Discussions on software development – heavy on Java
Can Cork Become Europe’s Silicon Valley?
The drive to create Ireland’s first Science Innovation & Technology Park is ramping up, with the announcement in today’s Irish Examiner that an advisory board has been created. Since the original announcement that the development would be going ahead last February, there has been little in the way of news around this, so it’s a relief to see that it’s still going ahead. The expected date for the first phase of development to be complete is early 2012.
The figures behind the project are impressive – 5,900 job to be created on a 150 acre site. The proximity to both University College Cork and Cork Insistute of Technology is a huge advantage. Hopefully the development will help to generate renewed interest in the many computer and IT related courses from students in secondary school.
With a dedicated research building for the incubation and promotion of startups, and equal amounts dedicated to both research and enterprise, it helps makes Ireland a destination worth considering for both established companies, and those thinking of starting out.
Like a lot of developers across Ireland, especially Cork, I’m a huge supporter of this initiative. It really underlines the country’s commitment to continue investment into being the definitive smart economy.
Living in the area known as “Research Triangle Park” in North Carolina, we have seen the PR campaign to spark a Silicon Valley of the East. The truth is, it really bears very little resemblance to Silicon Valley, and not because there’s any lack of tech companies here.
The big difference is in the entrepreneurial spirit of the area. Silicon Valley has a local culture that is truly steeped in a driven entrepreneurship, whereas our RTP community definitely does not. In Palo Alto you couldn’t get away from it if you tried, but here you’ll have a hard time finding it.
IMO, this spirit could be what will make or break the effort for Cork.