Ms Siobhan Finn:

I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to be here today. Mr. Costello referred to the importance of community in strengthening regional entrepreneurship. In recent years we in Cork have brought together all the key stakeholders under the umbrella of Cork innovates and have proved that the collaborative approach has served the entrepreneurship community very well in heightening awareness of the kinds of services available. This is done at a regional level only.

When Mr. Costello spoke to me 12 months ago to talk about the model for Startup Ireland that led into a conversation about a start-up gathering. That plays on the strength of a region and messaging it internationally to improve the results for a nation. It sends out the message that each region has very significant core strengths. Industries have emerged from the regions, whether agri-business in Cork or medical devices in Galway but together they can present the message internationally and on a European level that the country has worked well to recover from the challenges posed by recession and recognises the value of working together and building strength as a nation to achieve the kind of international results Mr. Costello talked about within a short time-frame.