NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 18 June
18-06-2009
by Emmet Ryan
University research generates EUR160m | Cdiscount creates 50 Dundalk jobs
Third level colleges are banding together to adopt a common approach to research and innovation across the Border Midland and Western (BMW) region. The heads of the institutes of technology in Athlone, Dundalk, Galway-Mayo, Letterkenny and Sligo, together with NUI Galway and St Angela's College, Sligo will combine their strengths under the auspices of Lionra, the higher education network in the region.
Over EUR160 million is generated each year from companies that grow out of university-based research. "More than 100 high value companies have emerged from third level institutions in the last three to five years," said Conor Lenihan, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation. "These companies generated a combined turnover of over EUR160 million, of which EUR137 million were exports." He made the comments at the opening of an Enterprise Ireland event called Business Opportunities from Emerging Companies, which took place in Dublin's Guinness Storehouse on Thursday.
The shortlist for the Engineers Ireland Innovation awards has been announced. Sean O'Leary, a senior lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Cork Institute will take on Denis O'Connor, who has 30 years' experience in environmental management, for the title of Innovative Engineer of the Year. The companies shortlisted for Innovative Company of the Year include IBM, Mcor Technologies, ABB Ltd, PutPlace, OpenHydro, Microworks, IT Sligo, MCS and Surface Power. Meanwhile, six students will battle it out for the Innovative Student of the Year award, which is sponsored by Siemens. The event will take place on 22 June.
Following on from In The Papers' on Thursday, it has been confirmed that French online retail company Cdiscount, will create 50 new jobs as it sets up its regional headquarters for the UK and Ireland at the IDA Business and Technology Park in Dundalk. Cdiscount is the online trading arm of Groupe Casino of France, one of the world's largest retailers with global revenues of over EUR28.7 billion.
ComReg has received EU approval for its decision to direct Eircom to cut the price it charges competitors for access to its telecoms infrastructure. The price cuts will also include charges by Eircom for migrating customers from one wholesale product to another. The European Commission said the proposed measures represent an important step towards facilitating direct investment in infrastructure and enhancing competition on the Irish broadband market, which should lead to lower prices for consumers.
Fexco, a Kerry-based payments group, has moved into the Pacific market with its purchase of a majority stake in New Zealand-based Federal Pacific Group. Federal Pacific provides financial services in 10 territories of the South Pacific, including New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and East Timor.
Hewlett-Packard and Alcatel-Lucent have signed an agreement establishing to form a 10-year global alliance to help customers manage telecommunication and IT. Under the deal the companies will jointly market products for both service providers and enterprises.
China's internet watchdog condemned the Chinese-language version of Google on Thursday for what it regards as the dissemination of pornographic and vulgar information. The China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre said it had complained twice to Google about some of the links that are available through its search engine google.cn.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 