Ireland – a Future Global Start-up Hub
Joanna Murphy, chief operating officer of ConnectIreland, explores Ireland’s potential as a hub for foreign SMEs in light of the recent interest from French companies in particular. Ireland is well recognised as one of the top locations for global multinationals to establish their business, and in recent years it has been branded by many as the Silicon Valley of Europe, with ten of the top ‘Born on the Internet’ companies including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all present in this country. SMEs on the other hand often get overlooked when facts and figures are compiled regarding Ireland’s current business landscape. However, the trend for smaller entities looking to Ireland as…
Read MoreLondon to trial first pure electric double-decker bus in October
The world’s first purpose-built purely electric double-decker bus is to enter passenger service in London later this year. The Mayor of London Boris Johnson made the announcement this week as he hosted representatives and bus manufacturers from around the world for the first ever global Clean Bus Summit. Bus manufacturers including BYD, Volvo, Wright Bus, Optare Mercedes Evo Bus and Alexander Dennis attended the summit and committed to supporting cities in delivering fleets of new ultra-low emission buses. The World Bank and Green Investment Bank have also signed up to this commitment. Since 2008, London has rolled out more than 1,300 hybrid electric buses, retrofitted more than 1,400 buses to…
Read MoreMalin takes 38pc stake in Irish medtech company 3D4Medical for US$16.4m
Malin has bought a 38pc stake in Irish medical technology company 3D4Medical for US$16.4m. The deal also gives Malin a further call option to increase its stakeholding to 50pc. 3D4Medical, which was founded in 2004 by its John Moore, CEO, and Niall Johnston, director of business development, specialises in the development of medical, educational and health and fitness apps for healthcare professionals as well as student and patient education. The company’s apps, including its flagship offering, Essential Anatomy, have so far been downloaded over 9 million times globally. The apps use proprietary 3D technology to show the human body. A number of them have been developed in collaboration with Stanford…
Read MoreEtihad Airways announced as sponsor of international live streaming of GAA matches
Etihad Airways has been announced as sponsor of GAAGO’s international live streaming of the GAA Championship 2015. GAAGO is the GAA and RTÉ’s online streaming service for Gaelic games outside of Ireland. It is live streaming over 45 GAA football and hurling senior championship matches in the summer, plus the concluding stages of the Electric Ireland GAA minor championships and the Bord Gais Energy GAA Hurling U21 Championship Final. In addition to sponsoring these matches on GAAGO, as part of the sponsorship agreement, GAAGO customers will receive a discount on various programmes when purchasing tickets using the promo code Etihad before the end of June. The airline has partnered with…
Read MoreWorld’s largest meat packer JBS buys Moy Park for US$1.5bn
The world’s largest meat packer, Brazilian company JBS, has bought Moy Park in Northern Ireland from its owner Marfrig Global Foods for around US$1.5bn. Marfrig said the sale would enable it to significantly reduce its debt (currently at about US$5bn) and focus more intensely on pursuing growth opportunities – in particular expanding the food service business of Keystone in both Asia and the US. The transaction is subject to approval from authorities, including antitrust bodies in the EU, and is expected to be signed by the end of 2015. Headquartered in Craigavon, Moy Park is Northern Ireland’s largest private sector employer, with a total workforce of 12,000 people in Ireland,…
Read MoreEvros Technology Group to hire 100 people in 2015
Evros Technology Group, previously known as HiberniaEvros, is to hire 100 people this year across its offices in Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Kildare. In operation 25 years, the IT infrastructure and support company currently employs 250 people in Ireland. The new jobs will be spread across a number of technology and administrative positions – half in its new 60,000 sq ft Cherrywood in Dublin HQ and the other half in the regional offices. Evros Technology group managing director Bob Murray said: “This is a major step forward for the company towards our goal of being the largest provider of IT managed services and systems integration in Ireland.” According to Murray,…
Read MoreTrans-fats in Foods: Where Are They Hiding?
There are 7,000 deaths and more than 20,000 heart attacks per year and experts state these numbers could be severely reduced if trans-fats were eliminated from the food supply. However, you have an uprising of people who don’t like the government telling them what to do and what is good for them to eat. “It’s my body, my choice,” said one visibly obese woman. While it may be your body, when it comes to health care and putting unneeded pressure on a system that is already busting at the seams (no pun intended) isn’t what is best for society. Obesity is at an all-time high and we are in an…
Read More€1m Rabodirect campaign focuses on truth
Telling the truth is the central theme of an integrated online and off-line marketing campaign for Rabodirect, which launches next Monday and will involve a spend of €1m. According to Rabodirect, the ‘Truth’ campaign, which was developed together with Brando, will take the bank’s straight-talking approach to a new level and will continue to challenge traditional banking. The campaign will run from 16 March through to June across TV, radio, outdoor, press and online media. The TV ads, which were directed by former Father Ted director, Declan Lowney, will go out on RTE, TV3, TG4, Paramount, Setanta and Channel 6. The bank’s own employees feature in the online banner campaign…
Read MoreBAI/DCU to publish research on news consumption in Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) in conjunction with Dublin City University’s FuJo, the Institute for Future Media and Journalism, is to host a conference examining digital news consumption in Ireland. The event takes from 1.30–6pm on Tuesday, 23 June at the The Helix, Dublin City University, Dublin 11. The conference is titled ‘Shaping Journalism’s Future’. New research prepared by the DCU FuJo group and based on the internationally recognised Reuters Institute Digital News Report is set to be unveiled. The BAI funded both Ireland’s inclusion in the Reuters Digital News Report and Irish specific research as part of its work on media plurality in Ireland and will continue the…
Read MoreSam McCauley Chemists relocates to bigger premises on High St in Kilkenny
Sam McCauley Chemists is to take over Sherwood’s Electrical store this summer. The pharmacy chain said it has invested heavily in the new expansion and it will bring the total number employed by the company in Kilkenny to 25. “We are delighted to be relocating to a bigger premises on High St,” said managing director Patrick McCormack. “We will be making an investment of over €500,000 in the new premises and increasing the number employed to 25. This is a huge vote of confidence in Kilkenny City and our many loyal customers.” The group said it now has 28 stores nationwide and an online store www.sammccauley.com with further new openings and…
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