IDA leg of mission includes 10 meetings with multinational companies in
Chicago area, focused on life sciences
27 Irish companies participating in 14 meetings and events on Enterprise
Ireland Texas leg of mission targeting opportunities in oil and gas sector
4th May, 2014
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, today
(Sunday) departs on a 5-day, 6-city trade and investment mission to Texas
and the Mid-Western USA, organised by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.
This is Minister Bruton’s 20th major trade/investment mission since taking
office 38 months ago. This Government has doubled the number of trade
missions since taking office.
The 5-day mission to Houston, Austin, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Grand Rapids
and Chicago includes two legs:
· 2-day mission to Texas organised by Enterprise Ireland with
delegation of 27 Irish companies, including 14 meetings and events
targeting opportunities in oil and gas sector
· 3-day mission to Mid West organised by IDA Ireland, including 10
one-on-one meetings with major multinational companies, focused
particularly on pharma, medical devices and tech sectors
The programme also includes interviews with US media as part of the
strategy to communicate Ireland’s recovery around the world, and a meeting
with Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Speaking before departing this weekend, Minister Bruton said:
“At the very heart of our Action Plan for Jobs is our determination to
drive an export-led recovery. Straight after coming into office we took
action to deliver this, and in the past three years we have taken steps
like increasing the numbers of EI and IDA staff in overseas markets,
establishing new divisions within the agencies to target new opportunities,
and doubling the number of trade missions. This has shown real results,
with more than 12,000 jobs added in exporting companies in the past year
alone.
“In Texas the rapidly-growing oil and gas sector offers massive
opportunities for Irish companies. Large US companies in this area need
innovative businesses to supply them with goods and services to solve
problems thrown up by their rapid growth, and Irish companies in sectors
like engineering and technology can fill this gap. In this way these
companies can grow their export sales and ultimately grow their employment
in Ireland.
“The Mid West is home to some of the world’s leading life sciences and
technology companies. I look forward to meeting many of them and seeking to
persuade them to expand their existing operations or to establish
operations in Ireland for the first time.
“I am hopeful that the programme of this week can yield real results in
terms of increased export sales, new FDI projects, and ultimately jobs for
Ireland in the near future”.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Action Plan for Jobs includes a commitment by Government to carry out
an intensive programme of Ministerial-led trade and investment missions.
Since the Plan was launched in early 2012 the number of trade missions led
by Enterprise Ireland, for example, has doubled, from an average of 8.5
(2007-2011) to an average of 17 (2012 and 2013).
This is Minister Bruton’s 20th major trade/investment mission in almost
three years since taking office in March 2011.
The 19 previous missions undertaken comprise:
· Six IDA investment missions to the USA, three to the east coast, two
to the west coast and one encompassing the East Coast, South and
Mid-West
· Six Enterprise Ireland trade missions, one to Texas, one to the
south-eastern USA, one to India, one to Saudi Arabia and India, one
to Canada and one to France accompanied by hundreds of Irish
companies looking to break into new export markets
· A 7-day joint EI/IDA mission to China led by the Taoiseach in 2012,
and a further joint EI/IDA mission to China and Japan led by Minister
Bruton in 2013
· A EI mission to the Gulf led by the Taoiseach in January 2011
· A joint trade mission to Singapore and Malaysia with the UK and NI
Governments
· A 5-day EI/IDA trip to the west coast of the USA built around St
Patrick’s Day 2012
· A 4-day mission to Germany around St Patrick’s Day 2013, and a 2-day
mission to Germany around St Patrick’s Day 2011, including a series
of meetings arranged by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and
Tourism Ireland.
PROGRAMME
Sunday May 4th - Dublin to Austin
4.05PM Arrive Austin
5.50PM EI & Bord Bia Briefing Dinner
7.30PM Attend Austin Trade Mission Networking event
Monday May 5th – Austin to Houston
7.20AM Breakfast with EI Clients & US Customers
9.30AM In light of the agreement in principle to establish
'Techshop Dublin' on
DCU Innovation Campus, Minister Bruton will visit the
Techshop facility in Austin, to review their unique
hardware innovation platform with Paul Duggan MD Techshop
International. Techshop has been described as 'America's
most important start up' and is an open access
fabrication studio or 'maker space', which lowers the
barriers for inventors, entrepreneurs and existing
businesses looking to prototype new hardware innovations,
through the provision of high-end digital and advanced
manufacturing tools on a subscription basis.
11.00AM Meeting with Governor Perry
12.00PM Interviews with US media
12.20PM Ministerial Lunch with EI clients & US partner companies
2.00PM Meeting with EI company, food sector
3.00PM Depart for Houston by Road
6.30PM Arrive Houston, EI Offshore Technology Conference
Networking
Event
8.20PM Briefing dinner
Tuesday May 6th - Houston
07.20AM Breakfast with EI Clients & US partner companies
09.00AM Meeting with EI company, engineering sector
10.00AM Visit to Offshore Technology Conference
11:30AM Meeting with EI company, energy sector
12.20PM Lunch with EI Clients & US partner companies
1.45PM Depart for Airport
3.45PM Fly Houston to Indianapolis
Conclusion of EI leg of the Trade Mission
20:00 EST Dinner with IDA company, pharma sector
Wednesday, May 7th 2014
09:00-11:0 Meet with IDA company, pharma sector
13:51 EST Fly from Indianapolis to Cleveland
16:00 EST Meet with IDA company, energy sector
19:30 EST Dinner with IDA company
Thursday, May 8th
08:31 EST Fly Cleveland to Grand Rapids, Michigan
11.00 EST Meet with IDA company, pharma sector
Drive to Chicago
16:00 CST Meet with IDA company, tech sector
19:00 CST Dinner with IDA Ireland clients
Friday, May 9th
08:00 CST Meet with IDA company, tech sector
10:00 CST Meet with IDA company, manufacturing sector
12:30 CST Meet with IDA company, pharma sector
14:15 CST Meet with IDA company, medical devices sector
15:45 CST Meet with IDA company, pharma sector
20:00 CST Depart for Dublin