The importance of Mathematics for the Celtic Phoenix

I had the privilege today of being asked in my role as the current President of Engineers Ireland to chair a national symposium on mathematics teaching,  organised by Professor Clive Williams and the TCD Faculty of Engineering,  Mathematics and Science and hosted at the RIA.   The full programme of speakers is here,  and about 90 people nationwide attended – third level academics,  second and primary level teachers and associations,  professional bodies, business associations and public servants – and, for part of the afternoon, the Minister for Education and Science,  Batt O’Keefe.

Innovation Task Force – Fifth (and last ?) Plenary Meeting

The task force met collectively for the fifth time last friday from 10am-6pm.     I’ve previously posted on the first,  second, third, fourth and consultation meetings.  The members of the task force,  including the civil servants,  are listed here,  and most of the public submissions to date are here.

“Transforming Irish Industry…”

Michael Henning wrote an interesting posting just before last Christmas,  on the challenges of creating 160,000 new jobs in the Irish economy.

Shift Happens: Time for Ireland to move on

I used my thinking in this post as the basis for the presentation I gave to the Innovation Taskforce on Monday 14th last.  Concurrently Cliff Taylor of the Sunday Business Post contacted me asking me to do a piece as a follow up to my participation in a breakfast panel briefing at the Irish Taxation Institute: a version of the post below appears here in the paper.

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In November 1956  Taoiseach John A. Costello,  aided by his Finance Minister Gerard Sweetman and young Secretary of the Department of Finance TK Whitaker,  introduced Export Profits Tax Relief as the forerunner of our low corporation tax regime.   The EPTR allowed a 50% remission on profits earned from increased export sales.  Then in 1958, the IDA was given authorisation under the new Fianna Fail led Government led by Taoiseach Eamon de Valera to encourage foreign direct investment.     Manufactured exports,  which had been stagnant,  grew by 18% in 1957,  doubling by 1960;  and employment once again to grow from 1957.

Innovation Task Force – Fourth Plenary Meeting

The task force met collectively for the fourth time yesterday from 10am-5.45pm.     I’ve previously posted on the first,  second, third and consultation meetings.  The members of the task force,  including the civil servants,  are listed here,  and most of the public submissions to date are here.

Chồn con Tiger – Hanoi and Vietnam

Despite having been a frequent visitor to China and Japan,  I had never been to Vietnam until this week when I had an opportunity to come here to Hanoi.   I wrote about the “Tico Tiger” after my first visit in 2008 to Costa Rica.  Perhaps we could call Vietnam the “chồn con tiger” (pronunciation: “t-schon kon tiger”),  playfully meaning “cub tiger” and vaguely sounding like “celtic tiger”.

Tim Draper and Jimmy Wales

Wonderfully,  both Tim Draper and Jimmy Wales are visiting Dublin in the next couple of weeks to give public lectures..

Innovation Task Force – Third Plenary meeting

We had our third plenary meeting in Government Buildings yesterday,  chaired by Dermot McCarthy.  I’ve previously posted on the first,  second and consultation meetings.  The members of the task force are listed here,  and most of the public submissions to date are here.  

Innovation Task Force – broadband infrastructure

We had our third plenary yesterday,  hosted at Government Buildings by Dermot McCarthy.

The meeting started with a presentation by Peter O’Neill of the DCENR on the current status of broadband infrastructure in Ireland.  Since I have had a personal interest in the broadband infrastructure policy over the last decade,  I’ll summarise the broadband discussion from yesterday here,  and post the full summary of yesterday’s meeting in a separate article.

Innovation Task Force – consultation meeting

I flew back from Silicon Valley last night on the Aer Lingus redeye to make a consultation meeting this morning of the Innovation Taskforce at Government Buildings in Dublin.   There were some ITLG folks on the flight,  heading up to their event in Belfast on wednesday.   The taskforce meeting started at 9.30am,  but I arrived a little late straight from the airport just after 10am.