Strategy aims to create 8,500 new high-tech jobs

Enterprise Ireland has moved to encourage the creation of high-tech firms in regional centres. It follows publication of a report, aimed at increasing employment in the internationally traded services sector.

The report, entitled Opportunities for Ireland's High-Technology Internationally Traded Services (ITS) Sector to 2007, outlines a strategy which, if properly implemented, could create 8,500 new jobs and an extra £1.8 billion (€2.3 billion) in exports annually by 2007.

The report outlines plans to build a State-wide network of Webworks, or facilities with high speed telecommunications capability which will house and train start-up companies from specific sectors. Each one could cost up to £15 million and it is hoped that they will be financed predominantly by the private sector. A pilot initiative has already been earmarked for Sligo.

The first three of these incubation centres will be located in Cork, Limerick and Galway, and are expected to cost between £10 million and £15 million each to develop. Mr Peter Coyle, director of informatics at Enterprise Ireland, expects these to begin operating sometime next year.

A further six or seven Webworks have also been earmarked for towns with institutes of technology, and their exact location will depend on the prior existence of potential start-up companies.

They will be financed through a public-private partnership arrangement, and each Webwork will have an area of specialisation in keeping with a high growth sector.

The report identifies informatics, digital media, e-business and health sciences as the sectors with the greatest potential for generating extra wealth, exports and employment in Ireland by 2007.

The National Software Directorate will be renamed the National Informatics Directorate, to include non-software companies, including telecommunications and information based firms.

An e-business learning centre has also been recommended for the west. The centre will be set up for just two years to help Irish owned companies familiarise themselves with e-business through training initiatives.

The report sets out a vision for the creation of a digital media district in Dublin, which will be further enhanced by the location of the European equivalent of the MIT Media Lab in Dublin.

The district will provide access to state-of-the-art digital production and post-production facilities, as well as incubation centres and business services. A high speed telecommunications infrastructure will be necessary to support digital music and cinema delivery and webcasting.

According to Enterprise Ireland chief executive Mr Dan Flinter, it has been estimated it will cost around £230 million to implement many of the report's recommendations over the next seven years. He said he hoped most of these costs would be undertaken by the private sector.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the anaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, said: "The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness contains a specific commitment to implementation of a services strategy. The PPF commits the State agencies to fostering development, particularly of Irish-owned businesses, with a special focus on high value-added, high skills projects."