which allows ‘deferral’ of corporate income taxes, and allows US multinationals to delay certain tax payments until the profits are transferred to US-incorporated entities in their corporate structure. As Seamus Coffey pointed out a result of the deferral provisions in the US tax code, some companies create an artificial division between their US and non-US source profits and give the appearance of very low tax rates on their non-US profits. The reality is that most of the profit is sourced in the US, and the companies owe US corporate income tax on those profits. It is not the case that the profits are untaxed.

In plain English we aren’t the problem; the US tax code is. Even the US Treasury Secretary has written to the EU Commission stating that while they don’t collect the tax until repatriation the US system of deferral “does not give EU Member States the legal right to tax this income.”

Ireland’s 12.5% corporate tax rate is a fundamental part of our offering to multinationals but equally important are access to EU markets and most critically talent.  IMD ranks Ireland’s educational system as being amongst the top ten in the world. We rank number one in the world for the availability of competent senior managers and flexibility of our workforce. If (for example) you want to find people who really understand pan-European operations, Shared Services or Compliance you come to Ireland.

Ireland’s big idea isn’t attracting foreign direct investment its building Irish capabilities. Foreign direct investment is one of the key ways we build real capabilities.

Couple of practical examples Dublin is known as the shared services capital of Europe. We have built that expertise over many years. We are now applying that expertise in shared services to the business of Government. The adoption of Shared services by the Irish Government is core to public sector modernisation and delivering better and more cost effective public services.

Another example the Tyndall Institute which has built up a huge expertise in working through working on research projects with some of the world’s leading high tech multinationals. It is now partnering with Teagasc to apply that learning to developing the food sector in key areas like traceability. In short we are using capabilities developed with multinationals to deliver better Government and develop Irish industry.

My work as Minister of State was focused on making sure we continued to build Ireland’s capabilities through a new national Innovation Strategy and a new national Skills Strategy. Both strategies are fundamentally about making sure we have the skills and capabilities to compete in a rapidly changing world. Both strategies were developed in partnership with the key stakeholders and can only be delivered by a partnership between Government, Industry and Academia. The innovation strategy offers us the potential to use the Irish research community to build cross industry collaboration between some of the world’s leading companies here to really drive innovation. The Skills strategy will ensure we have the highly skilled workforce necessary for the incremental innovation needed to stay competitive.

The task of the last Government was to stabilise the public finances and start getting people back to work.  This gives us the resources to future proof the Irish economy by investing in education, research & innovation. It gives us the resources to turn our economic growth into a social recovery by investing in new and reformed public services, and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from a return to growth.

The success of the last Government (and we had some pretty major successes despite what our critics say) provides us as a nation with the time and space to think about the future we want for our children not just how do we pay the national debt. We now for the first time in almost ten years have real choices. We can start to think about the big ideas that will shape Ireland’s future. That is a task not just for Government but for all of us. We have a second chance of succeeding as a nation. I hope we use it well.

Facebook breaks ground at Clonee Data Centre

6th April 2016

Today, Facebook is pleased to announce that construction began on the company’s newest data centre at Clonee, County Meath. Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English T.D., took part in the ground-breaking ceremony alongside Tom Furlong, VP of Infrastructure at Facebook, Jackie Maguire, CEO Meath County Council, and Brian Fitzgerald, Chairman Meath County Council and Martin Shanahan, CEO IDA.

Development of a second building at the same site was also confirmed, bringing the total size of the facility to 621,000sq ft – the equivalent of 14 Aviva stadiums. The facility, Facebook’s first in Ireland and second in Europe, will become part of the infrastructure that enables billions of people to connect with the people and things they care about on Facebook and across its family of apps and services.

Facebook is also pleased to announce that the new data centre, as well as its international headquarters in Dublin, will be supplied with 100% renewable wind energy from BrookfieldRenewable’s Irish operations. Brookfield owns and operates a portfolio of renewable wind energy projects across Ireland totaling 465 MW and all renewable wind energy supplying Facebook’s facilities in Ireland is located in Ireland.

Ireland has been home to Facebook’s international headquarters since 2009 and the facility at Clonee continues Facebook’s significant investment in the country and in Europe. The company recently announced the creation of a further 200 jobs in Dublin in 2016, to add to the 1,300 employees it currently has.

Tom Furlong, VP of Infrastructure at Facebook, said:

“We’re thrilled to have found a home in Clonee and begin building our new data centre as we continue to expand our infrastructure in Ireland. Everything here has been as advertised — from the strong pool of talent for construction and operations staff; to the great set of community partners who have helped us move forward quickly; to the opportunity to power our facility with 100% renewable wind energy.”

“The new facility will be one of the most advanced and energy-efficient data centres in the world thanks to its cutting-edge Open Compute technology and use of 100 per cent renewable wind energy. The centre will be a crucial part of the infrastructure that helps Facebook connect billions of people around the world.”

 

Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English, TD said:

“The Government’s policy of making Ireland an attractive location for investment by the multinational ICT sector had delivered major projects amongst them this new Facebook facility. Ireland has a growing position internationally in the provision of major Data Centres, which represents a fast expanding segment of the IT business. This is contributing to Ireland becoming a major world player in this area and helping to embed and expand the operations of the major Internet companies located here. I welcome Facebooks further commitment to Ireland with their investment in this Meath facility and I wish Facebook and their employees further success in the future. ”

Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council Cllr. Brian Fitzgeraldsaid that this morning’s ceremony was another positive step towards the building of the data centre:

“This is a very important project for Ireland, for Meath and particularly for the community in Clonee, having an internationally recognised company like Facebook in our county sends out a great message that Meath is an attractive place to invest in and to do business.”

Chief Executive, Jackie Maguire again welcomed Facebook to its new European operational base:

“The hard work of all the stakeholders, including IDA Ireland, to attract this world class enterprise to Meath has paid off. This project will bring additional jobs to the county and a welcome stimulus to the local economy. This development sends out a clear message to the business community in Ireland and abroad that Meath is open for business. It confirms that the challenges in our Economic Development Strategy for County Meath 2014 – 2022 are achievable.”

Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA IRELAND said “IDA IRELAND is focused on facilitating investments into regions throughout Ireland. Facebook’s new data centre in Clonee, Co.Meath will provide a significant boost to the local economy – it’s a clear demonstration of the company’s ongoing commitment to Ireland.  When it comes to attracting the world’s best and most efficient data centres, Ireland is proving to be very attractive to the world’s top technology and internet based companies.”

Ralf Rank, Managing Partner at Brookfield, said: 

“With over 10,000 megawatts of operating hydro and wind capacity and a 7,000 megawatt renewable development pipeline globally, we are uniquely positioned to offer consumers long-term, carbon-free renewable power.  We are pleased to have Facebook as our first retail customer in Ireland and welcome the opportunity to work with a corporate leader focused on increasing the  use of renewable power”

– See more at: https://www.djei.ie/en/News-And-Events/Department-News/2016/April/06042016.html#sthash.0sVrJZ8y.7ZpuGGLc.dpuf

English welcomes Information Technology Agreement at WTO talks in Kenya

Minister English, in Nairobi, Kenya at the World Trade Organisation, Ministerial Conference welcomes the landmark announcement of the positive conclusion to the Information Technology Agreement negotiations

17th December 2015

The Minister of State for Skills, Research & Innovation, Damien English, T.D. welcomed the positive conclusion to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) negotiations at the 10^th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

Yesterday’s announcement is something that benefits Ireland’s consumers, businesses from lower priced IT goods. Ireland’s large technological sector is world renowned, with nine of the world’s top ten companies located here. The industry employs over 37,000 people and generates €35 billion in exports annually. This expanded agreement will allow these companies to become more competitive due to the duty-free treatment of over 200 high-tech products. The free trade deal will eliminate tariffs on 90% of trade in these goods which makes it the biggest tariff-cutting deal in the WTO in almost two decades. It has an annual trade value of €1.2 trillion, accounting for approximately 10% of global trade.

The EU along with 23 other WTO members are committing to the deal but all members will benefit from it.

Welcoming the deal, Minister English said:

“This is excellent news for Irish business and consumers which will lead to an increase in Irish IT exports, but also has the potential to provide lower prices for consumers”.

For more information contact:

Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Press Office – 01 631 2200 or press.office@djei.ie

– See more at: https://www.djei.ie/en/News-And-Events/Department-News/2015/December/17122015.html#sthash.k4O5yE9h.dpuf

Government publishes ambitious Innovation Strategy – Innovation 2020: Excellence Talent Impact

The Minister  for Research, Innovation and Skills Damien English TD, together with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Jobs, today published Innovation 2020, Ireland’s 5-year strategy for research and development, science and technology.

The headline ambition of the Strategy is to increase total investment in R&D in Ireland to 2.5% of GNP. On current official projections, this would mean that over €5billion will be invested per year in R&D by the public and private sectors by 2020. This will represent almost doubling current levels of investment (€2.756billion in 2013).

Among the other ambitious targets to be delivered by the strategy are:

• the number of research personnel in enterprise will be increased by 60% to 40,000

• research masters and PhD enrolments will be increased by 30% to 2,250;
• private investment of R&D performed in the public research system will be doubled
• 40% increase in the share of PhD researchers transferring from SFI research teams to industry
• Ireland’s participation in International Research Organisations will be expanded – we will apply for full membership of ELIXIR, and we will explore membership options for CERN and ESO
• the network of Centres will be further developed, building critical mass and addressing enterprise needs;
• a successor to the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions will be rolled out to include investment in the creation of new, and the maintenance and upgrading of existing, facilities and equipment;
• €1.25bn funding under the EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020 will be drawn down;
• a new Programme of Funding for Frontier Research will be introduced, providing resilience and responsiveness to meet new challenges or opportunities as they emerge;
• challenge-centric research will be initiated to stimulate solutions-driven collaborations bringing together enterprise, higher education institutions and public sector to identify and address national challenges
• horizon-scanning – in the coming years a formal horizon-scanning exercise will be undertaken to identify areas of strategic commercial opportunity for Irish-based enterprises. This process will feed into the next research prioritisation exercise in 2018
• international benchmarking – a series of structures will be put in place to benchmark Ireland’s performance in these areas against other comparable economies, and develop steps to improve our comparative performance

Launching the report, Minister of State for Research Innovation and Skills, Damien English TD said: “Developing the talent of our population is an underlying aim of Innovation 2020 and will be critical to the successful realisation of our national vision, giving Ireland the capacity to exploit opportunities both established and emerging. Our success in delivering on our vision will depend on our people – undertaking the research, working in and creating successful enterprises, and contributing to the society in which we live. We will support the full continuum of talent development from primary level through to Postdoctoral research and from frontier research across all disciplines to the practical application and the successful deployment of that talent and research in driving innovation in enterprises and public services.”

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD said:

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD said:

Welcoming the launch of the strategy, Professor Mark WJ Ferguson, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said: “I welcome the new strategy Innovation 2020 which highlights the importance of scientific research and innovation to all aspects of Ireland’s future and which confirms the Government’s commitment to increase both public and private investment in this area. Innovation 2020 builds on the considerable past successes and outlines some ambitious new plans such as challenge based funding. Science, innovation and technology are driving rapid global changes and the world is becoming more competitive. Ireland needs to continue to push forward: be the creators and owners of new ideas and innovations, upskill our people, strengthen and future proof our economy and society. Implementation of Innovation 2020 will allow us to do that: excellence, talent and impact.”

Minister English’s Budget 2016 Speech

On Wednesday night 14th October I addressed the Dáil on Budget 2016:

This budget is designed to support the recovery, hard pressed families and begin future proofing the economy.

This budget is neither the hair shirt budget that some Economists have called for, nor is the silk shirt that the opposition seem to think we can afford, rather it is a prudent budget that will create jobs.

It will remove barriers to work and make work pay, grow the economy and keep the recovery going while reducing the current account deficit.

Business in Ireland has welcomed this budget. Danny McCoy of IBEC said “The budget is right for the economy at this time and signals a new phase of economic development. The crisis is behind us and we are planning ahead. The Government has taken on board the concerns of business, reduced tax and encouraged private investment.”

ISME and the SFA have also welcomed the Budget. The SFA Chairman, A J Noonan stated “This Budget is a strong endorsement by Government of the importance of entrepreneurship and small business in Ireland.”

But this is not just a budget for business and jobs, it is also a budget for our young families.

My constituency of Meath West has one of the highest concentrations of young families in the country, with a youth dependency ratio of over 38%.

You only have to walk around the streets of Navan, Trim or Enfield to see just how young our communities are. Our young population means we can look forward to a more hopeful future, but families cannot live on hope alone.

They need help now and this budget does just that.

Cutting USC, raising child benefit, and extending the free preschool scheme to accommodate all three to five year olds will benefit young families in Meath West and throughout the country.

These families endured a lot of the pain in the recession it is only right that they get some of the gain from the national recovery.

Talk to any parent on the doorsteps in Meath West – education and the future of our children is a major focus. This budget will reduce class sizes; it will recruit an additional 2,260 teachers.

This budget will deliver a better education to our children and will invest in career guidance. This will help our children chose the courses and the skills they need to get a good job and build a better future.

With this budget young school leavers will now have a lot more choice in their career paths.

We are investing an additional €10.5m to effectively double the number of Apprenticeship Schemes available in Ireland.

These 25 new Apprenticeship Schemes will cover areas such as

ICT,

Transport and Logistics,

Financial Services,

Tourism and Hospitality

and the bulk of these will be delivered in 2016.

We need to refocus the third level system to create a more enterprise responsive educational system; we need to provide the skills that students and industry require.

Future proofing the Economy is all about building skills at all levels including our pool of research skills.

Ireland’s future economic growth and prosperity will depend on our continued investment in science, technology and innovation.

This investment is all about developing:

A competitive knowledge based economy and society;

Driving innovation in enterprise;

Building human capital

And maximising the return on R&D investment for economic and social progress.

Investment in research and development is crucial for creating and maintaining high-value jobs.

In addition to the investment announced yesterday, my Department will be allocating an additional €29m specifically for investment in research and innovation to spend before the end of this year.

In addition to this, the overall 2016 capital investment will allow Enterprise Ireland to:

Support 100 Innovative High Potential start Up Companies in 2016 employing 2,000 people.

Issue six Competitive Start Fund calls with a target of financially supporting 85 innovative entrepreneurs.

Fund over 100 in-company R&D projects for companies that are valued in excess €100,000, and

Continue the development of Knowledge Transfer Ireland and the wider national Technology Transfer system to create 30 new spinout companies

For Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the 2016 allocation will:

Continue to fund the 12 SFI Research Centres, which represents an investment of €355m from the government and €190m from over 200 industry partners.

Train some 3000 researchers for key positions in Industry

Science Foundation Ireland will also undertake a recruitment campaign in partnership with the Irish Universities to attract world-class researchers.

I am pleased that Ireland’s participation in the European Space Agency (ESA) will continue to support a growing number of Irish companies in the rapidly expanding European and Global space markets. In this sector we will see:

A doubling of sales to over €80m

A rise in total employment to over 2,300, and

An expansion in the number of companies actively engaged with ESA to over 75

We are competing in an ever more competitive global environment. I am therefore pleased to report that work is almost complete on a new Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation.

It is now time for fresh strategic ideas to make research work to maximum effect for the country.

The vision for the new Strategy will be underpinned by 5 key goals:

an internationally competitive research system;

excellent research with relevance and impact for the economy and for society;

a renowned pool of talent in both academia and industry;

a joined-up research eco-system, responsive to emerging opportunities;

and a strong innovative enterprise base, growing employment, sales and exports.

We need to ensure that we have a world leading state-of-the-art research and innovation ecosystem in Ireland.

I am confident that the upcoming Strategy will provide us with the roadmap to deliver on this ambition for Ireland.

To conclude a Leas Ceann Comhairle,

This Budget charts a responsible, prudent path to fiscal stability, economic growth and opportunity.

The Budget marks a new stage in Ireland’s road to full recovery and a more sustainable future.

It will support that recovery and will begin to future proof the economy.

I commend this budget to the House and to the country.

Minister English comments on Dept. of Enterprise Budget 2016

Budget 2016 “hits the bullseye for startups, entrepreneurs and jobs”, as it incentivises innovative startups, rewards successful entrepreneurs and makes sure that the jobs that are created will really pay, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD said today. He was joined at a post Budget Press Conference by Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation Damien English T.D.

Minister English said: “Ireland’s future economic growth and prosperity will depend in very large measure on our continued investment in science technology and innovation. This investment is all about developing a competitive knowledge based economy and society, driving innovation in enterprise, building human capital and maximising the return on R&D investment for economic and social progress. Over the past number of years Ireland has built up a strong science base which has yielded results in terms of economic and societal impact. In Budget 2016 the Government is building on this success by prioritising the funding available for research, development and innovation. It also aims to maximise the impact of this investment on jobs and on the economy. A new science and innovation strategy under development will provide the roadmap for the next phase of Government investment”.

Among the new pro-jobs taxation measures announced today are:

• Reduced Capital Gains Tax rate of 20% for successful entrepreneurs
• Reductions in the USC affecting middle-income workers and creating jobs
• Income tax credit of €550 for self-employed people, with improvements in future years
• Knowledge Development Box – globally ‘best in class’ and first OECD-compliant scheme,competitive rate of 6.25% on qualifying income, benefits for SMEs, in place from 1^st Jan 2016
• Extension of tax relief for start-up companies
• Employment and Investment Incentive scheme to increase availability of investment finance for business – extension of scheme to include all geographical locations, and increase thresholds

Over €3billion for capital investment in enterprise and job-creation over lifetime of capital plan

Investment will allow full delivery of comprehensive regional jobs plans

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD together with along with the Minister of State for Business & Employment Ged Nash TD and the Minister of State for Research, Innovation and Skills Damien English TD today welcomed the publication of the capital plan, and announced the provision of a total of over €3billion in capital investment in projects under the remit of their Department over the period 2016-2021.

Minister English said: “The Government’s Capital programme is an investment in future proofing the economy and building a sustainable recovery not only for business but for the Irish people. The plan will underpin our economic and social development for the years to come. This Government has protected investment in research and innovation throughout its term and we have a strong base now on which to build.  Our forthcoming science, technology and innovation strategy will set the policy direction for the next phase of our investment and will complement the investment in physical infrastructure being announced today”.

The plan published today allocates a total of €3.01billion to capital projects under the Department of Jobs, and represents an average annual increase of €20.6million on his Department’s allocation for 2014 – a year when the agencies under his Department delivered a record 19,500 extra jobs. When the arrangement on own resource income is taken into account the annual figure will be significantly higher again.

Minister Bruton will outline the full breakdown of the Department’s capital programme for 2016 on Budget Day. He stressed today that the allocations announced today will allow his Department and its agencies to continue to deliver the programmes of activities which have support record levels of job-creation and exports over recent years, as well as the comprehensive programme of regional jobs plans commenced earlier this year. These plans outlined a total investment of €250million in IDA business parks, advance facilities, and Enterprise Ireland regional funds.

Minister Bruton said: “Over the past three years, employment in companies supported by my Department has risen by well over 40,000 – meaning that almost half of the total increase in employment over that time has been accounted for directly by companies supported by my Department. Those companies have also delivered record exports over that time. Today’s capital plan is about building on that record and bringing it to the next level – accelerating jobs growth in every region of the country, and delivering our aim of sustainable full employment.

“The allocation announced for our Department is a significant increase on the figures which have allowed us to deliver those record results. It will not mean that we will abandon the prudence and the smart use of resources that we have shown over the past four years. However it will allow us to plan for the future, secure the recovery and deliver the job-creation that will make possible everything else that we as a Government want to do over the coming years”.

Minister Nash said: “Job creation remains our number one priority in this Department and the capital programme we are announcing today will ensure that our agencies, the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices have the funding they need to build on the record levels of job creation we have all worked so hard to achieve in recent years.  My focus is also firmly on ensuring that the jobs these agencies are helping to create are decent sustainable jobs which enable all workers to have a decent standard of living.”

Ireland is “Forging ahead” in R&D, English tells GEN Magazine

I was delighted recently to sit down with GEN Ireland and be interviewed for their magazine about my work as Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, and the work we are doing in Ireland to put Research, Development and Innovation at the coalface of our economic recovery.

You can see a video of my interview here:

From a standing start 10 or 15 years ago, Ireland has shot up the international league tables for R&D and Innovation.  This did not happen by accident.  Successive Governments, including the one in which I have the honour of serving as Minister, have realised its potential, and given it priority, protecting funding and pursuing top level talent, even in bad economic times.

But now we must plan and grow for the future too.  We cannot afford to stand still.  Therefore the Irish Government will be publishing a new strategy for science, technology and innovation in October that will target increasing the country’s investment in research and development (R&D) from 1.7pc of GDP in 2014 to 2.5pc by 2020.

You can read the full article here:

http://www.thinkirelandinc.com/uncategorised/forging-ahead-minister-damien-english-leads-the-global-charge/