Mar 10
11
‘Innovation Taskforce recommendations need to go further’ – Mac Sharry
Senator Marc MacSharry
Today’s publication ‘Innovation Ireland’ by the Innovation Taskforce has been broadly welcomed by Sligo Senator Mac Sharry.
‘On the whole the report contains some very positive recommendations which will guide us into the future as a leading innovative hub’.
Some of thereports recommendations included;
transform the seed, angel and venture capital environment in Ireland
Introduce a European Accelerator Programme to attract the European
HQ’s of fast-growing private US companies
Encourage overseas entrepreneurs to come to Ireland to start and grow
their companies
Transform our Intellectual Property (IP) arrangements and make
Ireland an International Innovation Services Centre
Use Flagship projects, where public procurement will grow clusters of
companies, addressing global needs, with innovative products/services
for export
The education system needs to be better connected to the needs of
innovative enterprises, including bonus points for high level maths
‘Whilst the heart of the report is to develop an Innovation Ecosystem
through entrepreneurs and enterprise, it unfortunately fails to develop
upon the idea of an Entrepreneurship Education Strategy for Ireland’.
‘The report notes that “entrepreneurship skills must be fostered at second,
third, and fourth levels of our education system” regrettably it fails to
outline how this should be done’ said the Senator.
As former CEO of Intel, Craig Barrett said today, “Sowing the seeds of
entrepreneurship culture in Ireland must begin early in life in terms of
education…..schools must embrace entrepreneurship as a vital ingredient in
the curriculum.”
Senator Mac Sharry and his Entrepreneurship Education Strategy working
group have been advocating Barrett’s sentiments for the past year. They
presented their proposals to the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Sean
Haughey T.D recommending;
introducing field research projects as an element of Business / Business
Studies Subjects
introducing Multiple Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence Theory into
SPHE
Launching a Young Entrepreneur of the Year Competition
Establishing a School Awards programme
The development of an Entrepreneurship Education Online Resource
The appointment of a ‘Champion’ and an Advisory Panel to oversee the
implementation of the entrepreneurship education strategy.
If the Innovation Taskforce’s vision ‘that by 2020 Ireland will have a
significant number of large, world-leading, innovation-intensive companies,
each having a global footprint, many of which are Irish headquartered and
owned”, we must without doubt introduce an Entrepreneurship Education
strategy for Ireland’, concluded the Senator.
