Following a pilot of 78 schools, 200 more will get this infrastructure this year, followed by 200 in 2013 and 250 in 2014.

What's missing however, Mortell warns, is a syllabus that integrates with this investment and empowers teachers and students together.

"This investment will only be as good as the syllabus we put in place to integrate with this. My hope is the new Junior Cert that is coming will result in changes to the syllabus. I know for a fact that Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is a genuine believer in education and really understands what needs to be done to get it to the next level."

Mortell is an avid believer in the power of education and skills to propel the Irish economy forward, and by making the right infrastructure and education decisions in tandem he is certain Ireland will lead rather than follow the next industrial wave.

He is adamant that we must provide students with the skills to attain the jobs digital industries will bring, and to do that we must eradicate the digital divide that exists between schools with the infrastructure and knowledge and those schools that lack sufficient connectivity.

Dublin data centres

Last year, Mortell's previous company Data Electronics was acquired by European data centre player TelecityGroup for close to €100m and the company operates a number of large data centres in Dublin.

The data centre where we are having our conversation looks out on what is probably one of the most vibrant digital clusters in Europe. In front of us, construction is advancing on Google's €75m data centre. Down the road is Microsoft's €1bn data centre that serves its cloud businesses across Europe and the Middle East, while US data centre empire Digital Reach Group is preparing to build a state-of-art operation across the road.

These data centres - the engine rooms of the digital economy - will serve everything from social networks to cloud computing, online banking, e-commerce and a host of global financial services that will represent the beating heart of commerce in the 21st century.

At TelecityGroup in Ireland, plans are in progress to add an additional 7.5MW of incremental customer power, which will take its total customer capability across its sites to 12.5MW.

TelecityGroup Ireland operates three carrier-neutral data centres in Dublin, with a combined capacity of more than 5,000 sq metres and 5MW of customer available power. These data centres are key international internet hubs and offer access to more than 40 carrier networks and access to INEX, the Dublin internet exchange.

Ireland and digital infrastructure

Mortell says that in terms of digital infrastructure, Ireland is currently in fourth place in Europe because of a myriad of factors, chiefly fibre connectivity and electricity.

"What Ireland needs to attract is some of the large Asian fibre carriers into the country. We are seeing major investments by Hibernia-Atlantic bear fruit and Emerald Networks intends to bring fibre ashore at Belmullet in 2013. We are well served in terms of transatlantic projects but an Asian carrier would bring extra opportunities."

The kind of opportunities that Mortell is talking about are operations like video game firms EA Games and BioWare, which have generated hundreds of new jobs in the west of Ireland, or pharmaceutical firms like Allergan, which before Christmas announced 200 new jobs as part of a major R&D-led investment.

"But unless we take a more national view on rolling out infrastructure to the SMEs and homes we're going to be behind the curve."

Mortell is in the driving seat to capture a lot of the industries that could create future jobs in Ireland and is aware of the areas in which the country is missing a trick.

One of the major opportunities he warns could be missed is the creation of legislation to support the arrival of online gaming and gambling businesses in Ireland.

A study by DKM Consultants estimates that as many as 8,000 new jobs for e-commerce professionals, accountants and business analysts could be created with average salaries of €40k per annum if the Irish Government moves on amending the 1956 Gaming and Lotteries Act.

DKM says that if Ireland were to capture just 5pc of the global online casino business it would represent a local sector worth €2.2bn.

"Failure to amend this legislation has meant we've already lost opportunities to Gibraltar and Malta, where legislation has been specifically set up and designed for companies of this nature.

"You've also got to bear in mind that the US are going to soon start softening their view on hosting online gaming and gambling platforms in the US and this could create further competition for Europe," Mortell stresses.

"So we're probably missing a trick at the moment. The longer we wait the more likely we'll miss out."

In terms of power infrastructure to support major data centres and manufacturing operations such as Intel or EMC, Mortell says Ireland is just about competitive at the moment.

"Paris is using nuclear energy and it is costing 4 cent per kilowatt per hour - Ireland is double that.

"In general terms, the grid is viewed here positively. The grid is considered to be robust and resilient and rarely goes down.

"Our pricing is just about competitive at the minute and we need to be careful not to make ourselves too uncompetitive, especially in a European environment where we're trying to attract business in."

Irish weather as an asset

Believe it or not one of Ireland's assets in this regard is its weather.

"For 50pc of the year, the temperature in Ireland is less than six degrees, which means free cooling for data centres that can take the ambient temperature from outside and cool the facilities.

"This is crucial when you consider the megawatts of power that need to be cooled in your typical data centre. For Ireland with its aspirations to be the 'Internet Capital of Europe' our climate is an invaluable asset."

Returning to skills and employment, Mortell notes that the skills shortage in technology is bittersweet at a time of high unemployment. There are currently 5,000 tech roles that need to be filled and despite high unemployment in the domestic economy the jobs are being filled by tech professionals from all over the world, attracted by Ireland's cities and lifestyle.

"We've never had difficulty getting people, it's just the process can take a long time. Finding professionals in areas like networking, operating system management, database administration and security is key.

"My concern would be that the next wave of people coming out of universities - if we ever have enough of them - tend to emigrate and don't have the right skills.

"We've talked a lot about retraining and taking people from other sectors such as construction and reskilling them to work in the technology industry, and institutions like IT Tallaght are doing great work in this regard, but it just takes time.

"It is my hope that the next wave of school leavers and graduates are equipped with the skills and know-how to work in the exciting industries of the 21st century.

"I believe Ruairi Quinn is genuine about this - the key will be integrating a digital syllabus with the new Junior Cert and boosting maths and science performance to ensure the skills needs of the future are there."

The other economy, which has every reason to believe it is a digital leader with its cities that are home to the world's biggest internet
firms, is undermined across the land by crumbling infrastructure, lacklustre policy and slow-paced regulation.

The first economy I mention is that of Northern Ireland, which by the end of March will have 89pc of lines connected to a fibre-enabled
street cabinet. Current speeds are up to 40Mbps but in the coming months will roughly double to 80Mbps.

Crucially - something telecoms leaders and policymakers in the other economy, the Republic of Ireland, need to understand - these fibre networks are available on an open, wholesale basis to all communications providers on equivalent terms.

Digital infrastructure rollout in the Republic has been stifled for years by regulatory failures when it comes to the copper network, poor investment in nationwide fibre and the ongoing wait for the Next Generation Network Taskforce to reveal its strategy.

The lack of an up-to-date modern broadband network has held back businesses from embracing e-commerce.

Hope for Ireland's infrastructure

For BT Ireland CEO Colm O'Neill, there is always hope and he believes these enduring infrastructure headaches can't forever hold the country back.

"It's important to start from the positives. Let's be clear: we still have a great position in the digital world. We have smart people who are early adopters, who adapt quickly and clearly that's evidenced by some of the biggest global digital companies basing here, but to sustain that and to grow indigenous industry, it's important to put things in place.

"For me, the building blocks for the digital economy are around infrastructure and skills.

"When you see the impact that good infrastructure has on a society it really is quite extraordinary. We have quite an advanced broadband rollout in Northern Ireland where we will be at 90pc by March 2012 and will be delivering speeds of up to 80Mbps download and 20Mbps upload. When you see what that does for businesses it is remarkable."

O'Neill cites Derry-based firm Printforme.com, which was among the first firms to be revitalised when Derry last year became the first city in Europe to be 100pc fibre-enabled.

"Here was a business on Ireland's northwest coast that was predominantly printing for the local community and was under severe pressure. With access to high-speed broadband it was able to get suppliers from the Far East and this enabled them to take on high-value design work from companies abroad, and manage the whole thing from Derry over the internet."

O'Neill says that in the Republic, we have a way to go on the next-generation network front.

"There is a plan being formulated and we participated in the Next Generation Network Taskforce, but there are going to be challenging decisions for us to make as a society in terms of the priorities on that."

Fibre network rollout in Northern Ireland

O'Neill's colleague Frank McManus, head of wholesale sales and services, spearheaded the project in Northern Ireland.

He says the reason it worked was a combination of an existing strategy BT had to deploy next-generation infrastructure and an enlightened policy decision by Arlene Foster's Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

"BT's existing fibre broadband rollout would have taken us past 66pc of all households by 2015 in terms of fibre to the cabinet.

"We were only going to invest where it made commercial sense to do so and deploy it on an absolutely open-access basis in dense urban areas.

"However, Foster's telecoms policy unit were visionary and wanted to be ahead of the game to position Northern Ireland as first among digital economies.

"A competitive tender was awarded in 2009 for a stg£50m project. BT put in stg£30m, and the NI government, with EU support, funded the rest.

"This allowed us to go into areas where it would never have made commercial sense to go to and as a result 89pc of the community, including 85pc of business, will now have access to speeds of up to 80Mbps."

Skills and unemployment require attention

O'Neill says the gap-funded model should be studied in the Republic, but it is by no means a one-size-fits-all solution. Another gap that needs to be addressed is the skills issue and the Republic's soaring unemployment problem, he adds.

"All the employment lost was through a construction and retail boom and the potential that exists in Ireland is all around maths, science and technology."

He says this can be addressed by reskilling the existing unemployed, but also through new programmes or curriculum in schools to encourage young people to excel in core subjects that could guarantee them a future.

"Forget about university league tables, the important thing is to get quality students through the doors in the first place," O'Neill stresses, pointing to a significant increase in science students that he witnessed at the recent BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.

On the subject of entrepreneurship and small businesses, he says firms are being held back by a combination of infrastructure and skills issues, plus the fall-off in consumer spending.

"The key thing that digital infrastructure delivers to those small businesses is a global marketplace. Rather than sell solely to the 4.5m people in this country who are not in the best purchasing frame of mind, they get to sell to a global marketplace."

Regarding skills, O'Neill recalls a speech from Academy Award-winning director and educationalist Lord David Puttnam at the Young Scientists' Gala Dinner, in which he noted that if you took a teacher from 100 years ago to an Irish classroom today, they could carry on their lesson seamlessly.

"We need to think about what kind of world we're educating children for. Coding, for example, has become a crucial discipline for people to have. A complete overhaul of the education system is a long-term plan we should consider. But there are practical things we can do today - like just encouraging young people to participate and sign up for maths and science courses."

The potential in young people

O'Neill is passionate about imbuing young people with entrepreneurial and technical skills.

"We need to move them from business and property courses to science, maths and technology courses. They are more challenging technically and how we teach them needs to improve. You need to engage people in science and technology in a way that is enjoyable and shows them the business potential."

Pointing to an offshoot of the BT Young Scientist Exhibition - the Business of Science & Technology programme - O'Neill says he has been impressed by the genuine endeavour of young Irish people setting up businesses.

"This year, there was an entry where they built a product out of seaweed extract as a health drink and built a business and were marketing it. It was amazing to see all the things they'd learned in the programme being applied.

"A former BT Young Scientist winner, Patrick Collison, is an entrepreneur today in Silicon Valley. And there's Restored Hearing, a successful business started up by two university students.

"When you engage people, make maths, science and technology enjoyable and show them the potential, this is what's possible and that's what we need to do," O'Neill says.

Economic recovery, job creation and selling Ireland as a digital and creative economy are our key priorities. We need to establish that putting in place the right digital policies and programmes now will be the determining factor in deciding Ireland's fate.

At the heart of this year's Digital 21 programme will be two key Digital Ireland Forum events for leaders:

• The Digital Ireland Forum: Winning in the Next Economy: 23 March 2012
• The Digital Ireland Forum: Realising the Creative Economy: September 2012.

Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing interviews and video reports with the leading figures in Ireland's tech scene, as part of our Digital 21 programme, covering the key issues that need to be tackled to enable Ireland to be a winner in the digital economy, including:

• Ensuring an enterprise-friendly culture in a digital age
• Attracting and nurturing the knowledge professionals
• Creating a workforce with the skills for the next economy
• Access to next-generation infrastructure
• Becoming the location of choice for tech MNCs and start-ups
• The industries that will be winners in the next economy
• The imperative of adaptability of policy in an age of rapid change.

Watch this space.

In 2011, Kinsale, Cork-based O'Sullivan was recognised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review as being the co-creator - along with George Favaloro - of the term "cloud computing" and being an early proponent of the development of cloud computing.

In 1996, O'Sullivan's company, NetCentric, was a leader in providing "software for inside the internet", and Compaq Computer's Favaloro invested $5m in the idea to develop the industry of software providers for internet infrastructure.

For more information about The Digital Ireland Forum 2012 and speaker details, go to the Digital Ireland Forum website.

A founder of JumpStart International and Chinaccelerator, O'Sullivan's first company, MapInfo, grew to a $200m public company and popularised street mapping on computers. He is also the latest high-profile addition to the TV programme Dragons' Den.

The Digital Ireland Forum 2012 marks a rare opportunity to see O'Sullivan speaking live, bringing his wealth of experience in the international digital economy and his views on Ireland's current digital status on the global stage.

At the Digital Ireland Forum, our leading keynote speakers will be joined by Ireland's technology CEOs, including Intel Ireland general manager Eamon Sinnott, BT Ireland CEO Colm O'Neill and MD of TelecityGroup Maurice Mortell. They will take part in mediated panel discussions before an invited audience of C-suite executives and senior policy makers, discussing the key issues that need to be tackled to enable Ireland to be a winner in the next economy, including:

• Ensuring an enterprise-friendly culture in a digital age
• Attracting and nurturing the knowledge professionals
• Creating a workforce with the skills for the next economy
• Access to next-generation infrastructure
• Becoming the location of choice for tech MNCs and start-ups
• The industries that will be winners in the next economy
• The imperative of adaptability of policy in an age of rapid change.

Event programme

Given our busy C-suite audience, this will be a breakfast forum (running from 8-10.30am), with short presentations from each keynote, followed by lively panel discussions with Ireland's technology CEOs, and opportunities for the delegates to question the panel. Delegates will include an invited audience of Ireland's leaders in public and private spheres.

Provisional running order

7.30-8am: Registration and breakfast

8am: Introduction by the chair, broadcaster and author Matt Cooper

8.05am: Opening by the minister

8.15am: Keynote 1: Sean O'Sullivan, serial tech entrepreneur, founder MapInfo, MD of SOSventures, and the latest addition to Dragons' Den, on creating an environment to facilitate digital enterprise and create jobs

8.35am: Panel discussion and Q&A with Sean O'Sullivan and panel of Ireland's tech CEOs

9.10am: Coffee and tea, served at tables (short break)

9.30am: Keynote 2: Emer Coleman, Deputy Director Digital Engagement UK Government Digital Services/Cabinet Office on openness and the role of policy in enabling and encouraging digital enterprise - large and small

9.50am: Panel discussion and Q&A with Emer Coleman and panel of Ireland's tech CEOs

10.30am: Event closes

Speaker and programme updates will be posted on the forum site.

As SMS is not a 'real-time' communication technology, a six-month trial was decided upon.

“There are technical challenges which will have to be addressed, but I believe these can be overcome," Rabbitte said.

“If you wish to use the service you will need to identify your location via text, and identify your home address when signing up to the service," he added.

In order to highlight the availability of this service to the deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired community, a television programme will be aired on RTE television on 15 January The name of the program is Hands On and it is scheduled to be broadcast at 12:15pm on RTE1.

It's a no brainer when you think about it - Apple could easily sell mainstream education book titles in most countries via iTunes or iBooks and editions can be updated via iCloud for access devices from iPads to MacBooks.

I feel sorry for children in the back-to-school season when you see them lumbering up the road with massive bags on their backs full of heavy books, when one light device can carry it all.

Not only am I thinking of the damage to their spines, but I'm also thinking of the damage to their parents' wallets each and every year as education systems force families to buy new editions of old books along with uniforms and gym kits.

By making schoolbooks available in this way, firstly, the book titles could be cheaper.

Secondly, families who need support from the State in buying school books need only be given a redeem code coupon and can download the books as apps.

The digital divide

But this does not solve the overall problem of the digital divide - not every family can afford to give their children expensive new tablets or notebook computers and not every town or region has top quality broadband.

But by making this move, Apple is starting a revolution that could be as pervasive as the mobile device revolution has been in the last decade.

Simply put, it's an efficient delivery system. Not only that, e-books with the right technology embedded in them can also bring learning to life in terms of workbook type tests, animation, videos, video games, the ability to record projects in video and audio, etc.

Education publishers who don't want to see their traditional business models interrupted need to get with the 21st century anyhow, and see this as an opportunity rather than a threat. You can't hold back the flood. Creating digital content in tandem with more adventurous book titles will in turn generate new revenues, new jobs and will enhance the learning pattern. It could also be a massive export opportunity.

Take for example St Colman's College in Claremorris, Co Mayo, which started bringing iPads into use from September this year. All 90 new first-year students were given the choice to use the tablet for work instead of carrying school books. Each iPad comes with a suite of learning apps installed on them. The package costs €700, covering the three-year period of the junior cycle. The decision was made after several weeks of consultation with teachers, students and parents and 96pc supported the option.

And it's not just about iPads, no doubt Amazon will get into this game in a big way to deliver textbooks to inexpensive Android devices.

Personal computers like the Intel-backed Fizzbook are also adding to this revolution. St Fintina's Post Primary School, in Longwood, Co Meath, recently equipped all its first-year students with laptops with e-books installed as part of an initiative pioneered by Intel, Steljes and The Education Company of Ireland (Edco).

Irish online education publisher Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt recently unveiled a year-long pilot of the first-ever full curriculum algebra app for the iPad. The app, which was created here in Dublin by HMH's R&D team, is being piloted in school districts across California.

It is largely fear of change combined with budgets that are holding nations back from deploying 21st-century learning technologies in the classroom.

In its imitable way, Apple could be igniting the fires of a revolution that is long overdue.

If 15pc of retail sales were e-commerce and the obstacles to the internal market were removed, the gains for consumers might be as much as €204bn, or 1.7pc of European GDP.

The commission warned, however, that there are many obstacles preventing consumers and businesses from investing fully in online services: ignorance or uncertainty about the applicable rules, offers that lack transparency and are hard to compare, and payments and modes of delivery that are often expensive and unsuitable.

The new action plan includes 16 targeted initiatives aimed at doubling the share of e-commerce in retail sales (currently 3.4pc) and that of the internet sector in European GDP (currently less than 3pc) by 2015.

By that year, online trade and services could account for more than 20pc of growth and net job creation in some Member States (such as France, Germany and Sweden).

Michel Barnier, commissioner for the Internal Market, Neelie Kroes, commission vice-president responsible for the Digital Agenda, and John Dalli, commissioner for Consumer Policy, expressed their ambitious objective in these terms: "In the difficult circumstances facing Europe we must seize every source of activity and new jobs as a matter of urgency.

“The action plan we are presenting today will create new opportunities for citizens and businesses and will bring Europe much-needed growth and employment. It aims to remove the obstacles which until now have frustrated the development of Europe's internet economy."

The European Commission has identified five main obstacles that must be overcome:

• The supply of legal, cross-border online services is still inadequate
• There is not enough information for online service operators or protection for internet users
• Payment and delivery systems are still inadequate
• There are too many cases of abuse and disputes that are difficult to settle
• Insufficient use is made of high-speed communication networks and high-tech solutions

Next month, the Irish Government, under Bruton's remit as Jobs Minister, will be announcing its Action Plan for Jobs.

The next Google

Bruton also alluded to how Ireland cannot just rely on FDI, but must also support job creation via its own indigenous start-ups, a move that will surely help to prevent a further brain drain from the country.

"I will be looking at ways to provide further supports for indigenous businesses so that we can not only attract the next Google to Ireland but also seek to create the next Google in Ireland," Bruton said.

"If we are to rebuild the economy and get jobs growing again, we must create an indigenous engine of growth. I have said before that while foreign direct investment must and will remain an important part of our economic strategy, indigenous businesses will be the key to achieving the levels of growth and employment that we need," explained Bruton.

The minister said he was "happy" to secure an increase in funding for this programme as part of Budget 2012.

He said that for the third quarter in a row, Ireland is seeing an increase in new start-ups and job creation in this HPSU programme.

Some new inventive HPSUs on the Enterprise Ireland programme include everything from pediatric language software development (Animated Language Learning) to technology to clean industrial aqueous waste streams (Kemartek Technologies) to web technology service for the life sciences sector (Scrazzl).

Other inventive start-ups in the HPSU programme include DeBonis Gaffney Software, Tethras Technology, BoxPAY, VendorShop, Billfaster and Trimod Therapeutics, Cab Call Communications and Hotel Bedroom Solutions.

The State agency said that Irish companies faced severe global economic conditions head on. "They have emerged leaner, stronger and with a greater appetite for international growth than ever before," Enterprise Ireland said.

Enterprise Ireland CEO Frank Ryan said that employment in the agency's client companies stabilised this year and that entrepreneurs and new growth sectors are leading job creation.

Total employment (full and part time) in Enterprise Ireland client companies stood at 162,692 in 2011. Of these, 141,228 are full-time jobs - a similar number to last year, while 21,464 are part-time jobs - a slight increase on last year.

“Enterprise Ireland is determined to continue to support their job creation initiatives and identify and help secure overseas business in established and high-growth markets," said Ryan.

“This will not only assist growth in exporting businesses, but local economies in every county in Ireland. It is also apparent that companies that invest in continuous research and development have been our most successful in overseas markets.

“There should be no misunderstanding however, and it's been widely reported, that 2012 will be a year of continuing challenges. In preparation for this, Enterprise Ireland will move rapidly to implement the Government's planned jobs strategy. 

“We will continue to focus on lean programmes to increase clients competitiveness; we will continue to increase numbers of high-potential start-ups from within Ireland and from overseas; we will continue to help companies win business overseas in both established and high-growth markets; and we will continue to introduce new offers and initiatives to ensure that the full focus of Enterprise Ireland is aimed at meeting the needs of our clients so they can sustain and grow employment."

Acquisitions and expansions

Enterprise Ireland said that in 2011 a record number of Irish companies were acquired by overseas multinationals, including Research in Motion (Blackberry), BAE Systems, AMDOCS and IBM giving the acquired companies significantly greater global reach.

During 2011, large-scale R&D expansions were supported in 110 companies. The Technology Centre programme, which Enterprise Ireland runs jointly with the IDA, is already delivering next-generation technologies to key industry sectors, such as manufacturing, bio-energy, nanotechnology, microelectronics, IT, composite materials, energy and food. The programme expanded in 2011 with the announcement of centres in financial services, cloud computing and learning technologies.

Enterprise Ireland continued to introduce Irish companies to 'big ideas' from third-level research in 2011. More than 90 technologies were licensed to companies during the year and a further 30 spin-out companies were created through Enterprise Ireland's support of the technology transfer offices in higher-education institutions.

A further 51 companies were supported through the Innovation Partnership programme, which enables companies to source technical solutions to their business challenges from higher-education institutions.

Some 748 companies received Innovation Vouchers worth €5,000 which allowed them to work with researchers in local third-level institutes and colleges and access knowledge and specialist equipment.  

Enterprise Ireland continued to help companies to win funding from Europe for innovative research. In 2011, Enterprise Ireland helped Irish companies secure €31.8m from the Seventh EU Framework Programme (FP7) and the European Space Agency, both important sources of non-exchequer funding.

Indigenous engines of growth

“Creating an indigenous engine of economic growth is central to my plan for revitalising the economy," Bruton said.

“Enterprise Ireland, and the various supports it provides to domestic businesses, particularly in the exporting sector, will be key to this.

“In these very difficult times, to have kept employment steady in the companies it supports, with increases in certain categories, is a creditable performance. I commend Frank, his team, and above all the businesses on this record.

“Although 2012 will be another difficult year, this Government is determined to continually improve our supports to domestic job-creating businesses through improvements in access to finance and reductions in costs. With the right supports, I hope that these businesses can build on this year's performance and get more people back to work," Bruton said.

Ryan said the world economy is predicted to grow moderately in 2012 (source: World Bank 2011). "This is important because it offers opportunities for Irish companies to increase exports which sustain and create employment in Ireland."

During 2011, a number of new initiatives were introduced in direct response to the demands of entrepreneurs and client companies including:

• Competitive start funds for very early stage entrepreneurs - €50k per start-up - 55 start-ups supported
• €10m international fund for attracting entrepreneurs from overseas
• Graduates 4 International Growth programme saw 120 graduates placed with Irish companies all over the world
• Leadership training for chief financial officers
• Staff resources in key markets were re-aligned to maximise impact in key 'first time export' and high-growth markets
• Enterprise Ireland also opened its first office in South Africa

The ultimate aim is to highlight how the technology sector offers bright and interesting future career opportunities for youths on the island of Ireland.

Smart Futures has also launched a competition for students to create digital projects, such as apps, animations and games.

Students will also have the option of gleaning work experience with technology companies in Ireland, such as the Xbox Games Studio.

For the competition itself, the students can choose from eight digital categories:

1. Animation
2. Audio
3. Game
4. Mobile app
5. Podcast
6. Tech article
7. Video
8. Website

The best digital ideas will vie to win prizes, such as laptops, the Xbox Kinect, iPads, home cinemas and smartphones.

And the deadline? Students have until Friday, 27 January 2012 to submit their entries.

Smart Futures is also launching an online careers fair to show secondary school students a qualification in technology can be a gateway to an exciting career. On 23 January 2012, a week-long careers fair will take place on the website. 

Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes said today that the strategy to lift performance EU-wide will be three-fold.

1. Firstly, the commission is preparing to lead by example, opening its vaults of information to the public for free through a new data portal.
2. Secondly, it will establish a level playing field for open data across the EU.
3. Thirdly, these new measures will backed by the €100m which will be granted in 2011-2013 to fund research into improved data-handling technologies.

The commission said these actions will position Europe as the "global leader in the re-use of public-sector information".

And the ways in which the EU will achieve this?

It indicated that its digital action will boost the industry that turns raw data into the material that hundreds of millions of ICT users depend on, for example, smartphone apps, such as maps, real-time traffic and weather information and price-comparison tools. It said other beneficiaries will include journalists and academics.

"We are sending a strong signal to administrations today. Your data is worth more if you give it away. So start releasing it now: use this framework to join the other smart leaders who are already gaining from embracing open data. Taxpayers have already paid for this information, the least we can do is give it back to those who want to use it in new ways that help people and create jobs and growth," said Kroes.

The Commission has proposed to update the 2003 directive on the re-use of public sector information by:

• Making it a rule that all documents made accessible by public-sector bodies can be re-used for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, unless protected by third-party copyright.
• Establishing the principle that public bodies should not be allowed to charge more than costs triggered by the individual request for data (marginal costs). The commission elaborated by saying this practice will mean most data will be offered for free or virtually for free, unless duly justified.
• Making it compulsory to provide data in commonly used, machine-readable formats, to ensure data can be effectively re-used.
• Introducing regulatory oversight to enforce these principles.
• Expanding the reach of the directive to include libraries, museums and archives for the first time; the existing 2003 rules will apply to data from such institutions.

In addition, the commission will make its own data public through a new data portal. This portal is currently in beta version, with an expected launch in spring 2012.

In time, this will serve as a single-access point for re-usable data from all EU institutions, bodies and agencies and national authorities, said the Commission today.

Almost 80pc of the respondents to commission surveys up to now have said they are prevented from making full use of information held by public bodies. Reasons include high fees, non-transparent rules and practices regarding re-use, a lack of transparency on what type of data is held and by whom, and exclusive licensing agreements which may have the effect of undermining competition.

In its Digital Agenda for Europe, the commission identified the re-use of public-sector information, alongside fast and ultra-fast internet access, as key to delivering a digital single market.

Despite having only been set up in the past few months, the Coder Dojo movement has already held 'dojos' in Cork, Dublin and Limerick. And, now, the UK. It is only a matter of time before it spreads further to the rest of Europe and potentially the US.

By holding sessions in schools, the not-for-profit network of computer clubs, or dojos, aims to teach kids to code, as the world embraces the digital economy.

Taking on the UK

So what has Coder Dojo been doing in the UK?

The first-ever UK Coder Dojo, led by Whelton, was held in Ravensbourne College, south London, last weekend. While only seven children, aged from eight to 14, attended the session, this could be the start of a dojo revolution in the UK, inspired by Ireland's lead in the area. Whelton said he was confident, especially as Coder Dojo has been getting attention from people across the UK, who want to volunteer as mentors.

Speaking at the Digital Ireland Forum on 30 September, Liao pointed to the pioneering work of Whelton and why the duo decided to embark on the Coder Dojo journey in the first instance.

Liao explained the genesis of their partnership: “James told me how he learned to programme and how it was a real struggle and then when he won an internet award and it was announced on the school PA, he had kids coming up to him and that inspired him to set up a computer club.”

It’s pretty significant that Irish kids as young as eight have being attending Coder Dojo events in Ireland, and quickly absorbing programming languages.

It’s also a fun way for parents to bond with their kids, by working on an app, for instance.

“We brainstormed and realised that for the movement to work it had to be cool and have edge and we came up with the name Coder Dojo. We said that if we’re to make this low friction there has to be one rule – above all, to be cool. If you waste people’s time, that’s deeply uncool. Now parents get to stay and learn with their kids. We are teaching kids how to code for free and people are generous and give us space and internet,” added Liao at the Digital Ireland Forum.

World’s youngest Mac app developer - hails from Ireland

Ireland's own 12-year-old-app developer Harry Moran is the world’s youngest Mac app developer. Harry, who hails from Cork, is an example of someone who has embraced Coder Dojo.

Back on 24 November last Harry told Siliconrepublic.com that he only learned how to code in the last three months at Coder Dojo.

Harry developed a Mac app called PizzaBot that went on sale in mid-November on the Mac App Store for 79 cents.

"I've just consulted with Apple, and I'm officially the (world's) youngest Mac developer now!" said Harry at time.

Irish computing prodigy

Another Irish computing prodigy is Dubliner Shane Curran (11), who did his first Linux install at the age of six. Since then, he has learned how to programme in multiple languages, such as PHP, C, C++, Java, Python, Ruby, Perl and Bash.

And a new report on the topic also claims that cities are wasting the potential of smart technologies by failing to realise the value of their hidden infrastructure and digital assets.

The Climate Group, Accenture, Arup and Horizon Digital Economy Research all collaborated with University of Nottingham to bring out the report, titled Information Marketplaces: The New Economies of Cities.

In early November, in Ireland, a report, Intelligent Infrastructure - Realising the Competitiveness Benefits and Enterprise Opportunities, looked at how, by harnessing next-generation broadband technologies, sensors and analytical software, the cost of deploying and managing critical infrastructure will be reduced.

And back in late October, to coincide with the opening of its Smarter Cities Technology Centre centre in Dublin, IBM held the Science of Cities Colloquium in Ireland to look at how cities can become greener and smarter and, ultimately, more attractive to live in by revamping areas such as transport, energy, infrastructure, education and weather analytics.

While cities are using information and ICT to improve their sustainability and efficiency, the report’s findings assert they are not recognising or measuring the full value of smart initiatives and are missing the opportunity to turn unused data and infrastructure into new, low-carbon solutions and services.

Fragmented ICT

It says the application of smart technologies is being hindered in cities because tech-led experiments often fail to achieve useful outcomes for consumers and residents and because cities often develop ICT in fragmented projects.

An additional reason for the failure of smart-tech integration in cities, according to the report, is because cities are unsure of the social and financial payback from the investments they are being asked to make.

Speaking today, Mark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group, said the world’s cities “sit on vast untapped resources of data and infrastructure” that could be integrated to accelerate the clean revolution while also improving the convenience and quality of urban life.

“To unlock that potential, cities need the right leadership to create a vision of social, environmental and economic goals that can be achieved by a more integrated application of smart technology,” he said.

So what are the researchers proposing in order to maximise smart-tech integration in cities?

Common set of smart city metrics

The report argues that cities must capture the potential benefits of smart technology initiatives with a common set of metrics that can be translated into financial and non-financial values of relevance to different stakeholders.

The report’s authors assert that such a common set of metrics will enable cities to:

• Compare the relative benefits of projects and prioritise between them a smart grid and a road pricing initiative, for instance
• Achieve economies of scale by identifying how a communications backbone, in this instance, could be used for both applications.

“We need to reframe the intelligent city value proposition by measuring and articulating the full social, environmental and economic rate of return generated by city-wide initiatives,” said Simon Giles, global senior principal, Intelligent Cities at Accenture. “Only then can the private sector make the business case for participating. Only then can cities make the capital decisions that bring greatest value to citizens."

Digital assets

Volker Buscher, director, Arup, pointed out how cities must “open up their digital assets and create a thriving information marketplace for innovations that achieve these aims”.

“It will take courage for city leaders to challenge the cultural norms of their administrations and expose themselves to this form of dynamic collaboration,” he added.

The report makes several recommendations to policy makers and companies:

Local and national governments

• Encourage the use of common, international metrics to assess performance and to facilitate investment decisions.
• Establish a capability within the city administration to align political objectives and civil administration with public and private-sector project execution.
• Start a debate on open data and on the role cities should play in creating growth opportunities.

Companies

• Understand the investment decision-making process of cities to ensure private-sector technology development aligns with public-sector legal and procurement processes and timescales.
• Encourage pre-procurement taskforces, whereby companies can offer their technical expertise to help cities streamline procurement processes.
• Use multi-partner trials to develop capabilities for longer term scaling of technology solutions.

The Microsoft Global Forum Educator Awards themselves were held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in Washington, DC, last week.

This year's winners were selected from more than 115 projects, narrowed from more than 200,000 applicants, who competed at national and regional events during the year to qualify for the worldwide competition.

McHale's project took second place in the Extending Learning Beyond the Classroom' category. Her 'Birds of Bray' project was designed to develop the St Philomena's Primary School students' non-fiction report writing skills. Within the context of a collaborative, local, wild bird study, McHale's students used Web 2.0 tools to collaborate with others on shared research and report writing projects. Students also participated in online collaborative writing, and published and provided feedback on their class blog.

At the Microsoft ceremony, 18 awards were presented to educators and their projects in six categories. The top three finalists in each category were recognised and received an Intel-powered classmate PC for their classroom.

The award ceremony was attended by more than 700 teachers, school leaders and education leaders, as well as government officials from more than 70 countries.

More than 200 school leaders from the Partners in Learning for Schools programme also attended the Global Forum. The 66 Pathfinder Schools and 32 Mentor Schools were honoured for their approach to systemic change and educational transformation.

Participants were judged by an international panel of 50 education experts on a number of criteria. Through virtual classroom tours and onsite interviews by judges, the judges looked at how teachers demonstrated innovative teaching practice, giving their students critical 21st-century skills, such as collaboration, critical thinking and social responsibility, by leveraging technology resources.

The 2012 Partners in Learning Global Forum will be in Athens, Greece, the first time the event will be held in the central Europe region. Country and regional competitions for next year's awards will take place beginning this month. Interested teachers should contact their local Microsoft office for more information or look online.

Chilean school to get 30 Intel-powered classmate PCs
The school Liceo Bicentenario de Molina in Chile was recognised by its peers because of its strong vision for creating a school community that fosters creative approaches to learning and is driving toward whole-school transformation but was greatly impacted from a recent earthquake. In recognition, this school will receive 30 convertible Intel-powered classmate PCs, plus one mobile-charging cart with a wireless access point.

Microsoft Innovative Educator
Microsoft also announced the inaugural 800 educators to earn the designation of Microsoft Innovative Educator, a title the company said signifies an expertise in implementation of innovative teaching and learning practices and a commitment to engaging with a global community of professional practice.

The global Partners in Learning for Educators program has trained nearly 10m educators since 2003. Microsoft also announced it is expanding its Partners in Learning for Educators programme with redesigned curriculum and professional development resources, ranging from fundamental use of technology to in-depth, research-based methodologies for increasing student mastery of 21st-century skills.

New online content
Content is set to be rolled out from mid-November 2011 through March 2012 and will be available through more than 500 face-to-face trainings and online learning experiences.

The Global Learning Program has also announced a new collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education to inspire and recruit teachers, a partnership with the British Council to drive access to education around the world, and the continuation of the Shout programme with the Smithsonian Institution and TakingITGlobal - this year's focus will be on water conservation and caretaking.

Anthony Salcito, vice-president, Worldwide Education for Microsoft, spoke about how education is critical to the social and economic development of every nation and to the ability of individuals everywhere to reach their full potential.

"We are honoured to recognise these amazing professionals for the work they do every day to enrich the educational experiences of children around the world," said Salcito.

Extending Learning Beyond the Classroom
Winner: Chris Clay (New Zealand)
Project: Linking Educational Accomplishments to Real-World Needs
Clay created an online community that connects more than 140 teachers and students across New Zealand to tackle real-world biological challenges. Using technology, students learned to develop collaboration, critical-thinking, problem-solving, communication and digital literacy skills, as well as a love for learning.

First runner-Up: Doreen McHale (Ireland):
Project: Birds of Bray (described above)

Second runner-up: Tessa Van Zadelhoff (Netherlands)
Project: A Travel Agency in our Classroom
Via Twitter and a blog, students provided travel advice to a network of "customers." By calculating costs via Microsoft Excel, they created digital tourist guides, videos, digital storybooks and translation guides, the students learned about European geography.

Collaboration
Winner: Doug Bergman, Johnny Kissko, Louis Zulli, Donna Thomas and Margaret Noble (United States)
Project: When Fish Fly
Integrating computer science, fine arts, business and economics, student design teams developed a dynamic motion-based game simulation for Kinect for Xbox 360 that replicates the sights, sounds, history and "sense of place" of Pike Place Fish Co. in Seattle, Washington.

First runner-up: Rui Silva (Portugal)
Project: Eco-Partnerships
Designed to improve students' information communication technology skills while focused on environmental education, the project involves students interacting with other students in schools and organisations around the world via Facebook, Windows Live and other technology to share knowledge, experiences and works.

Second runner-up: Zhao Yi (China)
Project: Jack Magic Vegetables Company
To combat the scarcity of vegetables in China due to pesticides and limited outdoor space, students researched and developed a soilless culture technique, and applied real-world business applications by setting up an online store for people in the community to buy the soilless devices.

Knowledge Building and Critical Thinking
Winner: Margaret Noble and David Stahnke (United States)
Project: Illuminated Mathematics
Using technology and creativity, students researched maths theories and then produced self-selected digital art projects, which examined mathematics through the lenses of art, history and science. This inspired students to dig deeper, find real-world applications and develop their own perspective and understanding of how mathematics impacts their world, said the teachers.

First runner-up: Athena Hain-Saunders (Australia)
Project: Real Science Beyond the Classroom
Using their outside environment as a working laboratory, students conduct research and scientific monitoring and experimentation at a local wetland. This project lets students be hands-on learners, working with professional scientists to learn about biology, and collect meaningful data to support critical university research.

Second runner-up: Kara Barker and Roger Lister (Sweden)
Project: Forensic Science
The aim was to increase enthusiasm for natural science and maths by incorporating forensics to help solve crimes. Weekly labs where students experiment in a variety of areas such as DNA, anthropology, and hair and fiber evidences are applied using various tools such as Windows Movie Maker, podcasts, OneNote and SharePoint.

Innovation in Challenging Contexts
Winner: Sandra Caldas Saragoca (Brazil)
Project: Education Beyond Walls
This project focuses on educating and mentoring girls aged 12 to 21, who are currently in prison. Through this project, students learn interpersonal, social and academic skills, and then use technology tools like Windows Movie Maker to engage and share lessons with students in local schools.

First runner-up: Gareth Ritter (United Kingdom)
Project: Interactive Resources Made by Pupils for Pupils
Engaging students' natural interest in music and technology to encourage a creative and student-directed learning environment. Through this project, students researched music-recording production and created video tutorials to support the learning of others. Students learned new music and business skills, while mentoring others, and recordings supported production of the school podcast station and a new album recorded in the school studio.

Second Runner-Up: Sangeet Shukramani (India)
Project: One Earth ... Our Earth -- Together We Can Make A Difference
Aimed at creating awareness and sensitising students toward the 21st century's most issue-environment conservation. Students learned about their immediate environment and collaborated with students and teachers around the world.

Cutting-Edge Use of Microsoft Technology for Learning
Winner: Louis Zulli Jr, (United States)
Project: Center for Advanced Technologies News and Information Portal (CATNIP)
Using a wide variety of technology programs, students collaboratively developed and managed their school's intranet, which integrates campus communication, curriculum planning and facilities management into one site.

First runner-up: Steven Ronsijn (Belgium):
Project: genY
This project put students in control of their own learning, using technology tools including live@edu, video and Microsoft Tag to create interactive lessons for younger students. Through this project, students became teachers and the teacher became the student in learning new technology skills.

Second runner-up: Zainuddin Zakaria (Malaysia)
Project: Kodu in Classrooms Around the World
Students create games using Microsoft Kodu Game Lab that teach environmental lessons. Students learn about co-operation, logic and creativity in addition to programming, and share the games with students around the world.

Educators' Choice
Best Practice: Carlos Antonio Carlo (El Salvador)
Project: I Want to Make Movies
Designed to create significant learning opportunities where students are protagonists of their own learning. Through this effort, students used Windows Movie Maker and Windows Media Player.

First runner-up: Marina Vasileva (Macedonia)
Project: Grandma's Games
Encourages students from kindergarten to college to survey family members and preserve traditional games and culture through information communications technology. Students created videos and lesson plans for the games, and one student created a Kinect for Xbox 360 game based off a family tradition.

Second runner-up: Wen-Ching Yang and I-Fa Su (Taiwan)
Project: Travel the World Together from the Bazhang River
From observations of the characteristics and behaviour of Black-winged Stilt, students explore and learn about the annual migration of birds through project-based learning.

Yesterday, a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study ranked Ireland 22nd out of 50 countries in terms of digital inclusion.

“The digital economy is accounting for 5pc to 7pc of GDP in some countries,” explained David Dean, senior vice-president at Boston Consulting. “Seven per cent of the UK’s GDP comes from the digital economy. Germany is at 3.5pc. Ireland could be just a little higher than 3pc of GDP. So how can we encourage the country to up its game?”

He added: “What I want to know is, does Ireland have a digital Ireland master plan?”

Addressing the think-tank, Rabbitte admitted the research paints a stark picture and said it is unacceptable that 30pc of households do not have access to the internet.

“Our SME sector has been slow to embrace the huge opportunities online for sales and marketing. They are likely to say they have other preoccupations in the present economy. Their adoption of technology is in fact lower than households. The lost business opportunities being incurred is of great concern.”

Rabbitte is making no secret of the fact that the level of investment in communications infrastructure in Ireland over the last decade has been below par.

“Unfortunately, Ireland is playing catch-up due to years of under-investment. I am pleased that there are now many commercial service providers in the Irish market investing €400m to €500m in recent years. To address the market failure, the Government here has invested €300m in infrastructure.

“We are in a position to meet the first of the EU milestones of basic broadband in advance of the deadline.

“The Next Generation Taskforce comprising the CEOs of the various telecoms companies will complete its work by Christmas and hopefully I will be in a position to bring proposals to Government early in the new year.

“This investment will be led by the private sector but the State will play a role. I’m determined that this investment occurs and that we will not create an urban/rural digital divide.”

The digital divide Rabbitte is talking about directly affects the unemployed, the poorly educated, senior citizens and the disabled. To appreciate how fundamental basic digital skills are for people today, Dean pointed out that 7m jobs were advertised in the UK online last year. Without a basic internet connection applying for jobs would be impossible.

“Because of our unusually geographically dispersed population, there is a serious risk of excluding rural populations and it is a lucky for us that we have an enthusiastic voluntary sector,” Rabbitte said, referring to the €1.8m BenefIT 3 scheme involving 20 training projects that could allow 40,000 people to benefit from IT training. It involves local authorities, national representative organisations, universities, VECs, trades unions, enterprise and development groups, disability representative groups, job and resource centres, as well as a wide range of local groups.

The master plan for a digital Ireland

Rabbitte said that in relation to the issue of ICT investment in education, web-based learning is the future and 78 schools countrywide have so far been equipped with 100Mbps broadband, which is contributing to changing the teaching and learning experience in those schools.

“I am determined to see a wider roll out to all second-level schools by the 2013/2014 school year.”

He hinted there has been opposition voiced to rolling out 100Mbps broadband to secondary schools. “Some would argue that 100Mbps is too costly and unnecessary and also there are those who believe that if we have any chance to develop core IT skills then this is precisely the type of investment that is required.

“But the challenge is not installing broadband, the technology is just a mode of delivery; the challenge is pedagogical. Changing the curriculum is essential if we are to optimise the investment.”

To give a picture of the kind of impact the investment is making, Rabbitte said the decision was taken to deliberately include isolated areas, as well as socially disadvantaged communities.

He cited a school in Tallaght kitted out with high-speed broadband and where each student was given a netbook. “The results have been positive, absenteeism has been reduced and grades have improved. So much so, that the school is now a school of choice for parents. They are receiving applications from outside the traditional catchment areas.

Rabbitte said Ireland can no longer wait until the economic tide has turned. “There is a serious need for a national strategy for digital. We are going to liaise with all parties to devise a framework for how Ireland will respond to the challenges.

“I’m making a personal commitment to make sure Ireland gets on top of the issue and ensures access to the digital world, especially for those in marginalised areas of society,” Rabbitte said.

Skills, connectivity and inclusion are critical, Boston Consulting’s senior vice-president David Dean told the Future Forum think-tank co-hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee and Dublin City Council at Farmleigh in Dublin this morning.

Dean pointed out that economies such as the UK can boast 7pc of GDP currently coming from the digital economy while Ireland at best could be hovering around 3pc.

Ireland ranks 16th of the 50 countries researched in terms of the willingness of consumers, businesses and governments to use the internet. This takes into account a variety of factors, including the percentage of the population who use the internet (Ireland ranks 20th); the percentage of individuals using the internet for directories and resources (ranking sixth); percentage of individuals using the internet for retail (also ranking sixth); and the percentage of individuals using the internet for news and information (ranking 12th).

However, the ranking for the availability of internet access in schools shows Ireland ranking 38th out of the 50 countries.

The research shows that the internet is having an increasingly large impact on GDP, growth and job creation.

The BCG research estimates as much as 5-7pc of GDP in advanced economies can be attributed to the internet and perhaps a quarter of GDP growth. The BCG research (the “e-Intensity Index”), argues that the promotion of the use of the internet by small and medium Irish companies could help growth and economic recovery.

The natives, the players, the aspirants and the laggards

Dean said that in Boston Consulting’s study of world economies, the leaders in the world are what he would call the digital natives, which include South Korea, Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, Iceland, Denmark and Japan.

Nascent natives include the Czech Republic, Estonia, Portugal, Poland, Slovenia and Hungary, while China, Malaysia, Russia and Brazil are aspirants.

In the middle are the players, countries who are firmly in the digital economy but which don’t fit the digital native description with a firm line dissecting those who are above the line in terms of breaking through and those below the line, who have a lot of work to do.

Ireland, along with Singapore, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium and Spain, is below the line.

“Nations that are performing well in terms of their population’s grasp of the digital economy, infrastructure and available digital services are above the line. Ireland is below the line and it would be great to see Ireland in a place within two years where it would be close to Finland.

“The digital natives today are the UK, Denmark and South Korea. In Europe, Italy would be a laggard in the digital economy.

“The digital economy is accounting for 5pc to 7pc of GDP in some countries. Seven per cent of the UK’s GDP comes from the digital economy. Germany is at 3.5pc. Ireland could be just a little higher than 3pc of GDP. So how can we encourage the country to up its game?”

Dean said that in most advanced economies, e-commerce is now at 10pc of retail sales revenues. “In the UK, households that shop online are saving stg£1,000 a year.

“In the UK, SMEs are increasingly embracing the internet. Companies that are high web users are growing significantly faster than those that are not.

“Top of their list of requirements are access to the skills that enable them to do more online. So talent, not bandwidth, is actually critical.

“What I want to know is does Ireland have a digital Ireland master plan? Ireland does less well internationally when it comes to internet access in schools.

“And to encourage consumer online spending, it is not easy in difficult times, but what are the hurdles for online shopping in Ireland when clearly there are savings that can be achieved?”

A vision of digital Dublin

Dublin City Council director Peter Finnegan presented a vision of the kind of city Dublin could become if it made broadband connectivity, knowledge and digital skills more pervasive in the community.

He pointed out that cities are the future and the Dublin city and region needs to benefit and capitalise on the opportunities of the digital age.

“Dublin is rich in the number of cutting-edge companies it has, but we need to engage with communities and involve people. We need to shape the digital society, we need Dublin to become a digital city and ensure it is digitally connected in every way and use this to give us the edge.

“We need to ensure that skills are continually being enhanced. We need to make Dublin a global example and show digital communities of people working in the digital economy, enjoying a digitally connected city.”

Irish Internet Association chief executive Joan Mulvihill told the think tank that as well as skills and digital delivery, a key opportunity needs to be grasped in ensuring we make the most of the open data opportunity to provide better services to citizens via devices they understand, from smartphones to tablet computers.

“We need to move beyond each Government department saying that certain data belongs to a different department. Delivering services drives digital engagement,” she said.

Finnegan pointed to the recent Dublinked initiative that will see some 160 datasets made available to interested entrepreneurs and software developers.

“If you deliver the infrastructure, the services will follow. But we also believe that you need to put pressure on the infrastructure to catch up. We also need a digital champion to push these issues, the unpopular issues.

“The second element is to ensure proper skills and training. Collaboration is the key going forward. Teachers are products of their generation; prisoners of the curriculum and the school. We need to break down those barriers,” Finnegan said.

Winners of the 18 Global Forum Educator Awards will be announced, and 18 new Mentor Schools will be recognised at a gala dinner at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture this week.

As part of the conference, Microsoft today announced new and continuing collaborations with the U.S. Department of Education, the British Council and the Smithsonian Institution to engage educators to successfully inspire students in their classrooms using technology.  

The Irish schools taking part in the global forum are:

• St Philomena's Primary School in Bray, Co Wicklow
• Ballyclare High School, Carrickfergus Model Primary School, Co Antrim
• Scoil Chonglais Post-Primary School in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow
• St Mary's College in Londonderry, Co Antrim

This year's forum is the culmination of a year's worth of country and regional events honouring teachers and school leaders who are creatively and effectively using technology in their curriculum.

Microsoft says the event provides these educators with an opportunity to compete and gain recognition at the global level and to share and collaborate on best practices, key learnings and how to implement creative ideas.

"Participating in the Partners in Learning for Schools Program contributed to our reputation and inspired us as a learning community, as well as enabled us to reach out to other schools with a view to sharing the potential that the Partners in Learning initiative offers to those willing to embrace their own innovative journey," said Paul Wade, ICT manager at St Mary's College in Londonderry, speaking from Washington today.

The Irish projects

Recently named a Microsoft Mentor School, St Mary's College is involved in a project entitled 'Developing The Leaders Of The Future'.

The aim is to co-construct a partnership with University of Ulster, the partner schools in the Foyle Learning Community and the global partners in Africa, Spain and Palestine.  

The school's "dare to be digital" programme promotes creative thinking across all areas of the curriculum through the development of multimedia platforms that will develop the pupils' skills in 3D modelling, multimedia authoring, character production and animation and all aspects of interactive multimedia development.

Doreen McHale of St Philomena's Primary School in Bray, Co Wicklow, was the leader for the 'Birds of Bray' project. It was designed to develop the 4th grade pupils' non-fiction report writing skills within the context of a local bird study. The pupils used Web 2.0 tools to collaborate with others on shared research and report writing projects.

Christine Murphy-Gardner has led the project 'Empowering Communities: Targeting Innovation at the Heart of Learning' in Ballyclare High School & Carrickfergus Model Primary School, Co Antrim, teaching computer technology. She partners with teachers, working alongside them in the primary classroom, and provides targeted training of computer technology applications and skills.

Scoil Chonglais Post-Primary School in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, has been commended for its integration of technology into the classroom.

Merging business with social responsibility - Anthony Salcito, vice-president of education at Microsoft Corp

Speaking today, Anthony Salcito, vice-president of education at Microsoft Corp, spoke about how the company believes that well-prepared educators can help today's youth overcome the emerging opportunity divide and can help put students on a path toward the education, skills and opportunities they need to prosper in the 21st century.  

"The Partners in Learning program is one of the many investments Microsoft is making to help educators more effectively prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow," said Salcito. "At Microsoft, we believe that magic happens when business needs merge with social responsibility, and in an increasingly competitive global economy, bringing together organisations that are equally passionate about education can be a successful formula for preparing the next generation of leaders."

Inspiring teacher recruits in the US

Salcito also announced in today's keynote that Microsoft will collaborate with the U.S. Department of Education to support a campaign aimed at inspiring and recruiting young people to enter the teaching profession. As part of this, Microsoft is assuming overall management of the TEACH website. In the coming months, Microsoft will be taking the lead in developing a coalition of private-sector companies and other key organisations to further support the campaign and will be moving the site to Teach.org.

Partnership with British Council

Microsoft also announced a new, five-year partnership with the British Council to increase quality and access in education and training around the world. This partnership will combine the assets of Microsoft and the British Council to nurture the use of ICT for innovative practice in teaching and learning.

Microsoft and the British Council have each committed US$1m to the partnership's first project, which will build 80 digital hubs at schools across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda using Windows MultiPoint Server.

The project is expected to train more than 20,000 school leaders and teachers and provide more than 100,000 learners and communities with digital access, while promoting literacy throughout the region. The project was inspired by similar work already under way in Africa by the British Council and by a commitment that Microsoft and other partners made at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2010 to build labs powered by Windows MultiPoint Server in 40 "lighthouse" schools in Haiti, serving 24,000 students.

Microsoft Partners in Learning, the Smithsonian Institution and TakingITGlobal are continuing to expand the Shout programme, which was announced at last year's Global Forum in South Africa. The partnership harnesses the power of technology to connect research and education resources with teachers and their students so they can act as a driving force for significant, positive contributions to the environment.

This year's programme will focus on water quality and quantity, to ensure that water is safe for both people and the environment, as well as managing the crises of too much water and not enough water.

The Connecting Europe Facility proposes a package within the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework Budget 2014-2020 of €40bn to secure greater investment in energy, transport and ICT projects.

Ending the isolation of economic islands

Ireland’s Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte, TD, along with members of the Next Generation Taskforce attended a special briefing on future EU/European Investment Bank funding initiatives as part of the EU Commission’s Going Local II series of visits to member states.

This year’s visit focused on the progress Ireland has made in meeting targets under the Digital Agenda, as well as identifying challenges for the future.

Anthony Whelan, head of cabinet to Europe’s Commissioner for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes, led the delegation.

“The proposals from the European Commission will provide the impetus to complete the Internal Market in both energy and communications,” Rabbitte explained.

“Under this facility, a budget of €9.2bn is available for projects aimed at ensuring that every European will have access to fast and ultra-fast broadband by 2020. The proposed funding is designed to catalyse and complement private investment in the roll out of broadband and to stimulate the roll out of a digital service infrastructure.

“This is a very welcome development for Ireland at a time when industry and Government are working together, through the Next Generation Broadband Taskforce, to design a road map to accelerate the roll out of high-speed broadband.”

Progress in rolling out high-speed broadband

Rabbitte outlined the work being done across a number of Government departments in meeting the targets under the Digital Agenda and the good progress Ireland has made to date and highlighted, in particular, how a first milestone of basic broadband service for all subscribers will be met well in advance of the target date of 2013.

“Of course, this in itself creates a challenge in how we ensure widespread digital engagement, how we promote the use of broadband by everyone in society," Rabbitte added.

He noted the delegation had earlier in the day met with groups from the business world and the community and voluntary sector who are involved in digital inclusion initiatives at an event hosted by Google.

This visit focused on three key elements of his department’s e-Inclusion policy - promoting citizen engagement, getting more small businesses online and introducing technology to charity organisations to improve efficiencies, customer service and reporting.

“NewERA commits the Government to co-invest with the private sector in the roll out of high-speed broadband throughout the country. Ireland will meet the EU target of having a basic broadband service available to all citizens by 2013. The challenge now is to accelerate the roll out of high-speed broadband.”

The NGBT is working towards accelerating the roll out of high-speed broadband and today's meeting with the commission is helping to provide more clarity on the range of EU funding supports available to assist telecommunications companies in making the requisite investments” said Minister of State Fergus O’Dowd.

Following the meeting with the taskforce, the delegation visited the Exemplar test bed, a research facility in Park West, Dublin, where they were given a demonstration of the technology being developed which has the capacity to transfer data more efficiently across fibre networks with a guaranteed quality of service.

“The visit allowed the delegation to view first hand the innovations being developed by an Irish company, which, if successful would put Ireland firmly on the global technology map, as a leader in dynamic optical communications networks,” Rabbitte said.

The ‘Click and Connect’ project will offer the people of Galway an introduction to the use of information communications technology (ICT).

The training will offer hands-on practical skills in digital photography and processing, using the internet to communicate with friends and family, online banking and Government services. The partners include Age Action, Limerick Community Connect, DCU and NUI Galway.

“This award stems from service learning activities that have been embedded in the university since 2003,” said Pat Byrne, lecturer with the College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway and lead in the project.

“It is a great achievement for us and recognises the work that NUI Galway has been offering pro bono to the community and those traditionally excluded from ICT. Classes will commence in January 2012 and information will be made available through the Community Knowledge Initiative (CKI) at NUI Galway and local press.”

Enabling the digitally disconnected

The ‘Click and Connect’ project will be key to intergenerational learning and will involve partnerships with the local community. This type of learning is vital to the NUI Galway student experience, and the university, through the CKI, is committed to the development of service and student volunteering.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, TD, said: “This important scheme means that 40,000 people will gain from IT training between now and June 2012. The programme is to support those who have not yet gone online.

“In particular, older people will benefit – as will an estimated 17,000 unemployed people, as well as other disadvantaged groups. By supporting community and voluntary organisations to deliver this training we can ensure excellent value for money,” Rabbitte said.

Speaking after the win, Joe O'Keeffe of InfiniLED said: "This is a very exciting time for InfiniLED so we are thrilled with the win. We are just starting our fund raising activity and we are hoping that the networking, contacts and exposure from winning the ITLG University Challenge will further this."

Heading to Silicon Valley

Rory McInerney of Intel, speaking on behalf of the judging panel and ITLG, said that all three companies were worthy of the title.

"We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate InfiniLED but also ALR Innovations and Pilot Photonics on their innovative concepts and ambition. We were very impressed with the extremely high-quality pitches from the three companies; we look forward to working with InfiniLED, who really have a unique technology, and welcoming them to Silicon Valley next year."
 
InfiniLED will now enter due diligence for the opportunity to secure up to €100,000 in funding. The company will also receive:

• One year's virtual office space at the Irish Innovation Center in San Jose, California;
• Access to the ITLG network and the opportunity to raise the company profile; and
• The opportunity to travel to the next ITLG Awards Event in the spring of 2012 at Stanford University and receive follow-up mentoring through the Irish Innovation Center.

_{Pictured at the Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland Event were Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD (far right); John Hartnett, president and founder, ITLG (left), speaking with Damien Maher of UCD's CLARITY (centre)}

Over 400 people attended the ITLG Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland event held at DCU, which was opened by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Richard Bruton TD. Members of the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) met with over 50 Irish companies that are seeking investment and support in accessing the US market.

Established in October 2007, the ITLG is an independent organisation comprised of a number of high-level technology leaders in Silicon Valley who are Irish or Irish-American. The group includes senior executives from some of the Valley's leading corporations, each of whom are committed to promoting the technology connection between Ireland and Silicon Valley, and helping Ireland address the challenges of embracing new technology opportunities.

Former Intel chairman and CEO Craig Barrett is chairman of the ITLG, while the Silicon Valley-based investor and senior technology executive John Hartnett is president and founder of the ITLG. His career in high tech boasts some of the industry's leading companies such as Palm, Handspring, Metacreations, Claris/Apple, AT&T, Digital Equipment, and Wang.

John Stanton is the ITLG's executive director and president of the Irish Innovation Center, which is dedicated to the growth of Irish technology start-ups in Silicon Valley.

The key: being a welcoming and tolerant home for all cultures.

At DCU last night, a little bit of California sunshine graced that corner of Dublin as leaders from many different Silicon Valley technology giants, from Intel to Apple and Cisco and many more, visited the city with the Irish Technology Leadership Group.

How Silicon Valley does what it does best

There were many great and interesting insights to be had and shared by the Valley’s most seasoned executives, but the light that shone most brightly for me was the insight by the City of San Jose’s director of economic development and chief strategist, Kim Walesh, who made it clear that the cultural mix is a key ingredient.

“It’s about globally connected talent. It is clear that Silicon Valley has benefited from entrepreneurial people from around the US and the world and by being open and welcoming of people from other places.

“San Jose is the most international city in the US and the world. Some 40pc of people in San Jose were born in another country. Only 10pc of people in the community have lived there since 2000.

“One-third of the population is Asian, one-third Latino and one-third Anglo. Over 50pc of the engineers and technologists and founders were born in another country.”

Walesh related the story of a Chinese engineer who worked at Cisco who said: “This is the only place in the world I do not feel like a foreigner.”

Walesh pointed out that the story of Silicon Valley is the story of the technology industry – a series of catalytic interactions and collisions. “In the Valley, we in a constant search for that win-win exchange, sharing knowledge – it’s an environment truly based on innovation. It is where product manufacturers meet product designers and people who love to start companies and make catalytic interactions happen.”

Central to this is a cultural tolerance of economic and innovation destruction. “It’s about reshuffling resources to go onto the next thing. You can’t have the failure without the destruction. It’s about success and failure – being able to ride those successive waves.”

She quoted Thomas Friedman about how to build a Silicon Valley: “First you build this flexible open economy, then you tolerate creative destruction so that dead capital is redeployed to other industries. Pour in energetic immigrants from every part of the world. Then stir and repeat ... stir and repeat ...”

Walesh said that 40pc of jobs growth in the Valley comes from start-ups and 10pc from companies coming in. It is that ideal that Ireland needs to steer itself in the direction of.

As Walesh said this, I couldn’t help but remember XING’s Bill Liao's speech at the Digital Ireland Forum last week, when he said how important it was to remove frictions from the start-up process, from registering a business to getting broadband and electricity, and of course the fact it took him three attempts to get his green card to live and work here. Liao is an Australian of Chinese descent who came to Ireland to raise his family but has also become an investor in young Irish tech companies as a partner in SOS Ventures and inspired the creation of the nationwide Coder Dojo.

As I was remembering Liao's words, Walesh hit the nail on the head: “The key is to help companies to get a smart start. Allow them to plug easily into the various networks and scale their operations as quickly as possible.

“We work with them to find facilities, space and provide other incentives that save start-ups time and money, and we can issue permits at the speed of business.”

Walesh’s go-ahead attitude is one that if emulated by everyone from various State employees to politicians, ministers and town councillors, it would really get Ireland moving.

As I said, Walesh shone a light brightly.

The digital revolution is upon us and few countries are better positioned to take advantage of this than Ireland, which can claim the title Digital Capital of Europe, thanks to the presence of the leaders of the digital world like Facebook, Google, Intel, EMC, IBM, Zynga and Microsoft, to name just a few.

And last Friday, Ireland woke up to the news that Google was to create up to 250 jobs in west Dublin during the construction of a €75m data centre. This followed weeks of good job news from IDA Ireland about Twitter and VMware creating jobs in Dublin and Cork to JRI America bringing 100 jobs to Tralee.

As we have painfully learned, the battle of the 21st century will be about jobs. If Ireland wants to ensure that the jobs remain in the country, it will mean providing its young with a fit-for-purpose education system.

The work of former education minister Donogh O'Malley

Renowned Oscar-winning filmmaker, Lord David Puttnam, who was previously digital adviser to the UK government and is now digital adviser to Singapore, said that last week's news that Twitter was locating its international operations in Dublin can be directly laid at the feet of Donogh O'Malley, the visionary education minister who made free education in Ireland a right in 1968. But Puttnam went on to ask where is the same kind of visionary decision-making being made for the 21st century?

He also pointed to how the world has shifted to a new axis that will see China, not the US, become the dominant economic power of the 21st century and the attainment of a decent job will become far more important than religion or marriage.

"The developed world has been far too complacent in respect to the rise of China as a dominant economic force in the 21st century. Britain in the 19th century was too focused on Bismarck's Germany and France, and none of these countries spotted the rise of post-Civil War United States, which became more powerful than all of them together. But now we've become so adjusted to seeing the US as all-powerful, that we've lost sight of what's been happening in China.

"We had begun to factor China in, but as a consumer of goods and services, not as a hard-working, innovative competitor that has reinvented capitalism and which is bending it to its own purposes."

A job above all else

Referring to Gallup chairman Jim Clifton's new book The New Jobs War, Puttnam warned: "The coming world war will be an all-out global war for good jobs. Clifton defines a good job as one that has a paycheque and which is steady work, with at least 30 hours per week. The primary will of the world will not be about religion, about having a family, democracy or owning a home - it will be about having a good job and everything comes after that.

"I can think of nothing that could strengthen (Ireland's Jobs and Enterprise) Minister (Richard) Bruton's hand in cabinet than to read this book and its suppositions. Over the next 15 years, the world will be led by an economic force for job creation and GDP growth, and guess who's vying for lead - China. The US has gone from leading to lagging; our infrastructure in the West is crumbling around us; and healthcare costs are strangling economies."

Puttnam said China has 9pc of its GDP dedicated to infrastructure investment compared to 3pc in the US. However, if you think the US situation is bad, then Puttnam believes the situation facing Europe could be far worse.

"If Ireland wants to remain remotely competitive in the 21st century then clearly investment in education and investment in ICT and ICT infrastructure will be critical if you want to enjoy the remotest possibility of success. Digital technology will be the driving force for much of the changes that are coming.”

Puttnam said he suspects a resistance to change and digital education at official levels. “Young people today find it utterly bewildering to go into a classroom today with its low levels of technology. The roots of profound change that have to be addressed must run deep.”

Also at the Digital Ireland Forum, Australian entrepreneur Bill Liao, co-founder of European business social network XING, along with founder Lars Hinrichs, and a partner at SOS Ventures, said Ireland must produce its own industries but can only do so by getting rid of bureaucratic red tape and unnecessary frictions.

“The future for Ireland is not ‘Ireland: come for the taxes, stay for the weather’,” he said. “You need to focus on the other resource Ireland has in abundance – its people. Ireland is a nation of storytellers and storytellers are critical to our world.”

Liao, who has made his home in rural Ireland, pointed to bureaucratic and infrastructure frictions – from finance to electricity and broadband – that, multiplied, are serious barriers for creativity and entrepreneurship.

“Ireland needs to get over frictions. I love Ireland, but my welcome to Ireland was to have my electricity cut off for three days. Then my wife asked me, ‘where’s the broadband?’ Seriously, where’s the broadband? It took me six months to get broadband.

“If you want to be a globally competitive nation – remove the little frictions.”

Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD, told the Forum that the Government is ambitious regarding the future of indigenous digital industries, particularly areas like video games, where people can build businesses in their locality.

“Once the technology sector was dominated by the trailblazers, the large technology companies, but now anyone in a shed can create an app.

“The digital space is going to be dominated by small operators who will come up with a digital game, an app or some idea that has capacity to make progress and Enterprise Ireland has been backing those opportunities.

“It is vital that we see an indigenous engine in the growing digital area. Ireland is becoming home for a new generation of born-on-the-internet companies and Twitter’s decision to locate in Dublin is an endorsement of Ireland’s business environment and we need to build on that.”

On Ireland’s digital future, Bruton said: “I realise that this transformation that is happening, and that it poses challenges to our education infrastructure, our physical infrastructure – to every dimension.”

Video highlights of all speakers at the Digital Ireland Forum are online.

“As a community, we have a choice to make: do we nurse the failed policies of the past, the bad loans to the property sector, do we batten down the hatches and try to get through this or alternatively do we seek to create a new future for ourselves?

“Once the technology sector was dominated by the trailblazers, the large technology companies, but now anyone in a shed can create an app.”

Bruton said that start-ups represent the future of Ireland’s indigenous industries and referenced the launch of high-potential start-ups by Enterprise Ireland and its Competitive Start Fund.

“The digital space is going to be dominated by small operators who will come up with a digital game, an app or some idea that has capacity to make progress and Enterprise Ireland has been backing those opportunities.

“It is important that we see an indigenous engine in the growing digital area. Ireland is becoming home for a new generation of born-on-the-internet companies and the decision of Twitter to locate in Dublin is an endorsement of Ireland’s business environment and we need to build on that.”

Partnerships with Ireland

Bruton also referred to Ireland’s growing partnerships with international venture-capital firms.

He said Ireland has been fortunate in the multinational base that has located in the country through the efforts of IDA Ireland, with eight out of 10 of the world’s largest computer firms based here. “As these sectors merge and transform there is a strong bedrock to build upon.

“The State has also responded. We have some 28 research clusters across the Irish education institutes, 15 of them are in ICT.”

He said that while Ireland has been dealing with the enormous debt burdens, there are reasons to be positive.

“Our export market share has also been growing with record exports, record surpluses. We are earning our way out of this,” he said.

On Ireland’s digital future, Bruton said: “I realise that this transformation that is happening, and that it poses challenges to our education infrastructure, our physical infrastructure, education – to every dimension.

“We are creating intellectual property and we know that this is an asset we need to exploit more effectively,” Bruton said, referring to a strategy group headed by technology entrepreneur Jim Mountjoy.

“We need to be building onto some of our natural strengths, that culture dimension of what has made Ireland strong.

“The Government has ambition to take the digital sector and create products that can result in new markets, such as digital gaming. We need to focus on sectors where there are opportunities.

“We set up a cloud computing group in Government because it is important that Government not only plays a part but that we can see how these technologies can help the public sector, as well.

“Now is the time to make changes. Now is the time to make decisions.

“The Taoiseach is determined to continue to make decisions and make Ireland the best small country to do business in by 2016,” Bruton said.

At the heart of this, as 200 new jobs were also announced this week for Galway as EA Games’ BioWare brings out a new online game Star Wars: The Old Republic, is the emerging global digital economy.

Stirring stuff for sure, but it is the businesses that weren’t born on the internet – and the firms outside of the 22pc of SMEs in this country that actually engage in e-commerce – that we need to be concerned about. The key is broadband.

Irish firms, if they are to survive the recession and have a future, need to be where their customers are. Those customers are most likely online and, in the absence of Irish firms trading online, are most likely buying online from firms in the UK, Europe and the US.

But it’s not only the businesses, if you don’t have a reasonable broadband connection it is unlikely you would be able to apply for a job, for example.

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte, TD, is leading a Next Generation Broadband Taskforce consisting of many of the top telecoms CEOs that has so far met twice this year. A study last year by Analysys Mason estimates that it will cost €2.5bn to roll out the country’s next-generation broadband infrastructure.

The one thing Ireland needs to avoid is resting on its laurels of having basic broadband accessible across 99pc of the country. The real issue is quality of connection, no longer basic access.

Ireland's broadband speeds compared with rest of EU

Ireland’s broadband speeds are improving but only very slowly, and download speeds compared with our EU competitor countries have actually dropped, according to the latest Ookla Netindex and IrelandOffline.

In Q3 2011, Ireland was 72nd in the world for upload speeds and 24th out of 27 in the EU. Ireland is 45th in the world for download speeds and 23rd out of EU-27. The country is 34th in the world for broadband quality and 18 out of the EU-25, while the country is 52nd in the world for delivery on ‘promised’ speeds and 23rd out of the EU-27.

At a UN meeting of telecoms regulators involving 192 countries, held in Columbia last week, it was agreed that improved “smart” regulation to encourage the use of incentives to boost broadband coverage will be necessary to create a spirit of openness among providers who have to share the investment.

International Telecommunications Union (ITU) bureau director Brahima Sanou said the telecoms sector and ICT are at the centre of the digital economy, but he stressed that more needs to be done to connect the unconnected, increase digital literacy and ensure developing countries are not excluded.

The recent 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report revealed that one out of every three college students and employees surveyed globally believes the internet is a fundamental resource for the human race – as important as air, water, food and shelter. If forced to make choice between one or the other, the majority of college students globally (64pc) would choose an internet connection instead of a car.

It is clear that without telecom industry and Government collaboration, Ireland will not get the digital infrastructure it needs.

By next year, 90pc of homes in Northern Ireland will be connected to fibre broadband, making it the most-connected geographic area in western Europe. BT is currently building a Total Transmission Network, which involves an advanced next-gen fibre network in the Republic being rolled out.

Former BT Ireland CEO and newly appointed head of BT Business in the UK, Graham Sutherland says the effects on businesses that get access to higher broadband speeds are palpable. “We’re seeing more innovation coming from small businesses that have access to very high speed broadband who’ve moved from the 2 or 3Mbps speed to 30Mbps-plus.”

He says the same should be possible in the Republic.

“It can be done. All the right people are at the table and the potential is there to do this relatively quickly if we can get a common approach to it.”

Vodafone in Ireland CEO Jeroen Hoencamp asserts that the Irish Government is determined to get to grips with the opportunity. “Minister Rabbitte has been very clear that this is one of the biggest priorities for him in the telecoms space.

“He [Rabbitte] agrees that it is much better for the public and private sectors to work together in finding a model instead of just throwing it to the private sector or keeping it in the public sector.”

Hoencamp says the key will be “smart” regulation. “The Government can help by facilitating all players in the market with practical things like making it easier to put fibre into the ground.”

Cisco Ireland country manager Mary Lou Nolan welcomes the coming together of industry and Government but she wants to see faster progress. “Digital technology is needed to create smarter conversations between governments, citizens and businesses and that gives us a truly joined-up nation – that will make us a more productive nation.

“Citizens should be able to achieve more online such as applying for jobs, or paying their taxes, and will less likely to have to travel to achieve the same outcomes. Doing things faster with less travel makes us more productive and greener. I think there’s probably some ways to go to have that there across Ireland because we do have a difference in broadband quality and service from an urban and rural perspective.”

Pointing to the obvious need to invest in critical digital infrastructure Intel country manager Eamonn Sinnott poses the question: “Wouldn’t it be fantastic if every person in this country, regardless of their means or location, had full access to the world’s knowledge?

“The internet is the repository of the world’s knowledge. For people not to have that means we don’t have the capacity to be a key player in the digital economy.

“Putting the right infrastructure in place would give us a fantastic advantage and ties in very nicely with the Government’s agenda to be the best small country in the world to do business by 2016,” Sinnott says.

Ireland's tech leaders will discuss Ireland's digital future at The Digital Ireland Forum tomorrow, 30 September.

In EMC’s case, it began with 22 people on a six-acre site in Cork. Today, the Cork plant is the largest EMC manufacturing facility outside the US and over the past 23 years has marched in step with the company’s vision of storing, securing and managing the growth of data in the world. That journey has grown to embrace important new technology trends, such as cloud computing and virtualisation, and in recent months EMC and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) developed the world’s first master’s degree in cloud computing. As well as this, the Cork plant manager Bob Savage was appointed chairman of CIT.

“Virtually everything we sell and manufacture is delivered out of Cork, pre-configured, tested and built in Cork,” says Ward.

Along with education, digital infrastructure beyond the business location is now a key factor in securing inward investment, he continues. “Many of our people travel a lot and some choose to work from home as a life choice.

“Broadband is clearly an issue that needs to be resolved. The kind of people we employ need to be able to work from different locations, at home or on the road, and because a lot of the technologies we are working on are data intensive, top quality broadband is an absolute must.

“We have people who work for us in Ireland who prefer to work from where they live, be it Dublin, Limerick or Galway, and making it possible to work using the appropriate technology and infrastructure is often a decisive factor in securing or accepting roles with EMC.”

Ward provides an interesting example. “We have three guys who serve our governance risk markets in France and Spain and the key thing for them to be able to work for EMC, connect to the EMC backbone and travel in and out of Ireland, was connectivity. The three of them live in Wexford and have the ability to work from home.

“Skills are the overriding and determining factor in the workplace and always will be, but I can see how connectivity would help them make a decision on where or who to work for.”

In 2000, the dotcom correction occurred. While Ireland wasn’t really exposed to the full extent of the technology downturn in the same way as Silicon Valley, negative media coverage resulted in parents encouraging students to leave technology courses and instead go for career paths in areas such as finance and law.

The irony is that in 2011 financial and law careers are few on the ground while there is a shortage of talented technology workers.

“Because of the downturn a decade ago, a lot of the talent we need now was displaced. This is becoming a factor in winning investment decisions because the first questions that will arise from the top table would be can you get the people with the experience, skills and credentials to take these jobs?”

Educating the future generation

According to Ward, Ireland would benefit from more job creation opportunities if companies could guarantee there could be a sufficient supply of qualified graduates. “We could provide more jobs here, particularly in areas like IT security, but the overriding factor is ensuring there are people with the skills to deliver on these projects.”

Ward sees moves like additional bonus points for maths and the continued success of the technology sector – where employment in Ireland is up 6pc – as providing hope for the future. His belief was rewarded in recent weeks with a surge in interest in computer and science courses as students realised the quality of jobs that are available and the potential rewards.

However, the key now is ensuring that the generations of students who will follow have access to the right technologies and ways of learning that the 21st-century workplace will require.

“I don’t think it’s just about computers in schools. The kids have moved on. Every kid has one of the best computers at home. It’s the applications and data that we need to expose them to. There needs to be more encouragement for project work in schools around developing applications using open-source initiatives, encouraging the kids to think outside the box. You can see examples of this happening at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.”

Digitising the curriculum, Ward suggests, should work hand in hand with schemes similar to the Classroom 2000 initiative in Northern Ireland where a virtualised, cloud-based platform is created that allows kids to access their coursework from home or in the school.

“There’s an opportunity to modernise the curriculum and at the same time open the kids up to innovation. Students today are familiar with all the gaming apps, open source systems and devices like the iPad. Encouraging students more around the practical things in the curriculum and not just theory is very important. There is a need to lean towards this at second-level.”

Ward also believes that much of Ireland’s engineering talent, especially construction and civil engineers who have been affected by the construction industry collapse, can be repurposed to move into the ICT industry.

“These are clearly intelligent people who have degrees in the engineering discipline and a lot of them have excellent mathematical capabilities so we think it is important that transition courses are created to convert them to the ICT world. If we do this quickly then we could provide a wealth of expertise that would continue to attract new companies into Ireland.”

As a senior executive at a company that is a strong proponent of cloud computing, no wonder Ward is adamant the Irish State needs to embrace the cloud.

He believes Irish organisations, private and public, need to get to grips with technologies such as analytics and data automation that will improve decision-making and help them cope with the vast quantities of data being created.

Embracing the cloud

And the Irish State could enable better services to citizens by embracing the cloud, attests Ward.

“The key is to build an open system that means the State isn’t tied to any one vendor but has flexibility in building exciting applications and services for citizens going forward. Such a move would save the State an enormous amount of time and money.”

This also extends to the potential for entrepreneurs to embrace the cloud to build agile businesses.

“We’re working on an open source cloud platform based around VMware whereby we’re going to encourage small businesses to develop apps for public and private-sector organisations and create new applications that support the Irish economy. We’re open to venture capital investment and mentorship to support people on that basis.”

He continues: “We’ve seen what’s possible with games companies like Havok. I think the opportunity is to create the conditions that allow developers and students to build new applications around cloud computing in an open source environment so that we can encourage them to build and design new applications around public sector requirements and use them to drive efficiencies for the wider economy and society.”

Ward believes it’s critical that the broadband infrastructure issue is resolved for once and for all and that broadband is available everywhere in sufficient quality.

“Broadband access is critical to ensuring people in the 21st century are much more employable. On the one hand, you could say it means access to digital entertainment, but fundamentally it is about accessing entrepreneurial opportunities and corporate networks. It is the first stepping stone to a job and a career in the 21st century. Everyone should have access to it.”

While cheered by the surge in interest in ICT and science courses, Ward says the time is right to ensure the momentum is kept up, whether through bonus points for physics and maths or creating transition courses for  engineers who wish to work in the technology industry.

BIOG

Jason Ward began his career with Misys Financial Systems, where he grew its Irish base and developed its presence in the Northern Ireland broker market. He moved on to JD Edwards, where he managed the growth and expansion of its ERP customer base in Ireland. He then moved to Siebel Systems, working with the management team to establish the Siebel CRM business in Ireland.

Prior to joining EMC, Ward spent eight years with Business Objects, where he managed the direct and indirect channels and also oversaw the integration with SAP following Business Objects’ acquisition in 2006. He has a business degree and has also played inter-county football for Dublin and Leitrim.

Jason Ward is one of the panelists at The Digital Ireland Forum, a Silicon Republic breakfast event on 30 September 2011.

Advantages of cloud migration

One of the key initiatives outlined in the strategy is the increased Government adoption of cloud computing, as both businesses and the public sector starting to come around to the benefits of cloud in reducing their carbon footprint in the long term, as well as streamlining costs and improving efficiencies.

The move to shared applications and services is also recommended, giving ICT providers with shared services' experience the upper hand, said Dickinson.

Introducing green technologies to govt departments

Crucially, the strategy highlights the importance of introducing green technologies into government departments, including those that can enable mobile working, paperless operations and improved collaboration.

_{"The majority of targets set out in the Strategy document will need to be delivered between April 2012 and April 2015. This will lead to increased demand for a range of green technologies and services over the next three and a half years" – Dean Dickinson, ABS}

Concluded Dickinson: "We have seen a number of Government departments adopt green technologies and services over the past few years, including cloud computing, shared services and green software solutions.

"The introduction of the 'Greening Government ICT Strategy' will push those Government departments that have not yet invested in green ICT to adopt sustainable technologies and IT services, providing the ICT industry with significant public sector opportunities despite the looming cuts."
 

In a sense, this infrastructure is testimony to the changing business landscape that all firms will need to be aware of if they are to be competitive going forward.

In recent weeks, TelecityGroup, a major European provider of carrier-neutral data centres, acquired Data Electronics for stg£100m in cash. The 32-year-old Data Electronics has steadily evolved over recent years and has in place some of the most advanced infrastructure in the business. Two data centres – one in Blanchardstown and the other in Kilcarberry – have between them 4,600 sq metres of space to house servers to manage online and cloud businesses that use four megawatts of electricity.

TelecityGroup is a stg£200m a year European data centre giant that is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Highly profitable (stg£38m in 2010) the company operates 24 data centres across Europe.

Such facilities are central to Ireland’s success in attracting major investment from global internet giants that have chosen Ireland as a location for their international operations.

For Mortell, the nature of skills Irish workers will require – from technological to analytical business savvy – means we cannot continue to scrimp on the education needs of emerging generations.

In terms of ensuring Irish schools and colleges are in the front line of maths and scientific performance, he says: “There is no question that education – from primary to third-level learning – will play a key role in Ireland’s future prosperity.

“We have the opportunity to equip our young people with the skills needed to develop a workforce that thrives in a hi-tech digital world, but we need to ensure that key skills are being adopted through technology.

“We have already seen a shift in Ireland – away from the traditional manufacturing jobs to more complex jobs that often require technology-based skills. It is impossible to create a workforce for tomorrow if we don’t nurture these skills from an early age.

“Children are coming from homes where often a variety of technologies are readily available, only to leave for school and take a step back to learning through traditional methods. We may be a few years away from online textbooks, being updated centrally with the latest statistics, but this is where education is ultimately headed.”

Leaving Cert upgrade

Mortell notes that maths and science have been highlighted by many sources as the key to succeeding in the digital economy. He says that in today’s knowledge-based economy, all students (not just a select few) need to understand complex mathematic and scientific concepts and theories to equip them with the knowledge to analyse problems, imagine solutions, and bring productive new ideas into being.

He warns that key decisions need to be made to ensure that Ireland reaches its capability in maths and science. “First, there needs to be a genuine consensus between policy-makers about the importance of maths and science within the Irish education system.

“We need to isolate mathematics and science and place the two subjects at the core of the education curriculum. The Department of Education needs to embrace technology and infrastructure as part of the syllabus. The broadband for schools project was fantastic, but now schools need the physical hardware readily available.

“The Leaving Cert curriculum is overdue an upgrade; possibly moving towards the university route of continuous assessment combined with problem solving, analytical skill sets.

“When a re-vamp of the Leaving Cert is on the cards, maths and science should be at the centre of this. If continuous assessment is introduced, the very nature of the two subjects makes these the perfect starting point to roll out this change. 

“Another example is for students to sit some of their exams online. One-third of the assessment could be attributed to an ongoing project that requires the use of technology to complete.”

Mortell applauds the return of bonus points for maths in the Leaving Cert which he believes will encourage students to spend more time studying higher-level maths.

“This is exactly the sort of scheme Ireland needs to re-focus education on the core skills required for the digital economy and it should be rolled out as soon as possible.”

But he believes this can go further, starting with changing teacher training. “Changing the way education is taught starts with the teacher. Teachers should have the skill sets so they can educate students in how to use technology. This is being done in some instances, but is not part of the syllabus.

“There are two modules that we agree must be improved in schools, so why not start to look at the way it is being taught? Why not revolutionise maths and science teaching? By introducing weekly brainstorming sessions or experiments whereby students can compare results with other schools online, we can generate excitement and team spirit, building confidence and enthusiasm for subjects. This should be throughout Ireland.”

Power of power

As an infrastructure solutions provider, Mortell is well placed to know exactly what needs to happen if Ireland is to continue to punch above its weight in the rapidly growing digital economy. In terms of the steps we can take, he says that energy, and not just broadband, needs to be factored in.

“We can’t ignore the importance of power as one of the major pillars of economic growth and a cornerstone to economic recovery.  Taking into account that the majority of international firms locating in Ireland are technology firms, electricity is of crucial importance in the decision-making relating to choosing a ‘hub’ or a HQ.

“Access to cost-effective, independent and reliable power is highly important in terms of attracting foreign direct investment into Ireland.

“New businesses locating in Ireland need access to power within reasonable time frames, and we need to be able to make power available within a relatively short time spam. To achieve this, there is an argument for competition within the electricity distribution network.

“The more competition that exists within electricity distribution, the more need there is to differentiate. Speed to market is a key differentiator, which is a key enabler in making Ireland the most attractive location for international business.

“Finally, keeping the cost of power at a competitive rate is a key issue – if we lag behind our European counterparts for the cost of power, then it is inevitable that we will lose out competitively. There is a need to be proactive in our approach to attracting international business and power – its cost and availability are key components of this.”

Mortell believes there are other steps that can and should be taken to support Ireland’s drive to emerge out of recession and these include making room for obvious industry opportunities, such as online gaming and casinos which could generate thousands of jobs in the economy.

“We need to bring forward the legislation that is going to enhance and develop Ireland’s jobs, skills and technology. There are opportunities out there ready for us to capitalise on, for example, the online gaming and gambling legislation that should be introduced to replace the Betting Act 1931 and the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956. This has been under discussion for a number of years now, but to date nothing has materialised and as a result, major opportunities have been missed. 

“By creating structured legislation, Ireland could be an online gaming and gambling hub. We have the skills, the young population and the infrastructure to become the worldwide focal point for this enviable sector. 

“The legislation would create a regulated industry, which is hugely attractive to online gaming and gambling companies when deciding on a location. By legislating online gaming and gambling, we will benefit through the creation of high-end jobs and support services that will be of huge benefit to Ireland’s economy.

“It is time to bring this legislation forward without delay so that we can start attracting a critical mass of online gaming and gambling companies – and reap the benefits that this will achieve,” Mortell concludes.

BIOG

Maurice Mortell, managing director (Ireland) at TelecityGroup, joined Data Electronics in 1991 and was appointed chief executive in 2001. In recent weeks TelecityGroup acquired Data Electronics for stg£100m. Mortell is a specialist in IT service capabilities and is responsible for the growth and development of the company.

Mortell has 17 years of experience in the telecoms and internet sectors in Ireland. During his time at Data Electronics he held a number of senior management positions including financial controller and business development manager. In his capacity as CEO, he has managed the expansion and growth of Data Electronics’ business and the development of a new facility at Northwest Business Park.

A seasoned IT specialist, Mortell is a regular speaker on the managed services and data centre markets in Ireland. A member of the Telecommunications Information Federation Committee (TIF), he also chairs the Outsourced Services Group within IBEC and sits on the governing board of ICT Ireland and the board of the Irish Internet Association.

Maurice Mortell is one of the panelists at The Digital Ireland Forum, a Silicon Republic breakfast event on 30 September 2011.

Global education publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) is spearheading a €350m R&D strategy from Dublin and is on course to generate 450 jobs.

Fiona O'Carroll, executive vice-president at HMH and general manager of new ventures and innovation at the company, says that in Dublin HMH is focusing its efforts on 16,000 school districts across the US and sees technologies like the iPad and Android devices being critical to future learning.

She says Ireland too needs to start looking at these tools to revolutionise the education system and empower and equip the next generation of Irish workers with the skills to succeed in a vastly changed 21st-century business landscape.

Firstly, she believes the nation needs an all-encompassing digital plan that takes into account infrastructure, as well as education.

“Infrastructure is critical – it’s not a nice to have, it’s a necessity,” she stresses. “As I think about education and the next wave of students coming through the system and who will hugely influence the longer-term outputs for economy, the investment in infrastructure is absolutely critical. I think about it like when you go into the school you expect to have electricity – that’s the way we need to think about broadband.

“If our vision is that we are going to be a global player in the digital world, then it is increasingly important that our education strategies reflect that. Children outside of the classroom are already living in a digital world, consuming digital media, and when they enter the classroom they should expect the same experience.

“I think there’s a big disconnect between a student’s experience outside the classroom and inside – we need to align that for the benefit of better learning. Digitally, we can learn and engage students in a totally different way and also drive the infrastructure that will have a transformative effect. We need to invest in the next generation of learner who is able to develop 21st-century skills and constantly learn.”

Lifelong learning

O’Carroll maintains that we are moving from a world where once you graduated and that was it to an ethos of lifelong learning.

“No longer do we leave school or college with a set of skills that will last us to 65, we’ve got to be able to constantly learn and engage in the digital learning experience and facilitate that. It is absolutely critical that infrastructure is in place in schools and we may need to prioritise it over other areas.

“I think a cohesive strategy is critical. It’s ironic – here in this facility we are developing all the technology to do that but implementing it outside Ireland because the Irish strategy is lagging behind. Given the size of Ireland we have a unique opportunity to leverage a national strategy. You can envisage a cloud strategy for Ireland for all of our schools where everything is being accessed from one central place.

“The advantages of that are not only the cohesive strategy and the standardisation and ability to share across all schools, but there will be huge economic benefits to that over time because the cost to educate a student will go down; it’s going to be a real win-win.”

O’Carroll has the courage of her convictions, which are based on first-hand experience of the impact digital technology can have on education.

“We know this because in certain districts in the US we deliver these services to 400,000 or 500,000 kids in some districts. And I think there are 750,000 primary and secondary school children in Ireland – so we’re already delivering in one school district to numbers close to that. With one cloud strategy Ireland has a huge opportunity to invest in that infrastructure and potentially leap forward by doing that on a national level.”

Economic renewal

The advantages of digital infrastructure go beyond the world of education and actually impact our very lives and livelihoods. Harking back to the visionary decisions by Sean Lemass and TK Whitaker, O’Carroll says we need brave decisions to be made again.

“We’ve done this before and saw the huge positive outcome. Now there is the opportunity to repeat that. It’s the next wave, the next generation of that because the whole global economy has shifted and frankly the bar has been raised and we need to realign and raise that new bar. For Ireland, the strategy needs to be around developing 21st-century workers.

“That skill set is very different to the first wave. Really what’s going to matter is being a global player, 21st-century digital thinking, peer to peer, being able to work in complex and fast-moving environments and being able to work in innovative R&D type activities.

“We need to align the education system so that is what we’re producing just like we did in the 1960s and 1970s – they had a vision for what they needed to produce for the jobs that would have existed 20 years later and they got it right, history proved that.

“Now we need to do it again and it’s a different set of skills we’re training for. If it’s a knowledge economy, of course we need to be digitally connected. That view of the cloud – if we think about learning and the evolution of how it needs to map with what’s going on in schools today, it really will become a 21st-century experience.

“Having a cloud-based experience means I am mobile as a learner and I can access learning experience and connectivity any time of the day no matter where I am – it is critical we get that right.”

The harsh economic lessons of the last three to four years should not be allowed to diminish our enthusiasm for the future. But, urges O’Carroll, that future is ours only if we prepare for it.

“Never forget the foundation that we built. We’ve all been hearing doom and gloom stories for a long time now but that foundation that we’ve built in the 1960s and 1970s is a real solid one. What we need to do now is not erode it but continue to evolve.

“What you’re witnessing here at HMH is the byproduct of that. We’ve invested heavily in our workforce because we’ve a real understanding of what it means for us to be competitive as an entity inside HMH.

“We have invested hugely to continue our growth. That’s what I mean by lifelong learning – no matter what, we have to know we will continue to evolve and learn. The raw material to build our centre, the 300 people – we sourced them here in Ireland. The talent pool is here, but we need to keep it growing. It’s the generation coming up that we need to be bringing out with the next generation set of skills.”

O’Carroll says the Government will need to be very strategic in how it prepares Ireland to be a leading player in the global digital economy.

“We need real strategic leadership. When you reflect on the decisions made in the 1960s and 1970s, there was a very strategic point of view of where we needed to go. And it was very well articulated. The same needs to happen now. This will be their test bed; they need that case study now to support the acceleration of where they need to go to. They need to implement what they said they will implement and then be simultaneously aligning the strategy for the next wave.”

O’Carroll warns that the State needs to study very closely the actions of decision-makers in Singapore and North Korea in particular, where there are cohesive strategies moving apace in terms of infrastructure, education and a connected economy.

“The race is on, particularly as we look at Asia,” she concludes. “Our human capital is the No 1 asset we have. Investing in education and human capital has to be a No 1 priority.”

BIOG

Fiona O'Carroll is executive vice-president at HMH and general manager of new ventures and innovation at the company.

She joined Riverdeep in 2002 as the executive vice-president for marketing, product development and services, where she helped it to become a $300m company prior to its integration with HMH.

Previously, she was general manager at Vivendi Universal, a global leader in entertainment and gaming.

Fiona O'Carroll is one of the panelists at The Digital Ireland Forum, a Silicon Republic breakfast event on 30 September 2011.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a very large part of the Irish economy overall, of course. “The multinationals account for over 75pc of all exports out of Ireland, representing about €110bn a year, and they directly and indirectly employ about 24,000 people,” says IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary. “But particularly in the technology sector we’ve seen great growth, and we now have a very strong established base of many of the leading technology companies, with the top eight US ones here, for instance.”

“But also what we are noticing is that the second tier and emerging companies are coming in great numbers in recent years,” he says. “When you think of the big brands – Google, Intel, Facebook, Microsoft – we now have those world leaders here, and that has a spin-off effect when you see the number of Irish start-ups in this space. I think we can fairly say that we have a really strong technology cluster in Ireland.” 

Ireland’s place on the global digital map is strong, continues O’Leary. “As I say, the big brand names, eBay, PayPal, Yahoo, Zynga, Google, Facebook, they’re all here, and people know that, they are quite aware that they have a very strong presence here. That has helped establish Ireland’s brand in that space.

“Then more particularly you have these new companies coming in now, and what you’re finding is, because of technology, they’re going global much quicker than say traditional businesses would.” 

The successes are all interrelated to some extent. “When Zynga was making its recent announcement about its European operation centre in Ireland they made one fairly strong comment,” says O’Leary. “They’re a partner globally with Facebook, and when they saw that Facebook was in Ireland, it gave us an immediate advantage. It comes back to the building of a true technology cluster. We’re doing that and I think it is getting international recognition.”

Ireland’s credentials

O’Leary points to Ireland’s other advantages when it comes to attracting these companies. “First of all there’s the overall business-friendly environment. This has been particularly the case for international companies here,” he says. “Of course they do look at a lot of things when they are considering a location, they often have a list of 10 or 12 items they need to be satisfied on. 

“Some of the top ones would clearly be the talent pool, the track record, which is proven here, of course our corporate tax rate, and the technology capability in Ireland.

“Also a lot of people in this business tend to move around the globe. Particularly from a European perspective, you’ll find that if someone is living in Italy or Finland and they want to work with a Google or a Zynga, well they’ve got to work where they have substantial operations. And Ireland is a very friendly place, and very attractive to the 22–38 age bracket. It’s a combination of those things that make us attractive.”

Not that we don’t face challenges. “Many, many other countries want to get into this space in a big way so I think the competition is going to increase all the time, there’s no doubt about that,” says O’Leary, although he remains upbeat about our ability to compete. 

“Despite increasing competition we’re still maintaining that leadership position in getting a number of the newer companies. Just look at the recent decision by [online retailer] Gilt to come to Ireland. It is a great recognition of our continuing success and competitiveness in this area.”

However, we cannot rest on our laurels, insists O’Leary. “You always have to be enhancing Ireland’s value proposition, and that applies to all the business sectors we’re in. How do you make sure that you’re doing enough to keep a competitive edge? That might be new initiatives in terms of education, or it might be more flexible arrangements in targeting people around the globe to come to work in Ireland, having a much more visa-friendly environment – and to be fair we have improved in that area. Constant enhancement of every part of the value chain is going to be important.”

Education will continue to be crucial, he says, but Ireland also needs to look at attracting in the people with the vital skills. “Education and skills are very much key areas because it’s the talent pool at the end of the day that drives this, and of course there’s lots to be done within the wider education system in Ireland.

“But bearing in mind you’re not going to switch that on overnight, I think there’s a strong recognition, particularly this year, that there are opportunities out there if we have the right skills mix.

“While we’re making sure that we’re increasing the number of people coming out with those skills, we have to ensure we’re getting plenty of people in. The important thing for the economy is to have a mix of locally produced people and people coming in. And when you bring people in they’re renting apartments, they’re spending money in the economy, so there’s a great economic impact.”

‘Internet capital of Europe’ is a phrase that has been touted in recent years in relation to Ireland, but can we justifiably claim that title?

“It’s like drinking Coca-Cola or Pepsi,” says O’Leary. “People have brand affinity and brand recognition and, from that point of view, we have all of the big brands here. But it is not just in that defined new wave. A lot of the established players like IBM, Dell, HP, EMC, Microsoft, VMware – they’re all doing a lot of things in Ireland, many related to the internet.

“Then we have the more specialised players like Salesforce.com, Marketo, Mycroft, and in internet security you have McAfee’s recent announcement. That’s why I think we can justifiably say that we are the internet capital of Europe. You’re not just talking about the suite of newer brands, it’s the totality of the technology industry.”

Ireland's tech leaders will discuss Ireland's digital future at The Digital Ireland Forum on 30 September 2011.