IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 16 July
16-07-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Vodafone Ireland to cut jobs | UnitedHealth to create Donegal roles
The Irish Times reports that UCD and Trinity College Dublin have secured a major share of a new EUR358 million fund for third-level research. The programme will be unveiled by Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe on Friday. TCD has secured more than EUR75 million in capital funding for Biomedical Sciences Development, while UCD has secured over EUR50 million to develop a new science centre. NUI Galway has secured EUR31.5 million for a project named Advancing Medicine Through Discovery. UCC will receive EUR19 million for a project entitled Translating Bio Sciences into Health. DCU will get over EUR16 million for a nano-bioanalytical research facility, NUI Maynooth will receive EUR4.6 million for ICT infrastructure development, while UL will get more than EUR12 million for a national centre for applied materials research.
The paper also says that over 500,000 people have visited the Science Gallery in its first two years, making it one of the most popular free attractions in the country. The gallery at TCD received five times the original projected number of visitors since it opened in February 2008, and has received national and international awards.
The same paper reports that Vodafone will seek to cut 130 jobs following a review of its business. The company told its 1,200-strong workforce about the plan on Thursday and launched a consultation with employees and trade unions. The consultation will finish at the end of next month, with Vodafone hopeful of achieving its staff-reduction target through a mix of voluntary redundancy and early retirement. Francesco Bianco, human resources director at Vodafone Ireland, said the job cuts would help the firm operate more efficiently.
The paper also notes that US insurer UnitedHealth has confirmed it will create 200 new jobs in Donegal, with the support of IDA Ireland. The Minneapolis-based health insurance group already employs 340 people in IT and medical claims processing at its Letterkenny site. The 200 new positions will be split evenly between IT technicians and medical claims associates.
The paper also notes that the death of RTE broadcaster Gerry Ryan led to his name being the most searched for item on Google in Ireland in the first six months of this year. Google said the second most popular search term so far this year in Ireland was 'Glee'. There was a 700 percent increase in searches for 'World Cup 2010' for the first half of the year. Ryanair was the fourth most searched for term over the past six months. The ash cloud was the top search term in Google News from January to June.
The paper also says that Taoiseach Brian Cowen has announced the appointment of a board to oversee the Government’s new EUR500 million innovation fund. The fund is intended to support enterprise development and job creation. The scheme is to begin in September, with the State investing EUR250 million over five years, a sum which will be matched by private sector investment. The fund will be overseen by an advisory board chaired by Damien Callaghan of Intel Capital.
The paper also notes that an Irish musician and software technologist has devised an iPhone app that tells you the name of any piece of live trad music. Tunepal, an Irish-made iPhone app, can identify more than 13,000 traditional tunes. It was created by Bryan Duggan, a flute player and a lecturer in computer science at Dublin Institute of Technology. The EUR4.99 music search engine app, available from the iTunes App Store, also produces historical detail about every song.
The paper also says that many organisations have scrapped or curtailed IT projects in light of the downturn, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey of Irish chief information officers. One-third of those asked said planned or initiated projects in their organisation had been cancelled in the past year. Two-thirds also reported a reduction in the scope of other projects. Eighty percent of respondents said this kind of cost-cutting was their biggest challenge as they tried to maintain service levels and innovate. Ninety-five percent of CIOs also reported that a business case was now required before any significant investment was made in IT. However, a third of organisations did not follow this through to see if the promised benefits were actually realised upon completion.
The same paper says that Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan has unveiled a EUR5 million investment in internet technology that will create 140 new high-end research jobs in the next year. The technology uses tuneable lasers instead of silicon chips to deliver data and will enable high-definition streaming of sports and movies to home computers and mobile phones. The technology was developed by two UCD graduates at Intune Networks.
The paper also reports that Airspeed Telecom has purchased Magnet Networks’ wireless spectrum licence, allowing it to expand its WiMax broadband services. Airspeed already holds a licence for another piece of the spectrum and through it provides broadband to businesses around the country. The deal means Airspeed now owns the 3.5GHz Fixed Wireless Access Local Area spectrum licence for Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Magnet will maintain its relationship with customers using the frequency, but with Airspeed now providing the service as a wholesaler.
The same paper says that a delegation of experts from Silicon Valley will travel to Ireland in November for an Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) event. As many as 25 Irish and Irish-American delegates will meet selected Irish companies at the third annual 'Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland' event, which takes place in Galway and Limerick and will be hosted by University of Limerick, National University of Ireland Galway and Shannon Development.
The paper also says that Belfast firm APTX has taken a major step forward in getting its audio technology into mainstream products, following a new deal with Apple. The firm has developed technology that makes Bluetooth usable for high-fidelity audio. The firm’s technology streams high-quality stereo sound over Bluetooth wireless connections from devices such as laptops, mobile phones and portable music players. The compression and decompression algorithm, known as a codec, was used in Apple’s Mac Mini, which was unveiled last month.
The Irish Examiner reports that the Government has launched its own "news service" in a bid to sell its message better. Key policies and issues which the Government wants publicised will be presented "in the language of a news bulletin", the coalition said. The service will post "news" reports, as well as press releases and videos, on MerrionStreet.ie.
The paper also says that e-payments provider Payzone saw its pre-tax losses increase to EUR177.2 million in its last financial year, according to accounts filed with the Companies Registration Office. The company, established through the 2007 merger of Irish firm Alphyra and British cash machine operator Cardpoint, had generated a pre-tax loss of EUR148.7 million the previous year. The latest set of accounts for the Dublin-headquartered company also show an increase in operating loss from EUR119.2 million to EUR148.6 million and a rise in overall revenue from EUR555.7 million to EUR588.7 million.
The Wall Street Journal says that Google's profit and revenue grew in the second quarter amid a broad recovery in online advertising, though the company's search business continued to show signs of slowing growth. Google said net income for the period jumped 24 percent from a year earlier to USD1.84 billion, while revenue rose to USD6.82 billion from USD5.52 billion in the same quarter last year. The company's operating and profit margins disappointed Wall Street, with earnings per share of USD6.45 coming in below expectations of USD6.52. Google stock fell 4 percent in after-hours trading on Thursday.
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