Sector growing at 40% internationally, Ireland has major competitive advantages
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, today (Monday) announced the establishment of a joint Industry/Government task force on Big Data to drive the development of this high-growth sector in Ireland.
One of the first actions to be implemented by the task force will be to identify and develop two Big Data pilot projects within the public service.
The Minister made the announcement while delivering a speech at a conference on Big Data and SMEs jointly organised by EMC and Enterprise Ireland.
The core members of the task force will be:
· Government appointed Industry Partners – Mr Liam Casey of PCH, Mr John Herlihy of Google, and Ms Heather Reynolds of Eishtec
· Mr Bill McCluggage – Chief Information Officer, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
· Senior officials representing the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Central Statistics Office, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and the National Standards Authority of Ireland.
The task force will have flexibility to co-opt additional members from the public and private sector to reflect specific areas of focus and sectoral expertise. To ensure balanced representation across industry, Government and research system, it is envisaged that a number of other appointments will be made to the task force in the context of the Big Data pilot projects that are established. The first formal meeting of the task force will take place in July.
As part of the Disruptive Reform measures contained in the Action Plan for Jobs 2013, the Government has committed to making Ireland a leading country in Europe for Big Data, a sector currently growing at 40% per annum worldwide and in which Ireland has significant competitive advantages.
Making the announcement, Minister Bruton said:
"A key part of the Government’s plan for growth and jobs is identifying areas where we believe Ireland has distinct advantages compared to other countries, and taking steps necessary to ensure that we realise our potential for employment in those areas. Data Analytics is one such sector, and the Government believes that between our climate, skills base and existing strengths in ICT, we have the potential to reap substantial benefits in terms of jobs and growth from the global expansion of this sector.
"Already this year we have established a technology centre to bring researchers and businesses together to generate products and services that can create jobs in this sector, and announced a €1million initial investment from the State to support this research programme. Today I am pleased to announce that we have established a joint Industry/Government task force in this sector charged with driving the development of thi s sector in Ireland. This group comprises representatives of all relevant State bodies as well as senior industry figures with major international experience in both Irish and multinational companies. I am convinced that this task force will have the insight and leadership necessary to help make Ireland a world-leader in this sector and create the jobs we need".
ENDS