The Irish Export Board has a launched a new initiative called Source Ireland which will provide information to UK buyers on Irish software products, development systems, and indigenous vendors. The services will include advice on the availability of application packages in various business sectors, and identify the companies that specialise in software for each of the major computer architectures. The board will also provide consultancy services designed to streamline contacts with Irish manufacturers, and it is prepared to organise visits to Ireland, especially if the Irish software company has no UK represention. The new programme was launched by Michael Smith, Ireland’s Minister for Science & Technology. He believes that the enormous reserve of information technology skills that exists in Ireland ought to be exploited by the UK, which is suffering from a demand and supply crisis. Forecasts suggest that the existing 20,000 gap is going to mushroom to 100,000 by 1995 (CI No 1,332). Ireland has a higher number of computer science graduates per head of population than the US and rest of Europe, and for the past 12 years, the Irish government has devoted large sums of money to education, particularly computer science courses. A number of large multinational companies have already recognised this high level of skills, and have established themselves in the Republic. They include IBM, Nixdorf, ICL, DEC, and both Boeing Computer Services and Electronic Data Systems have set up development centres. Irish economics and demographics also demand that the country exploits its computing skills. Exports account for 60% of gross national product, compared with 26% in the UK, 21% in France, and 26% in Germany. Of that 60%, 22% came from high technology and electronics. Over 50% of the 3.6m population is under 28, and Ireland relies heavily on exports to generate employment and halt high rates of emigration. The first Irish Software Centre offering consultancy has been opened in Hampton, Middlesex, and there are Source Ireland desks in the Export Board’s London, Glasgow and Manchester offices.
