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Wednesday, June 17th, 2009The Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG), a Silicon Valley-based group of has signed an agreement with Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin aimed at driving Irish innovation and creating new business opportunities in the US for emerging Irish companies.
According to a press release, TCD Provost John Hegarty, UCD President Hugh Brady and ITLG chair John Hartnett announced a memorandum of understanding on Monday, 15 June to promote technological innovation, and the goals of the recently announced Innovation Alliance between UCD and TCD, through this partnership.
The group also announced a summit meeting at the Irish embassy in Washington DC on 10 September, 2009. This meeting will be aimed at devising a programme of collaboration around a number of areas set out in the memo of understanding:
- To explore and advance new mechanisms for business creation and scaling for Ireland
- To explore creation and management of a dedicated technology venture capital fund
- To partner on the delivery of innovation training to the student body of the Innovation Alliance, through case study presentation and mentoring of project work within the Innovation Academy.
ITLG chair John Hartnett said, “In the midst of Irish and US economic turmoil, there has never been a more important moment to foster and invest in technological innovation. ITLG is delighted to seize the opportunity to pursue that objective in partnership with Ireland’s premier research universities through the Innovation Alliance”.
Related webpages:
- Press release – Businesswire.com: Silicon Valley Tech leaders sign innovation accord with Ireland’s leading universities, plan US-Ireland Summit for Washington DC
- Irish Technology Leadership Group
- UCD
- TCD
- Press release announcing establishment of TCD- UCD Innovation Alliance and Innovation Taskforce (March 2009)
Diaspora strategy reports, principles of good practice published by NIRSA
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009A series of papers on diaspora strategies has been published by the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis at Maynooth University. The papers have been published in conjunction with the “Exploring Diaspora Strategies: An International Comparison” workshop, which was held in January this year.
The workshops included speakers such as Yevgeny Kuznetsov of the World Bank, Ray Bassett of the Irish Abroad Unit, Gurucharan Gollerkeri from the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Alan Gamlen of Oxford University, and Mark Boyle, Rob Kitchin, and Aine O’Neill, all of NUI Maynooth.
In one of the reports, “Exploring Diaspora Strategies: Lessons for Ireland”, authors Delphine Ancien, Mark Boyle and Rob Kitchin make a number of recommendations under the following headings:
- Administrative structures in support of diaspora strategy making
- Building infrastructure, building new bridges: creating and fostering information flows and portals
- Extending citizenship: offering welfare assistance to diasporeans living abroad
- Building diasporic Irish-mindedness
- Encouraging philanthropy to support Ireland
- Developing business and knowledge networks
- Encouraging return migration and providing return facilitation services
- Developing an affinity diaspora
The reports include:
- Exploring Diaspora Strategies: An International Comparison
- Exploring Diaspora Strategies: Lessons for Ireland
- The NIRSA Diaspora Strategy Wheel and Ten Principles of Good Practice
- The Scottish Diaspora and Diaspora Strategy: Insights and Lessons from Ireland
Download the reports from the NIRSA website.
Web tool allows for cultural comparisons
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009An interesting tool for would-be migrants, expats and international business executives: Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions tool, which is aimed at providing insight into other cultures to enable better results. The tool allows the user to compare his or her home culture with the host culture on five dimensions:
- Power Distance Index – measuring expectation of inequality.
- Individualism – the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups
- Masculinity – measuring role distribution
- Uncertainty Avoidance Index – dealing with tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity
- Long-Term Orientation
Visit the Geert Hofstede website.
More Irish students seeking places at British universities
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009Irish students are applying to British colleges and universities at an accelerating pace this year. The Irish Post is reporting that the nmber of applications from Ireland for British places is up more than 13%, with 5,425, or nearly 14% of students who sat their Leaving Cert exam this year, making such an application.
The newspaper reports that the major factor in the shift is the student fears over the possibility of the reintroduction of fees, and also notes the heavy promotion efforts British universities are aiming at Irish students.
Related web page:
Irish Post: Young Irish on course for Britain
“Talent, Competitiveness, and Migration” focuses on policy issues
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009“Talent, Competitiveness and Migration” has just been published by the Transatlantic Council on Migration. The publishers say:
As the global economic crisis ripples across the financial, political and social landscape, it is leaving its mark on international migration. The recession, hailed as the worst since the Great Depression, is impacting the scope and pace of international migration and its effects could deepen should the world economy worsen.
Governments, businesses and individuals have all felt the damaging consequences of the global downturn, which has shaken confidence in established institutions. The crisis is driving some policymakers and analysts in Europe and North America to re-think their assumptions about labor migration. Yet while policymakers face exceptionally strong popular and political outcry to protect jobs at home, they face mid-term demographic challenges. These two opposing policy pressures require responses that will not only help ease the current economic crisis, but will also secure the long-term prosperity of these regions.
This book reflects the effort of the Transatlantic Council on Migration to map how profound demographic change is likely to affect the size and character of global migration flows; and how governments can shape immigration policy in a world increasingly attuned to the hunt for talent. This volume is the second major product of the Council.
National emigration history centre given go ahead in New Ross
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009A national emigration history centre is planned for the Dunbrody Visitor Centre in New Ross, Co. Wexford, as part of a €2.5 million redevelopment plan for the Dunbrody Visitor Centre. The plan was given a go-ahead by the New Ross Town council last month, and the new visitor center could be completed as early as next year.
Related website:
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