I am delighted to be here today for this important event.
I would like to thank Chris Dedicoat, Barry O’Sullivan and Mike Conway for their invitation and for their dedication to Cisco’s Irish operations.
Cisco is celebrating its 5th year of R&D activity in Ireland. I would like to congratulate your success so far and to the staff and management for their hard work and dedication over the last 5 years.
On this occasion it therefore gives me great pleasure to announce that Cisco is to invest €26 million in its Research and Development facility here in Galway which will create 115 new high-quality jobs.
This is a very strong vote of confidence in Ireland by one of the world’s largest and most successful technology companies.
The new project unveiled today will expand the mandate of the Cisco Galway R&D centre into new business areas that will lead to new investment, revenue and jobs.
It is the staff and management here on the ground who can take the most credit for today’s expansion announcement.
Time and again multinational companies cite the talent of the people of Ireland as their primary reason for locating investments here and this is definitely true of Cisco.
Galway offers Cisco a highly-skilled, innovative, and passionate workforce.
I want to commend Cisco for its choice of location in Ireland and for offering excellent job opportunities to Galway and the surrounding communities.
The expansion of this operation is a very positive boost for the West region and is a significant addition to the existing base of ICT companies here.
Cisco, as one of the top technology companies in the world, is helping to lead Ireland’s growing ICT sector.
New investment also attracts in new talent, new capital and a greater clustering of research and technology.
This benefits the whole ICT sector as well as the wider economy.
The Government has identified that the key to the success of the ICT sector in Ireland is the presence of a supportive R&D collaborative environment.
Already 8 of the world's top 10 technology firms are based in Ireland. We have a number of world class research institutions to support companies in their technology research programmes.
Cisco’s expansion shows that we have the local talent pool, infrastructure and business environment to draw high-tech investments.
Action Plan for Jobs
With nearly 100,000 people already employed in the ICT sector in Ireland it still represents a major growth area for new jobs.
The Government’s Action Plan for Jobs identifies a number of targets for Ireland in the ICT sector such as:
- emerging as a global leader in cloud computing;
developing as a centre of excellence for software engineering and development in high growth areas;
- Taking advantage of the shift toward “Software as a Service”; and
- Maintaining Ireland as a key location for semi–conductor production and R&D.
The Government’s central mission through our annual action plans is to make Ireland the best small country in the world to do business in by 2016.
This will be in part achieved by delivering on our vision in the Programme for Government to develop Ireland as a ‘digital island’.
By making the types of changes necessary to our regulatory and support structures to foster a dynamic, innovative and experienced ICT industry in Ireland.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I wish Cisco every success with this expansion and offer the ongoing support of the Irish Government as it continues to grow here in Ireland.
Investments such as Cisco’s give a clear signal that Ireland is an ideal location for the high tech sector.
Working with industry we can get Ireland back to work.