'Ireland most entrepreneurially active in EU'
Ireland is now the most entrepreneurially active country in the EU and to the fore in Europe as a whole, according to the Irish Report of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for 2003.
The report was launched today by Tánaiste Mary Harney. The members of the GEM Irish research team are Paula Fitzsimons and Dr Colm O’Gorman.
The overall results of the report reflect the difficult economic conditions over the last few years as entrepreneurial activity has declined in all developed economies since 2001.
While most new businesses in Ireland are small and their owners expect them to remain so, the percentage of entrepreneurs with growth aspirations in Ireland (15%), is higher than is the case in Europe generally (5.9%) or in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand Group (11%).
A strong and supportive culture of entrepreneurship was identified in the research as an important factor in the overall environment for entrepreneurship in Ireland.
Two thirds (66%) of Irish adults consider that starting a business represents a good career choice, while three quarters (75%) of Irish adults consider that there is a high degree of status associated with successful entrepreneurial endeavour.
The Tánaiste said: “The research undertaken in the GEM report shows that Ireland remains a leading country for entrepreneurship in Europe.
"As one of the most open trading economies in the world, we need ambitious entrepreneurs to take business risks. We also need a society which recognises those risk-takers and values their endeavours in both success and failure.”
GEM 2003 is the fifth global assessment of national entrepreneurial activity.
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor is a long-term, large-scale multinational research programme co-ordinated jointly by the London Business School and Babson College in the USA. The research also involves a consortium of teams from each of the countries involved in the study.
The Irish GEM report is based on a population survey of 2000 Irish adults and on the opinions of a number of key informants, experts and entrepreneurs.
