Aussie trade trip nets €15m

IRISH firms secured €15 million worth of contracts during a trade mission in Australia last week.

This news comes as the Government announces plans to drive ahead with its aim of creating 117,000 jobs over the next 10 years by implementing the report of the Innovation Taskforce.

Minster for Trade and Commerce Billy Kelleher said the deals signed in Australia endorse Ireland’s global reputation as a “source of high quality products and services.”

The mission saw 44 Enterprise Ireland firms travel to Australia from sectors such as software, financial services, telecoms, e-learning, life sciences and environmental services. They visited Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.

Mr Kelleher said: “Exporting success such as that achieved by these innovative and quality Irish companies are hard won, but are critical to Ireland’s economic prosperity and securing employment back home in Ireland.”

Dublin-based recycling firm Folamh secured a €3.5m deal with Sony Australia to reduce the number of mobile handsets that end up in landfill, while Louth e-learning company Learnosity secured a €100,000 contract with Queenland’s Association of Independent Schools for the implementation of Learnosity’s voice assessment and learning solution.

Asia Pacific director of Enterprise Ireland Alan Dixon said: “Australia is a key market for Irish products and services with €200m exports per year, making Australia the ninth largest export market in the world for Irish exporting companies.

“We see significant future potential across many of Ireland’s key exporting sectors in Australia and will continue to focus our efforts on ensuring Irish exports continue to grow in this exciting market.”

Meanwhile Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe 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. The committee will review the state of play on each recommendation to determine where immediate implementation is possible.