Irish SMEs have been ranked best in the EU for innovation in a European Commission survey.

If ever the peculiarity of stock markets was ever illustrated, it may have been this week when, fresh from posting the highest quarterly profits of any company in history, Apple slipped from its perch as the world’s most valuable company.

“For the past two years, Ireland’s has topped Europe’s growth charts,” said EU Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, on a recent visit to Cork.

Europe should value the innovation brought by new market entrants like Uber’s taxi service more than it values the protection of existing participants, writes Alberto Heimler.        

This week on the Small Business Show Kehlan is off to the Wild Atlantic Start-Up conference which was held at the Kemmy Business School in Limerick.

A solar-powered milk pasteurisation system which could transform the lives of dairy farmers in developing countries has won a prestigious entrepreneurial award.