Ireland’s finest to showcase R&D for Silicon Valley’s finest

This is a critical juncture in the continued development of Ireland towards becoming a global innovation hub. A showcase of this magnitude, involving such illustrious leaders in business and academia, being hosted in the world-renowned Stanford University, illustrates how far Ireland has come. The spirit of unity and strong sense of purpose on the task facing us collectively gives grounds for optimism on successfully sustaining our momentum on R&D.

Dr Ruth Freeman, Director of Enterprise and International Affairs at Science Foundation Ireland

November 4th 2010
John Kennedy
Silicon Republic

The IDA and Science Foundation Ireland has led a cohort of the best and brightest of Irish science and industry to Stanford University where they will today showcase the nation’s latest R&D to Silicon Valley’s biggest technology companies.

Multinational companies addressing the showcase include Intel, Cisco, IBM and Hewlett-Packard, while Ireland’s academic research community is represented by Trinity College Dublin, Tyndall National Institute, UCC, Waterford Institute of Technology, NUI Maynooth, NUI Galway, Dublin City University, University of Limerick and University College Dublin.

Also participating in the Showcase event will be senior figures from 60 international corporations, including Microsoft, Google, Nokia, Oracle, and Samsung Electronics.

“This showcase embodies the collaborative, international, cross-pollination ethos of Science Foundation Ireland, working closely with the IDA and other agencies at home and abroad,” the director of Enterprise and International Affairs at Science Foundation Ireland, Dr Ruth Freeman, explained.

“This is a critical juncture in the continued development of Ireland towards becoming a global innovation hub. A showcase of this magnitude, involving such illustrious leaders in business and academia, being hosted in the world-renowned Stanford University, illustrates how far Ireland has come. The spirit of unity and strong sense of purpose on the task facing us collectively gives grounds for optimism on successfully sustaining our momentum on R&D.”

A formidable opportunity

Commenting on the importance of the event, IDA Ireland’s executive director of business development and marketing Dermot Clohessy said: “This occasion represents a formidable opportunity to promote the talent pool of Irish researchers and those who have chosen to conduct their research activities on Irish soil. It also provides a platform to reaffirm the importance of foreign direct investment into crucial scientific and technological disciplines. Ireland has shown that it can perform at the highest level in terms of ingenuity, innovation and enterprise.

“The objective is to encourage new partnerships and new streams of investment to further realise our potential,” Clohessy said.

Among the research areas to be covered as part of the showcase are nanotechnology, communications technologies, cloud computing technologies and the emerging opportunities stemming from convergent technologies.

The showcase’s Keynote Speech is being delivered by Dr Craig Barrett, former chairman, president and CEO of Intel, and chairman of the Irish Technology Leadership Group.