Minister O’Keeffe to lead drive to create 117,000 jobs over next 10 years

Minister to chair high-level implementation group for Innovation Taskforce

recommendations

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe TD, is to

lead a group of top industrialists and public servants aiming to create

117,000 jobs over the next decade by implementing the report of the

Innovation Taskforce.

Announcing the membership of a high-level implementation group today

[Monday], Minister O’Keeffe described the appointments as ‘high-calibre and

target-driven’.

He said the task facing the group was ‘important in determining the

strategic direction the country takes over the next decade and our more

immediate prospects for economic recovery’.

The Innovation Taskforce report, published in March, focuses on driving

innovation by supporting ideas, technology and processes that have

commercial potential.

Minister O’Keeffe said: ‘We must now move on implementing the

recommendations of the Innovation Taskforce which could create about

117,000 new jobs by 2020.

‘In driving the work of the committee, I will be drawing on the expertise

and experience of the members whose backgrounds are in the private and

public sectors.

‘We want to make Ireland the best place in Europe to turn research and

knowledge into products and services and the best place in Europe to start

and grow an innovative company.

‘We want Ireland to be the home of scalable small-and-medium-sized

enterprises and the best place in Europe for research-intensive

multinationals to partner with clusters of smaller firms.’

The committee will first review the state of play on each recommendation to

determine where immediate implementation is possible.

Other recommendations will need close engagement with agencies and

Government departments to move the implementation process on.

The Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD, said: ‘The Innovation Taskforce has

identified an ambitious set of recommendations to transform Ireland into a

global innovation hub and drive job creation in innovative export-focused

sectors.

‘The committee, led by Minister O’Keeffe, will have my strong support in

driving implementation.

‘I have asked my ministerial colleagues to prioritise the implementation of

recommendations from the Taskforce Report for which they are responsible.’