Apple plans to construct a three-storey office block next to its existing plant in the city.

This will cater for the expansion of its business in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa.

Apple has been in Cork for 30 years. It currently employs 2,800 people in the city and its business is booming.

In the three months October to December last year, revenues in markets serviced by Apple’s Cork plant grew 55% year-on-year.

This growth is that Apple has out-grown its European headquarters at Hollyhill in Cork and more than 400 staff now work out of 30,000 square feet of leased office space in the Owen O’Callaghan re-developed Half Moon Street in the city centre.

Now Apple is expanding in Cork again. Apple’s senior director for Corporate Communications, Alan Hely, has confirmed to RTE News that the company plans to increase its workforce in the city by 500 to 3,300 over the next 18 months. He said the company was “thrilled” to make the announcement.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton and senior officials in IDA Ireland have been involved in meetings on the project here and with Apple management in the US over several months.

“This development continues the strong trend of investment over the past years in Ireland, in particular from global ICT companies and demonstrates Ireland’s continuing success in attracting FDI additional investment,” commented IDA Ireland’s chief executive Barry O’Leary.

The Irish Examiner reports that US-owned PopCap Games has confirmed it intends to double the number of staff it employs at its European headquarters in Dublin. The company currently employs 55 people, and Senior Director Cathy Orr confirmed on Sunday that the firm is planning to create an additional 55 jobs at its Dublin office. “We are aiming to double the number we employ here over the next two to three years,” she said. The Seattle-based games developer established its European HQ in Dublin in 2005.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Education, Mary Coughlan TD, last month announced that Zeus, the US headquartered medical device company, is investing €10m in a 40,000sq ft expansion and creating 75 new manufacturing jobs over three years.

The expansion of its facility at the IDA Business and Technology Park, Letterkenny, Co Donegal is supported by IDA Ireland.

Zeus Industrial Products (Zeus), headquartered in Orangeburg, South Carolina, is a leading developer and manufacturer of precision polymer extrusions, including specialist fluropolymer tubing solutions, for a range of industries. Established in 1966, the company is privately held by the original founder Frank P Tourville and employs 1,200 people worldwide.

“The decision by Zeus to expand its operation in Letterkenny is testament to the availability of a highly-skilled workforce in the north west region, the performance of its existing staff and the ease of doing business in Ireland,” stated Coughlan at the announcement. “On behalf of the Government, I look forward to providing continued support to Zeus as its Irish operation grows and develops.”

Séamus Hughes, general manager of Zeus in Ireland, said: “Since establishing our operation in 2005, our experience of doing business in Ireland has been a positive one. Due to the growth in our customer base in Europe, we are expanding our operation in Letterkenny to meet the demand for our medical and industrial speciality tubing product. We are very excited about our expansion plans and I look forward to finding the right calibre of staff to ensure our continued success here.

“In addition, I would like to thank the executive management team of Zeus Inc for their continued support of the Irish operation and their confidence in the Irish employees. On behalf of the Irish employees, I am very proud to be part of a very progressive organisation.

“Finally, I would like to express our appreciation for the work and contribution made by IDA Ireland during this process and supported by the Irish Government.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary also welcomed the announcement. “Zeus is an important manufacturer in the medical device industry in Ireland and offers a key sub supply role in a very specialised area,” he said.

 “This expansion was won for Ireland in the face of stiff international competition from other global locations, proving that Ireland has an increasingly competitive and pro-business environment to offer investors with a strong manufacturing focus.”

Thursday, 16th December 2010, Galway – Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD today announced that Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. is to create up to 115 new jobs over 5 years and invest €1.1m at its facility in Mervue Business Park, Galway.  Recruitment is already underway.  This investment is supported by IDA Ireland.

Goodman Co., Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Japan manufactures and sells medical instruments and equipment worldwide.  Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. (GMIL) was established in 2004 and currently employs 56 people in the manufacture of cardiology products such as PTCA catheters and bare metal stents.

The expansion will transform GMIL’s business by adding to its manufacturing and R&D operations and becoming Goodman’s sales and marketing centre for EMEA by generating market data, developing territory sales strategies and managing distributors and sales related activities.  The company will also commercialise the ‘Vival’ stent developed onsite in Galway.

Minister O’Keeffe said the investment “strengthens Ireland’s well-established medical devices cluster, with many leading firms based along the western seaboard. The Galway operation will be a platform for Goodman Medical Ireland to develop its business in the EMEA region, driving better manufacturing and product innovation output through the skills of a flexible and highly educated local workforce”.

“The jobs bolster Ireland’s high-end manufacturing backbone and consolidate our reputation as a leading location in Europe for foreign direct investments,” said Minister O’Keeffe.

President Takehito Yogo of Goodman Co., Ltd. said “We are excited to announce our expansion plans to meet anticipated long-term demand for our products worldwide.  We chose the Galway operation for our future growth and development due to our dedicated and proactive workforce, the support of IDA Ireland, our strong supplier network and the positive experiences we have had of doing business in Ireland since 2004.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “Goodman Co. Ltd’s decision to locate this operation in Ireland demonstrates our attractiveness for companies investing and expanding in the Life Sciences Sector. Ireland’s reputation as a hub for Life Sciences continues to grow with 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical and 15 of the top 20 medical devices companies worldwide with operations here.” 

“IDA’s strategy, Horizon 2020, sets out to achieve balanced regional development, and today’s announcement for Galway builds on the strong medical device cluster in the West of Ireland” concluded Mr. O’Leary.

Notes to Editor
Goodman Co. Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, is primarily engaged in the import, development, manufacture and sale of medical instruments and equipment. The company operates two business divisions. The Disposable Medical Instrument division develops, manufactures and sells catheters and stents for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The Medical Equipment and Others division is involved in the import and sale of medical testing equipment for circulatory organs and network system software for digital imaging equipment.

The Irish Times reports that social network Facebook is to create 100 jobs at its Dublin base next year. Facebook will grow staff numbers at its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters in Dublin by one-third over the next year, a spokeswoman for the company said. The company currently employs 200 people in Dublin, working in advertising, multilingual sales support, finance, human resources, user operations and development. It is understood the new positions will be gradually created across these areas over the coming 12 months.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith T.D. today (3rd November 2010) announced that global insurance and reinsurance provider, Global Indemnity plc, is to establish an IT development operation in Cavan through its subsidiary, Global Indemnity Services Ltd., creating 30 high value jobs over the next 5 years.  Global Indemnity Services will employ a wide range of technical staff to provide IT development for the Company’s policy administration and finance functions.  The investment is supported by IDA Ireland.

The release follows Global Indemnity’s recent announcement that it had completed its redomestication to Ireland and anticipated opening an operational office in addition to its administrative headquarters in Ireland by the end of the year, with the initial focus being IT development. 

Minister Smith, welcoming the announcement, said “Today’s announcement is excellent news for the North East region and Cavan in particular.  Global Indemnity is an established global insurer and reinsurer and is a welcome addition to the area.  The Company’s decision to locate in Cavan is an endorsement of the attractiveness of the area to global investors.  The availability of local talent, its position within the North East region and its proximity to Dublin with the recent opening of the new M3 motorway are all major factors contributing to the attractiveness of the area.  I would like to thank Global Indemnity for offering such excellent employment opportunities to the people of Cavan, and can assure the Company that it has my full support into the future as it develops its operation here.”

Larry Frakes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Indemnity plc said: “Ireland is an excellent locale for our headquarters with a supportive environment and infrastructure from which to conduct an international business.  Our decision to locate IT development operations in Cavan is based on the availability of a highly skilled local workforce, excellent IT infrastructure, and the access Ireland provides us to EU markets. Global Indemnity Services will play a major role in strengthening our European presence.  We look forward to developing the operation with the support of IDA Ireland.”

Barry O’Leary CEO, IDA Ireland added: “Ireland has a strong reputation as a leading location for global insurance companies, with over 15,000 people employed in the industry here.  Global Indemnity is an excellent addition to this cluster.  IDA Ireland looks forward to working closely with the company as it establishes its operation here.”
 

About Global Indemnity plc  and Its Subsidiaries
Global Indemnity plc (NASDAQ: GBLI), through its several direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiary insurance and reinsurance companies, provides both admitted and nonadmitted specialty property and casualty insurance coverages in the United States, as well as reinsurance throughout the world.  Global Indemnity plc’s five principal divisions include:
United States Based Insurance Operations:

Penn-America, which includes property and general liability products for small commercial businesses distributed through a select network of wholesale general agents with specific binding authority;

United National, which includes property, general liability, and professional lines products distributed through program administrators with specific binding authority;

Diamond State, which includes property, general liability, and professional lines products distributed through wholesale brokers and program administrators with specific binding authority;

CompGlobal, which provides workers’ compensation insurance.

International Reinsurance Operations:

Wind River Reinsurance Company, Ltd., a Bermuda based treaty and facultative reinsurer of excess and surplus lines and specialty property and casualty insurance.

For more information, visit the Global Indemnity plc website at http://www.globalindemnity.ie  
Forward-Looking Information
Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made under “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The types of risks and uncertainties which may affect the Company are set forth in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

21st October 2010, Dublin: Europe’s leader in ‘Content on Demand’, GoAdv has marked its rebrand to Populis (www.populis.com) with the opening of its new European headquarters in Dublin today.  The company, which employs over 45 people in Ireland, is also expanding its Irish employee base at the office in Barrow Street, Dublin.

Populis, which has been operating in Ireland since November 2006, delivers up to the minute ‘content on demand’ to web users.  This content from news to guides is crowdsourced from a team of expert collaborators and published through its network of wholly owned and operated websites including Excite Europe, Better Deals, Blogsfere and Nanopublishing.  The organisation has over 18 million unique monthly users across 500 wholly owned and operated websites in 8 languages.

Populis is expanding its Irish operation, with initially additional roles in Content Management, Search Engine Marketing and Administration, in one of Europe’s technology growth hot spots. The European headquarters already counts over 8 nationalities and 10 languages across its team of Search Engine Marketing and online content experts.

Commenting on the rebrand and expansion, John Slyne, Managing Director Ireland and Group CFO, Populis said “We are delighted to celebrate our rebrand to Populis with new offices in Dublin. Content on Demand has experienced phenomenal growth and we needed a strategic base to help us achieve our expansion goals.  This further commitment to Ireland reflects the country’s growing leadership position in pan European digital communications.”

Welcoming the expansion and opening of the new headquarters Barry O’Leary, CEO IDA  Ireland said “As the only major player in the sector to produce content in 8 languages, Populis is a welcome addition to Ireland’s vibrant digital media portfolio and its rapid growth here is testament to the local management and highly skilled and talented staff working in the Dublin HQ.”

“Populis is an excellent example of the type of high growth technology company which IDA targeted under its Horizon 2020 strategy. The addition of Populis to our rapidly expanding digital media sector reinforces Ireland’s growing reputation as the internet Capital of Europe” he added.

About Content on Demand.
Populis takes a scientific approach to content generation with a database of over 16 million key words and a proprietary algorithm to define the hottest content topics of web users.  Once identified matching news, features, guides and comment content is then crowdsourced from a network of professional writers, video producers, expert contributors and editors.  This content is then published across a network of wholly owned media brands and optimized for search traffic via search marketing, social tools and community engagement.  This content is then monitised through partnerships with tier 1 search/contextual providers (e.g. Google, Yahoo) and direct deals (e.g. Expedia, lastminute and eBay).

About Populis
Populis is one of Europe’s fastest growing digital media companies (GP Bullhound Media Momentum 2010) and European leader in the production of multilingual content on demand. Created in 2004 the Group crowdsources, distributes and monetizes over 20,000 items of compelling content in 8 languages per month for a vibrant network of 500 fully owned and operated websites including Excite Europe, Better Deals and Nanopublishing. The media properties generate over 18 million unique monthly users (Source: Comscore September 2010).

Populis is a pan-European company with a team of over 125 working across offices in Ireland and Italy, active in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, US, Australia, Russia and Brazil.

The company has experienced double digit revenue growth every year for the past 5 years, culminating in multiple award wins (Media Momentum, Red Herring 100) and the enviable position as European leader in content on demand, GoAdv’s rebrand to Populis will increase its visibility with an easily recognizable name and identity, while strengthening its space in an increasingly competitive market sector.

D&B, the world’s leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses, has increased its recruitment drive in Ireland. D&B Business Information Solutions Limited (DBIS) has already employed 40 people in highly skilled roles in Sandyford, Co. Dublin following the establishment of a strategic business centre earlier this year. Today’s announcement means the company will create 150 jobs in Dublin by 2011 rather than the original 100 previously announced. Positions currently being recruited by the company include researchers, software developers, analysts and support staff.

This follows the company’s announcement that it would undertake a two-year strategic technology investment program to strengthen its commercial data and rebuild its technology platforms to meet the emerging needs of customers.  The project is being supported by Government through IDA Ireland.

Minister O’Keeffe said the extra jobs showed investor confidence in Ireland’s capacity to recover was strong because the Government is pursuing the right policies for a return to economic growth in the near term.  “D&B’s decision to ramp up its recruitment drive shows confidence to hire and to invest is returning to the economy and our high-calibre graduates are exceeding the expectations of global market leaders.”

“I was very encouraged by a recent meeting I held with met senior members of the DBIS team and today’s announcement aligns well with Government policy to position Ireland as the top European location for innovation-led knowledge-intensive global business services.  The company’s decision to locate a strategic centre in Dublin and recruit for more positions endorses our global standing in the international services sector and prospects for economic recovery”, said Minister O’Keeffe.

Walter S. Hauck III, Senior Vice President, Technology and Chief Information Officer said “DBIS is using leading edge technologies that will allow a new D&B suite of products to be delivered to customers quickly and efficiently.  This project is of major significance and commercial importance to D&B and forms an integral part of the future strategy of the corporation. The Dublin centre will focus on and deliver the next evolution of our technology strategy, delivering maximum value to customers around the world.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “In recent years Ireland has been building a growing and diversified business services cluster particularly in the operations, analytics and technology areas.  IDA’s Horizon 2020 highlighted the growth in business services as a key area of opportunity for Ireland.  D&B is a world leader in business information solutions and its recent decision to locate a strategically important part of its global operations in Ireland which is now significantly larger than originally envisaged, is very welcome indeed.”

About Dun & Bradstreet® (D&B)

Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB) is the world’s leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses, enabling companies to Decide with Confidence® for 169 years. D&B’s global commercial database contains more than 165 million business records. The database is enhanced by D&B’s proprietary DUNSRight® Quality Process, which provides our customers with quality business information. This quality information is the foundation of our global solutions that customers rely on to make critical business decisions.

D&B provides solution sets that meet a diverse set of customer needs globally. Customers use D&B Risk Management SolutionsTM to mitigate credit and supplier risk, increase cash flow and drive increased profitability; D&B Sales & Marketing SolutionsTM to increase revenue from new and existing customers; and D&B Internet SolutionsTM to convert prospects into clients faster by enabling business professionals to research companies, executives and industries. For more information, please visit www.dnb.com.

For information on recruitment opportunities please contact
Premier Group, Tel: +353 (0) 1 665 2222 or Email: dnb@premierjobs.ie

The Irish Times reports that mobile phone accessory maker Otterbox is to create 50 jobs in Cork over the next two years when it establishes its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters in the city. The jobs will be in sales, customer service, accounting, engineering, public relations, marketing, web design, graphics, supply chain, human resources and warehousing.

Cork, September 27th, 2010 – Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD today announced that OtterBox® , an innovator of protective solutions for  leading global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors, is establishing its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) HQ in Cork, creating up to 50 jobs over 2 years.  The company is being supported by Government through IDA Ireland.

OtterBox designs and produces device specific protective covers for high value smartphones and handheld devices. Incorporating creativity and cutting-edge design into every product, OtterBox creates sleek and durable cases that offer reliable device protection.  The activities to be carried out from the Cork site will include in-house sales, customer service, accounting, engineering, public relations, marketing, web design, graphics, supply chain, human resources and warehousing.

Making today’s announcement Minister O’Keeffe said that “OtterBox is an innovative firm that has grown rapidly in line with an expanding smartphone market.  OtterBox is a market-leader in the design and production of high-quality and durable protective covers for the handheld mobile phone market.  The firm’s decision to establish its EMEA headquarters in Cork reaffirms the county’s global reputation as a hub for innovation and advanced product design and production, with access to an educated and skilled workforce and modern transport infrastructure.  The Cork operation will be at the heart of the firm’s global growth.”

OtterBox is an innovative company which has experienced exceptional growth in recent years due to the expansion of the smartphone market.  The Cork operation is at the heart of the company’s future growth strategy to expand its footprint globally.”

Speaking about the announcement Matt Clark, Managing Director OtterBox EMEA, said “This has been a very exciting year for OtterBox with the opening of the EMEA office here in Cork and also OtterBox’s inclusion on the INC 500 list of fastest growing companies in the United States. As the company expands, we are looking to firmly establish our presence in the EMEA market and Cork is the perfect location for that with its access to Europe, the Middle East and Africa as well as our headquarters in Colorado.”
 
Welcoming today’s announcement, IDA Ireland, CEO Barry O’Leary said “IDA recognises the importance and potential of attracting emerging, high growth companies such as OtterBox to Ireland.  The company has achieved phenomenal growth to date in the US and plans to replicate this success in the EMEA region through its new operation in Cork.  I am confident that as the demand for smartphones continues to grow, OtterBox will be the leaders in providing durable and high-quality protective solutions in the region.”

For more information, visit www.otterbox.com

About OtterBox:

Built upon fundamentals of hard work, innovation and perseverance, OtterBox is a leader in the production of premier protective solutions for global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors.

Incorporating creativity and cutting-edge design into every product, OtterBox creates sleek and durable cases that offer reliable device protection to complement any lifestyle.
OtterBox was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado.

For vendor queries please contact –
OtterBox EMEA
2 Georges Quay
Cork
+353 (0)214910200

For media queries please contact -
Rhona Cashman
Public Relations Coordinator EMEA
rhona.cashman@otterbox.ie
+353 (0)21 4910218
+353(0)87 6978477

IDA Ireland today (September 2nd 2010) welcomed the announcement by AOL Global Operations Limited that it is to further expand its Dublin operation, creating an additional 20 software development positions at its Dublin Development Centre. 

Today’s announcement follows the company’s announcement in June that it was to create 50 software engineering positions to expand its reach as a leading provider of Internet advertising technologies, services and user content through its wide range of AOL content brands and site.

Commenting on the announcement, IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “The decision by AOL, a leading global internet services and media company, to expand further in Ireland reinforces Ireland’s reputation as one of Europe’s leading locations  for digital media companies. Having only recently announced an additional 50 positions, today’s announcement demonstrates the commitment by AOL to the growth and development of its Irish operations.  I wish the company continued success in Ireland”. 

The new employment opportunities are for high value experienced professional software engineering positions, with opportunities available for both senior and intermediately experienced recruits. 

AOL has been based in Dublin for the past 10 years and currently employs 133 people. Dublin is its development engine for Europe and works alongside its sister Development Centres in San Francisco, Dulles, New York, Bangalore and Frankfurt. The company announced in June that it plans to move to a new headquarters in Dublin City Centre.

With the establishment of a new operations centre in Dublin Google is to create 200 jobs here in Ireland immediately.

The new Dublin-based operations centre will be focused on the search engine giant’s location-based products including Google Local and Google Maps.

These new jobs will bring the number of people employed in Dublin by Google to a total of 1700.

“Dublin is rapidly becoming the multilingual internet capital of Europe and Google is proud to be leading the charge on this and further increasing our presence here,” said David Martin, director, Geo Operations for Google in Europe.

Martin said that the Dublin operations centre will take care of its location-based services for the pan-European market and will be developed as a centre of excellence.

“Google Maps displays so much more than the geography of a place, and now incorporates rich data from thousands of sources in different languages from across the world and also includes local business listings.  This operations centre will help to manage these data sources to give Google Maps users even more local information than before,” he added.

Martin explained that the decision to open a European centre for its location-based service was due in part to the fact that increasing proliferation of smartphones and uptake of Google’s own Android operating system meant that more and more people are using Google Maps, its free Sat Nav service for Android, Street View and so on, and the aim is to provide information that is as accurate and up to date as possible.

“The operations centre will be based in Eastpoint Business Park and plans to be fully operational this year. Google is working with local staffing partners CPL and Manpower to recruit and potential employees will be expected to graduates with one or two years experience in their field and strong IT skills,” said Paul Sweetman, director of ICT Ireland.

“This investment by Google highlights the strength of Ireland’s ICT sector, proving Ireland continues to be the location of choice for major multinational corporations.

“The ICT sector is leading Ireland’s Smart Economy with seven of the top ten global ICT companies having a major presence here. In addition to the 200 jobs announced by Google today, over 2,000 new jobs in the ICT multinational sector have been announced since January 2010. In 2009, the indigenous software sector grew by 6pc in export value.”

Dublin, Friday 30th July 2010 – IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary welcomed the expansion of Kellogg’s European Headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin.  The company, which is the world’s leading supplier of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, is creating 50 high value positions bringing total employment at the Dublin centre to 250.

Kellogg’s set up its European Headquarters in Dublin in 2005, with the support of IDA Ireland.  Kellogg’s Headquarters in Dublin includes service functions such as Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain Management, Legal, Finance, HR, Corporate Affairs and Nutrition. 

Welcoming today’s announcement IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary said “Kellogg’s decision to deepen its commitment to Ireland is a very welcome development demonstrating that even in difficult economic times the positive experience of Foreign Investors in Ireland is such that they will continue to grow their businesses and enhance their strategic standing within their parent corporations. This announcement by a leading global brand like Kellogg’s in their European Headquarters is a significant vote of confidence in Ireland’s international reputation and standing as an excellent investment location.”

“The winning of the original investment in 2005 was of key strategic importance as it helped Ireland establish its reputation as a European Headquarter location for MNCs.”

He added “The company chose Ireland as its European base in 2005 over stiff competition from other locations. Ireland won the investment because we have the skills that the company needs to operate successfully in Europe, including a well educated workforce and a pro business environment.  On behalf of IDA, I look forward to working closely with Kellogg’s as it continues to develop its operations in Ireland.”

About Kellogg:
With 2009 sales of nearly $13 billion, Kellogg Company is the world’s leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and veggie foods. The Company’s brands include Kellogg’s(R), Keebler(R), Pop-Tarts(R), Eggo(R), Cheez-It(R), Nutri-Grain(R), Rice Krispies(R), BearNaked(R), Morningstar Farms(R), Famous Amos(R), Special K(R), All-Bran(R), Frosted Mini-Wheats(R), Club(R) and Kashi(R). Kellogg products are manufactured in 18 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, visit the Kellogg Company web site at http://www.kelloggcompany.com.

For Further information:
IDA Ireland
Thomas McEvoy, Press Manager, Tel: 01 603 4255, Mob: 087 7426684
Gillian Kelly, Press Officer, Tel: 01 603 4190

The Irish Examiner says that Irish SMEs feature strongly among businesses who have secured industry funding from an EU research fund. More than EUR55 million has been awarded to businesses here out of a EUR213 million dividend received by Ireland to date from the seventh framework programme (FP7) for research and technological development. Higher education colleges secured 61 percent of the funding, but 26 percent went to industry. “SMEs account for over 69 percent of the funding to private industry, funding that is enabling Irish SMEs to collaborate with world-class research teams across Europe,” said the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation.

Around 230 Dell employees at the company’s Cherrywood and Limerick operations are to lose their jobs over the next six months.

While the company is not giving out exact figures for the cuts, RTÉ understands that 10% of staff are to be lost in Dublin and Limerick.

Meetings were held with 2,300 staff members at the two locations this morning to announce the move.

It is understood that 130 people will be let go at the company’s operations at Cherrywood near Loughlinstown in Dublin, with a further 100 losses at its plant in Limerick.

Dell has already let 1,900 workers go in Limerick, and 250 in Cherrywood.

Cherrywood is home to Dell’s sales operation for the Irish market and to the home and small/medium business sector of the UK market.

The EMEA Enterprise Expert Centre – which provides high-level enterprise technical support for customers across EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) – is also located in Cherrywood.