Comments on: Does Ireland Need a Network for Innovators?

By: Mistletoe and Wine – 2009 Review « Brendan Hughes, talking about the Internet in business and society in Ireland

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:34:54 +0000

[...] how realistic it was for Ireland to position itself as an innovation island and the need for an online network to bring innovators together. This conversation is not over yet and the reality of such a suitable network remains unfinished [...]

By: Brendan

Brendan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:37:05 +0000

We could certainly do this on our own, but I do think that it would be a much stronger proposition with the support of the agencies. Perhaps not led by them though?

By: Paul O'Mahony (Cork)

Paul O'Mahony (Cork) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:22:08 +0000

Good to hear from you.

Do you have an inside track to IDA and/or Enterprise Ireland? I assume they have their own agendas and will stick to that.

Why would we need them anyway?

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:11:57 +0000

Paul, I certainly hope this wasn’t a flash in the pan. The question is whereto from here. My own view is that one or both of IDA and Enterprise Ireland should be the ones to drive this. I am certainly willing to get involved in helping to progress as are others who have posted here and on the Innovation Ireland group on LinkedIn. To get the broadest support this should be a collaborative effort by all stakeholders. Coincidentally I did have a conversation today that was geared at moving this along. Stay tuned for updates.

By: Paul O'Mahony (Cork)

Paul O'Mahony (Cork) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:39:26 +0000

Was this a flash in the pan? All’s so quiet. I’m taking it off my radar

By: Cearbhall O Dalaigh

Cearbhall O Dalaigh — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:09:30 +0000

Absolutely Brendan and it’s needed immediatly.

I saw a very good example recently of where private sector wind energy entrepreneurs, who have been putting their own cash on the table, are having to wait 10 years for the ESB to give them a connection to the grid and in the meantime the ESB has got government support for a €300 million loan to go into the wind energy business.
The alternative energy sector is very fertile ground for irish innovative entrepreneurs, but there is a clear need for a ‘Network for Innovators’ to organise and counter the very obvious conflict-of-interest action by the ESB.
This is just one example of where the ‘network’ would be very useful, another which comes to mind is finance and venture capital. As our too-greedy-to-fail bankers deprive the ‘real’ economy of operating finance venture capital is going to be a very important area in the months and years ahead. Some entrepreneurs are going to have more success in this area than others and the ‘network’ idea would be a very good way of disseminating information by those who have have been successful.
Another benefit would be in liaising with other similar international networks for the purpose of identifying joint-venture opportunities etc.
It’s an excellent idea and the sooner it’s set-up the better.
Cearbhall —-
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6907745.ece
.
.

By: List of Irish Innovation Networks

List of Irish Innovation Networks — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:57:34 +0000

[...] Nov, 2009 Uncategorized Following up from a post from Brendan Hughes and some conversation on Twitter. I thought I’d try to list out all the Innovation Networks [...]

By: Paul O'Mahony (Cork)

Paul O'Mahony (Cork) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:26:06 +0000

Rachel,
It’s great to have the names of Irish people who have proved they can do collaboration. Not for one minute do I think they’re alone. But those you refer to are out of Ireland. Yes in the Diaspora.
The native Irish, who live here, and have spent only brief periods out of Ireland – mainly on holidays – these are those who find collaboration foreign to them.
Give them half a minute and they’ll show they’re skilled at knocking ideas and people down.
I trained as a sociologist, and have an anthropological interest in this. “Why do Irish people find it hard to collaborate with each other?”
Here’s hypothesis:

closeness to (rural) clan culture correlates positively with aversion to the risk of doing business with a stranger (outsider)

I must google you.

By: Rachel Gaffney

Rachel Gaffney — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:10:07 +0000

It must be a Cork thing Paul! I am a native Cork woman living in Dallas, by way of london and Chicago! Since starting my business,(which by the way was started to change peoples perception of Ireland)The following comments may not go down too well but here it goes…….. it is the Irish people that have been the least helpful and the least collaborative. …PLEASE PLEASE PEOPLE DONT TAKE THIS PERSONALLY………..by virtue of you being on this site,then obviously not you! I am now however meeting a new generation of Irish here…New blood. Thank God. A special shout out to Karen Coyle (Bord Bia NY) and Dr Tim Roche (Enterprise Ireland NY) They are indeed what Ireladn desperately need over here. Really good, hard working,collaborative people!

By: Paul O'Mahony (Cork)

Paul O'Mahony (Cork) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:41:23 +0000

I’d like to register an interest in being part of the development of
” I have considered the notion of setting up a non-profit company that would support innovation networking.”