Enterprise Ireland
Annual Report and Accounts 2006
Annual Report and Accounts 2006
Nearly 300 entrepreneurs, senior managers, executives, technical people and staff responsible for innovative activities in their companies attended a major Enterprise Ireland-organised national forum on innovation in September 2006.
Officially opened by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin T.D., the Innovation Forum and Showcase at Dublin Castle brought together leading international experts to provide a comprehensive overview of the best thinking and practice in innovation management.
The two-day event examined a broad range of innovation issues at international, national and organisational levels, and down to the functional level of the individuals tasked with conceiving innovative ideas and delivering creative strategies.
A series of keynote speeches, sectoral sessions, case studies and a seminar programme examined innovation strategy as well as innovation in action, and focused on helping Irish businesses to understand and attain the commercial benefits of innovation.
In his opening address, Minister Martin said:
"In an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy, sustained economic growth is inextricably linked to the ability to innovate successfully. This requires Irish firms to be solutions-driven and highly responsive to market developments."
"It is important to remember that innovation is not the sole preserve of large high-tech firms and research laboratories, but it is simply the application of knowledge in order to do things better, quicker, more economically and more efficiently."
The Forum's seminar programme provided practical tools and techniques to improve innovative capabilities across a range of subjects including intellectual property management, supply chain management, eBusiness and productivity.
Exhibitors at the showcase provided advice and assistance in areas such as scientific and technological research, design and development, innovation management and automation.
At the Innovation Forum Enterprise Ireland also launched a new web site to support innovation in practice: www.techsearch.ie is an online version of the existing TechSearch service, which helps Irish companies to locate and acquire technologies not readily available from commercial sources.
The service operates across all industrial sectors and provides assistance and expertise to clients to successfully license technologies from international sources.
Teams from Enterprise Ireland were also on hand to advise on all the programmes and services available to support innovation in Ireland.
