Four hundred delegates attending the European Tech Summit organised by it@Cork were told how the much-needed appointment of a Cluster Manager to the South West Region could deliver 1300 jobs.

The European Tech Summit, which took place in Cork City Hall yesterday, Wednesday, May 6th, was one of the biggest corporate gatherings in Ireland and covered the tech topics and future trends along the themes of the Internet of Everything, Cloud, Digital Marketing and Talent Culture.

In his opening speech Ronan Murphy, Chairman of it@Cork spoke of how the ICT Cluster needs an intermediary or Cluster Manager to tie the threads of coalition among other industries such as Technology, Agri Food and Tourism together effectively. It@Cork, a European Tech Cluster with over 300 members, recently submitted an action plan to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in relation to its fund of €250 million.

In its plan, it@Cork’s primary ask of the DJEI was for the South West Region to have a Cluster Manager appointed. This model works very effectively for enterprise in many other European countries.

“Through extensive analysis of the existing cluster and consultation with industry and various academic institutions, we are confident that the appointment of a cluster manager will create an additional 1300 jobs in the region,” Ronan Murphy told delegates.

“Where an ICT cluster model is optimised, this will drive significant additional employment in the region. A critical component of a successful cluster is having a dedicated cluster manager who is strategically positioned to identify opportunities for collaboration at national and international levels.”

“With the improving economic climate Cork is ideally positioned to deliver a strategic initiative that can deliver jobs, foster innovation and help SME’s with internationalisation and R&D activities. The yields from these strategic activities will pay dividends in the medium to longer term.”

For more information, visit www.itcork.ie