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  • Government pursues opportunities in Asia through expats

    Friday, May 28th, 2010

    Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin is in Asia this week, and has issued a press release focusing on several outgrowths of the Global Irish Economic Forum held at Farmleigh in September.

    Martin attended the first meeting of Asian-based members of the Global Irish Network at Expo Shanghai; the network was announced at the Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh and prior meetings were held in Britain, France, Germany and the UAE.

    At that meeting, Martin has announced funding of €135,000 towards a new Farmleigh Fellowship Programme, which provides 25 Irish participants the opportunity to work in Asia for four months, and to participate in a joint MSc degree in Asian Business Management from UCC and Nanyang Business School in Singapore.   The project was developed by a number of Singapore-based businesspeople who were present at the Global Irish Economic Forum, and was a response to the focus placed at that meeting on the need for Irish businesses to increase their access to Asian markets  It will begin in October 2010.  An overseas graduate placement programme, a separate initiative, is also being planned.

    Martin also announced funding under the Emigrant Support Programme for several Asian-based organisations:

    • Ireland-Japan Chamber of Commerce (c. €12,000), which is dedicated to fostering business links between Ireland and Japan
    • the Irish Network China (c. €1,100), a Beijing-based organisation fostering cultural, social, and business links between Ireland and China
    • Le Chéile, Shanghai (c. €5,597), a social and educational group for Irish emigrants and the Irish diaspora in China, founded 2008.

    See the press release on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.