Ireland Shaping Up As European 'Silicon Valley'

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

25 April 2003

A recent survey carried out by specialist technology group Eurocom PR Network has revealed that IT executives from across Europe perceive Ireland as the most likely location for a European equivalent to Silicon Valley.

The survey, undertaken in association with Irish partner Simpson Financial and Technology PR, took place in the first quarter of 2003. It interviewed 147 executives from 12 European states and found that one in five of those polled visualised Ireland as Europe's capital of technology. This placed the country above both Germany (14%) and the United Kingdom (8%).

Commenting on the results, Ronnie Simpson of Simpson Financial & Technology PR explained that: "The results are significant as respondents were not allowed to vote for their own country. This suggests that the Government's policy of positioning Ireland as a major European high tech centre is working," according to an Online.ie report.

The sectors of the IT industry which have the highest potential for growth are IT security, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Wireless Telecommunications technologies, the Eurocom study found. Of these, a significant proportion of the executives questioned (20%) thought that IT security was the most likely contender, closely followed by CRM and Wireless telecoms, both with 17%.

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