Jan09Fri

€85 million venture capital for the life sciences sector

The [Irish] government has announced a new €85 million venture capital for the life sciences sector.

The fund, which will be managed by Fountain Healthcare Partners, received €15 million from Enterprise Ireland with the rest coming from institutional investors through the Irish Strategic Investment Fund and the European Investment Fund.

The fund, which expects to make 10 to 15 investments over its lifetime, will invest in specialty pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices and diagnostics.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said the new funds would “increase the availability of funding for the innovative Irish life sciences companies we are trying to support – and help them grow faster and ultimately create the jobs we need right around the country”.

To read more, please click HERE.

Dec17Wed

Preparing for Homecoming 2015

9922c9c2-047a-485c-b866-8c1c872729f2Please see Máirtín Ó Muilleoir’s blog to see updates on planning the Homecoming 2015. Máirtín recently met with IABCN chairman, president, Kevin Kent and Board members in Philadelphia.

To read more, please click HERE.

Dec09Tue

U.S. Tech Firms See Green As They Set Up Shop In Low-Tax Ireland

All of the top 10 U.S. companies that were born on the Internet — including Google, Amazon and eBay — have overseas corporate headquarters in Ireland.

The American tech sector is huge in Ireland. It’s growing rapidly — and having a huge impact on life there.

But the tax system that’s fueling the growth is also infuriating some people in the U.S. and Europe — and has Ireland reconsidering its tax code.

To read more, please click HERE.

Nov24Mon

Irish corporate tax system most efficient in Europe

Ireland has the most efficient corporate tax system in Europe with the least red tape, according to a study from PwC and the World Bank.

The report found that the effective corporate tax rate in Ireland – the amount of tax paid as a percentage of profits – was 12.4 per cent, close to the statutory corporate tax rate of 12.5 per cent. In France, the headline rate is 33 per cent but the effective rate is closer to 7.5 per cent.

The tax system here also continues to be one of the most efficient in terms of bureaucracy and administration, the Paying Taxes 2015 report found.

To read the entire article, please click HERE.

Nov22Sat

Startup Ireland’s new improved website

The new version features:

• Dedicated easy to read startup news section featured on the homepage
• Featured section for domestic startups, international startups, investors, service providers, research centres & more (This will be updated every few weeks. Email if you’d like to be featured in this!)
• Looking for all the incubators in Dublin? Want to find what Co-Working Spaces are in Belfast? Simply head over to the cities tab, choose your region and you’ll be brought to an easy to navigate map which will plot the startup programmes, incubators, accelerators & much more!)

Click HERE to view the new site.

Oct23Thu

Irishman appointed as EU Ambassador to the US

Currently chief operating officer at the European External Action Service, Irishman David O’Sullivan has been appointed future EU ambassador to the US earlier this year and will take office later this fall.

O’Sullivan has over 30 years of service at the European Commission with experience in a vast number of policy areas.
Although his main task will obviously be to promote and enhance transatlantic relations at large, experts think that his appointment shows that TTIP is the main priority for the EU in Washington over the next few years, as “the case for O’Sullivan is that he’s an expert who understands the nitty-gritty of trade negotiations.”

If you want to read more about what the incoming Ambassador to the United States has to say about TTIP, I would recommend reading his excellent article in the Irish Times, where he makes a strong case for TTIP helping his native Ireland.

To read more, please click HERE.