Think-in to create ‘real money and real job offers’

FIVE key investment opportunities with the potential to create thousands of jobs have emerged from the Global Irish Economic Forum and are likely to receive strong backing from international financiers.

These will be presented to Government within the next four weeks and are believed to be proposals “with real money and real job offers” behind them.

It is understood the Government will then be given two weeks to decide if they want to proceed with the projects or not.

Failure to respond within the timeframe will mean the propositions, potentially worth millions of euro, will be abandoned, according to Gerry Robinson, the former chairman of Granada TV who has also played a key role in helping the British government get its health service back into shape.

Mr Robinson, who is from Donegal, was knighted in 2003 and has a reputation for delivering results as a businessman.

Details of the projects are not known, but new technology and strategic food and medical technologies are likely investment targets.

During the forum Mr Robinson said Ireland enjoys significant advantages in the pharmaceutical and electronics areas where it has products used in monitoring the health of older people that offer massive potential.

Computer games should also be a prime target for vast growth potential given the ongoing technological breakthroughs being made in the area, he said.

Another key suggestion to emerge from the forum is that Ireland should build the biggest cultural university in the world. That was put forward by international financier Dermot Desmond, who said the cultural pull exercised by Ireland on the globe should be “monitised” in a more concrete fashion.

The success of Riverdance has raised our profile and we have failed to exploit the success of our poets, writers and other aspects of our culture that have a magnetic draw on those who want to experience first-hand what Ireland has to offer, he said.

Minister for ForeignAffairs Micheál Martin addressed the issue of better utilising the internet and pledged a new database network will be set up giving “the global Irish network” an online contacts base to help firms gain access to new and existing markets.