Southern Region
Dr. Paul Duffy
VIP Manufacturing, Ireland & Singapore
Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals
President of the American Chamber of Commerce and Chair American Chamber Southern Group
During 2008, the Southern Region was host to a number of very well attended events in Cork. In April the regional member’s hosted a ‘town hall meeting’ with the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment on the topic of competitiveness, the Lisbon Referendum and regional infrastructure development priorities. The September Member’s meeting focussed the latest developments from the Chamber’s Taxation Working Group including new incentives for R&D investment contained in the 2009
Government budget proposals and the prospects for tax changes emanating from the US and the EU. The Southern Region has performed exceedingly well in the past year despite a number of challenges to the local economy; the loss of a number of high profile manufacturing jobs; the decline in the property market and rising utility prices.
An estimated 1,000 jobs supported by up to €250 million in new FDI investment were announced for the Southern Region during 2008. These recent announcements continue to show an expansion of the regions knowledge base led by ICT investments at EMC, Option Wireless, Cognex and Arris. The regions important Pharma-Medical cluster saw further investments at DePuy, Alcon and a next generation biologic facility investment by Pfizer, while the international services sector saw a boost with a new investment from funds administrator Citco and an expansion of the service platform in Cork of Marriott International.
Although the global economy has presented several challenges, the Southern region has persevered well and is putting greater focus on the need for embedding our FDI manufacturing. The focus for American based companies is now on reducing costs and specifically developing our innovative capability to ensure we add value and sustain the highest standards of quality and supply. A focus on R&D activity, where appropriate, is of critical importance towards ensuring we embed our FDI base in Ireland. We need to capitalise on the significant strategic advantage that a high concentration of varying multinational disciplines brings to Ireland in close proximity to one another – unprecedented in any other country globally.
Local focus in 2008 has been on a number of fronts. Firstly support of ongoing American Chamber efforts to influence national policy makers, on both key strategic opportunities and challenges to the American multinational base. Additionally the region has been actively involved in promoting the further enhancement of the transport network for the Southern Region. More recently there has been a strong focus on promoting education in science and engineering disciplines, where concern has been expressed in relation that the uptake of graduates in these disciplines is not at the desired level for the knowledge economy to successfully flourish as per the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation (SSTI) report and the National Development Plan (NDP).
For 2009, a continuation of the excellent work in 2008 is scheduled in the areas of education, infrastructure, along with some renewed focus on potential collaborative business opportunities.
As Chair of the Southern Region I am delighted to take up the mantle of President of the American Chamber of Commerce in 2009.
Southern Region at a Glance
The Southern region comprises of County Cork and County Kerry, which collectively have a population of approximately 620,000 people. Cork City is the region’s principal urban centre with a population of 190,000. The region’s other main urban locations include Mallow, Clonakilty, Fermoy, Youghal and Killarney.
- The region currently hosts 150 IDA supported companies accounting for employment of over 21,000.
- The region is highly prosperous and the headquarters for many multinational corporations (118), engaged mainly in the food sector and in the electronics and pharmaceutical industries. These industries are mainly concentrated around Cork City and its environs.
Access
- The region is well served by road, rail, sea and air transport links. Cork International Airport and Kerry Regional Airport provide a wide range of air services to locations throughout Europe while nearby Shannon International airport provides flights to the US. Ferry services operate between Cork and France. Sea freight facilities are available in Cork and nearby Rosslare and Foynes.
Knowledge Infrastructure
- The Southern Region has a network of developed quality Business Parks with all the necessary telecommunications, utilities, infrastructure and buildings/site options to cater for the needs of multinational firms.
- There are two 3rd level institutions in the region with a total part-time and full-time student population of over 37,000 - University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology and the Tyndall Research institute.
Southern Lifestyle
- Cork and Kerry are well known for their scenic beauty and have a flourishing tourism sector. The region is highly scenic, with large numbers of visitors, who come to the region each year to experience the warm welcome, the traditional music and heritage and to enjoy the wonderful environment. Outdoor pursuits are within easy reach including golf, walking, cycling, and sailing. It has a spectacular coastline of over 1,000km and has Ireland’s highest mountain Carruntoohil at 1,039m. The Southern Region is a special part of Ireland that has hosted many international festivals and events and was designated European Capital of Culture in 2005.
Southern Region Events 2008
- Members Spring Briefing – The Hayfield Manor Hotel, April, Sponsored by Magnet Networks
- Members Autumn Briefing – The Maryborough Hotel, October
- Cork Business Lunch – The Maryborough Hotel, October, Sponsored by Aer Lingus