DIGITAL DISTRICT

IDA Ireland Regional Business Development Manager for the South East, Brendan McDonald reveals how a strong talent pipeline combined with government, industry and educational supports has led to a thriving technology cluster.

THE SOUTH EAST REGION OF IRELAND HAS EMERGED AS A DYNAMIC TECHNOLOGY CLUSTER, ATTRACTING INNOVATIVE COMPANIES FROM ACROSS A VARIETY OF SECTORS INCLUDING LIFE SCIENCES AND MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES, FINTECH AND CYBER SECURITY, TELECOMS ENGINEERING AND RESEARCH, AND CUSTOMER SERVICE.

According to IDA Ireland Regional Business Development Manager for the South East, Brendan McDonald, this regional cluster covers all aspects of software development as well as technical support for the various different industries as companies look to solve the problems of other sectors. “There are a lot of tech companies doing globally significant functions here.”

The South East region has much to offer both investors and employees: it consists of five counties, Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary, has a population of over 510,000 and a workforce of 220,000. The area produces over 5,000 graduates a year and is home to over 70 multinationals, and is within a two-hour drive of three international airports.

THIRD LEVEL LINKS

Excellent third-level colleges in the region offer a steady stream of high quality graduates: The Institute of Technology Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology, as well as LIT Clonmel Campus and LIT Thurles Campus, two schools of Limerick Institute of Technology. These educational bodies are highly engaged with industry, offering focused course content. “IT Carlow and Waterford IT have played a significant role in showcasing the capabilities of the region to international talent when they come here. For example, Unum’s engagement with IT Carlow has been a pivotal force in the growth of the Unum Carlow site.”

Supporting this educational platform are the research centres, three of which are based in WIT’s campus. The Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG) areas include mobile platforms and services, data analytics and social computing, adaptive networks and services and augmented and virtual reality. “TSSG is a huge influencer in the mobile app world and in telecommunications software, so that’s driving a lot of innovation in the region as well.” The South Eastern Applied Materials Research Centre (SEAM) provides innovative materials engineering solutions for sectors such as biomedical devices, pharmaceuticals, microelectronics and precision engineering. The Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC) supports research and development activities within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. “When companies are looking to grow, not only their graduate pool, but also the learning piece, the interaction with the Institutes of Technology is very important.”

LONG-TERM RETENTION

The South East region offers a greater work-life balance which not only attracts high calibre talent, but retains them, according to McDonald. “If you want to give people the gift of time, we would very much encourage them to come to the South East region. You’ve got much shorter commute times and lower costs of living, as well as ease of access to mountains, the sea, greenways and blueways. You’ll have employees who are going to be more engaged and happier from the point of view of retention. In urban locations of scale, the quality of life may be more challenging.”

PROPERTY POSSIBILITIES

The region offers the ability to grow and scale with a range of property solutions, from IDA Ireland-owned sites to modern office campuses and co-working spaces. Construction was completed on IDA’s second Advanced Building Solution (ABS) in Waterford in July 2019, the only location in the country to have a second ABS. Co-working spaces offer a convenient starting point and have proved popular with international organisations in the growth phase. When establishing their software development and CAD support centre in Ireland, Allstate Sales Group (ASG) looked to WorkLAB, a co-working space in Waterford. “These ready-made landing spaces are a very attractive value proposition for companies because they don’t have to sign up to long-term leases,” says McDonald. “It’s all about ease of doing business in regional locations. The business community and stakeholders have come together to make starting an operation in the South East as seamless as possible.”

ONGOING SUPPORT

Government and industry-led supports are also helping to draw new entrants to the area, with the aim of creating enduring relationships. “In the IDA Ireland regional offices, we can take a deeper dive into everything from helping a company find that initial property offering, to assisting recruitment, to interacting with the various stakeholders such as the county council, to connecting with the third level institute. We have an effective ‘full service’ local offering where we can not only help companies at the outset of their investment journey but become their partner as they build, grow and scale their operation – it’s trying to problem-solve any question or query that they may have as they build out their teams, becoming a key strategic partner agency for the long term.” Crystal Valley Tech is an industry-led group that was launched in February 2018 with the assistance of the IDA Ireland South East Regional Team. The aim of this industry tech group is to showcase the growing technology cluster in the region, its capabilities and activities. “The aim is to build a tech community that everyone can benefit from. Its three pillars are the promotion of the tech scene; recruitment and fostering a sense of collaboration around recruitment; education and collaboration with the third level institutions, and regional skills forum where all stakeholders in the education arena come together to discuss issues that are relevant to overall skills in the various different sectors. It’s growing and will become even more influential in the years to come.”