Irish industry is at a crucial point in its economic development. Our clients now face new and different challenges. What is now needed is high-value knowledge-intensive activities that can support high-value jobs and relatively high wage rates. The companies that provide these jobs are intensely market-focused and innovative firms, providing new and sophisticated products and services at competitive international rates.
While Ireland has begun this journey future Irish economic success lies in the research, commercialisation, production and sale of higher value added products and services to worldwide markets.
To be successful in this new competitive environment companies will have to embrace a new type of business model where market knowledge and innovation will increasingly determine success in export markets.
The challenge for Enterprise Ireland and our clients is to effectively develop into an innovative, productive and scaled enterprise base, one that generates knowledge-driven, high value added activities and incomes for Irish people.
The outcome of our overall strategy will be to maximise export sales through the utilisation of applied research, technology and innovation while ensuring economic development is achieved in a regionally balanced fashion.
Our Targets and Impact Measures
- €3 Billion New Export Sales over the next three years
- Double to 1,050 the Number of Firms Engaged in Meaningful R&D (in excess of €100,000) by 2010
- Support the Creation of 210 New High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Companies nationwide (by year end 2007)
- Drive Export Readiness by Implementing Productivity and Competitiveness Improvement Projects in 300+ firms (by year end 2007)