IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 26 March
26-03-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Oracle quick to recover from downturn | UK Times to erect paywall in June
The Irish Times reports that European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Maire Geoghegan-Quinn plans to introduce an 'innovation indicator' to measure spending output on research and development in EU states. The innovation indicator would be devised by a small panel of economists and business innovators. The commissioner also intends to "leverage" more private investment funding through the European Investment Bank for SMEs. "I've been talking to the EIB and we will be talking to them formally to see if there is any way that we can increase the level of investment so that it targets not just the big projects but also SMEs which are the backbone of European industry," she told the paper.
The paper also says that TV station TG4 is to unveil a new online broadcasting service next week, bringing television "as Gaeilge" to a global audience. The new platform offers a live and catch-up service to international as well as domestic viewers, and is due for official launch on 2 April. TG4 has offered a catch-up service since 2003. This third version of the service is powered by TeliaSonera International Carrier's Media Distribution Service.
The paper also notes that 10 Irish clean-tech companies are in Vancouver this week showcasing their wares at Globe 2010, one of the largest environmental trade fairs in the world. Marina Donohoe of Enterprise Ireland's green tech division said it was a significant opportunity for them to meet buyers and key decision makers from Canada and the US as well as more than 70 other countries. Companies at the fair include Openhydro, Biotech Treatment Systems, Butler Manufacturing Services and IMEC Technologies.
The paper also reports on the winners of its Innovation Awards on Wednesday. The overall Innovation of the Year award went to Sigmoid Pharma for its development of two new drug technologies. Other category winners included Easydry, for its disposable eco-towels. BiancaMed won in the Product and Service Innovation category for its wireless sensor technology to monitor sleep and breathing, while the North/South Collaboration category was won by the C-TRIC programme, which aims to streamline new developments from the laboratory to the marketplace.
The paper also notes that its website, irishtimes.com, has launched a new subscription-based 'e-paper' for online readers. The e-paper offers an exact replica of the daily newspaper in a digital format with enhanced functions such as audio versions and article translation. It replaces the 'Today's Paper' section of the site, which was previously available free. Pricing ranges from EUR1.80 for a day to EUR9 for one month, EUR25 for three months and EUR89 for 12 months.
The same paper reports on this week's Twestival, an evening of offline social networking which raised more than EUR200,000 for charity. Twitterers came together in the flesh in about 200 cities, including Dublin, Galway and Belfast, to raise funds for Concern Worldwide. Adrian Mahon, who helped organise the Dublin Twestival event, estimates there are about 250,000 Twitter users in Ireland.
According to the Wall Street Journal, software maker Oracle is recovering from the recession quickly, posting a 17 percent increase in revenue for its fiscal third quarter, its second consecutive quarter of growth after a string of declines. Revenue climbed to USD6.4 billion from USD5.5 billion a year ago. Oracle's profit for the quarter came to USD1.19 billion, or USD0.23 a share, compared with USD1.33 billion, or USD0.26 a share, a year ago. While profit fell 11 percent in the quarter because of charges related to its acquisition of Sun Microsystems, Oracle forecast strong growth. It projected total revenue for the current quarter would jump between 31 percent and 36 percent from a year earlier.
The Financial Times says that News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch's experiment with charging for online news content will begin in June, when the Times and Sunday Times erect paywalls. Readers will be charged STG1 for a day's access -- the same price as the daily newspaper -- or STG2 for a week's subscription to two new sites, www.thetimes.co.uk and www.thesundaytimes.co.uk. Print subscribers will be able to read the sites, which replace the existing Times Online site, for free.
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