Minister Burke addresses TCI Global Conference
Minister Peter Burke addressed more than 200 delegates from over 25 countries at the TCI Global Conference. The Conference, being held for the first time in Ireland and on a cross-border basis, explored opportunities presented by global connectivity, all island collaboration and shared economy ambition and the role which collaboration through clusters can play in this regard.
TCI awarded the conference to the island of Ireland, supported by the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme and with the support of both governments in each jurisdiction and the collaborative partnership between InterTradeIreland, Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism & Employment is providing €2.3 million over the next six years for the initial three clusters as part of Programme for Government and Action Plan on Competitiveness, to be supplemented with Shared Island Funding.
Speaking about the conference, Minister Burke said: “I launched our Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, outlining 85 actions to protect the future of our economy in an uncertain global climate. It recognised clustering as a key tool to drive innovation, attract global investment, promote international visibility and support place-based growth. This builds on the commitment in the Programme for Government to have five clusters of scale to build competitiveness, which in turn is underpinned by the strong all-island focus which is a key foundation of the Programme for Government.
“Two of those pilots will be Cyber Ireland and Advanced Technology in Manufacturing (ATIM), and it is anticipated that there will be a third pilot in the semiconductor sector. Cyber security is essential given ongoing global threats in this area and the need to promote a sustainable supply of talent and dissemination of knowledge to serve the needs of industry in Ireland. ATIM was established to support the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry, another key strategic priority. The semiconductor sector is critical, particularly in light of the Chips Act, our recent National Semiconductor strategy and the sectoral focus on chips in the Draghi report. We look forward to working closely with InterTradeIreland on the International Impact Clustering Programme.”
Caitriona Morden, manager of ATIM (Advanced Technology in Manufacturing), said: “Since 2021, the ATIM Cluster has grown into a powerful connector – bridging gaps across industry, academia, and government to build a robust, collaborative manufacturing ecosystem. We’ve delivered impact regionally, across the island of Ireland and gained strong international traction through strategic partnerships, innovation-led initiatives, and talent development programmes. As we look ahead, I’m proud to work with the Government of Ireland and our agency partners to unlock new opportunities and position advanced manufacturing as a cornerstone of sustainable economic growth.”
Cyber Ireland manager Eoin Byrne added: “Ireland’s cyber security industry is critical to providing national cyber resilience and underpinning the growth of our digital economy. This announcement also recognises the importance of the cyber security sector in its own right as a key economic sector and the potential for international growth. Cyber Ireland aims to position Ireland as a cyber security industry leader in Europe, supporting industry through workforce development, innovation and collaboration. We are already collaborating on an all-island basis with the Northern Ireland cyber security cluster, where in June this year we launched a joint research report and signed a landmark memorandum of understanding.”
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