Sean Canney TD, Minister of State for Natural Resources, has welcomed Geoscience Ireland’s (GI) Strategic Review for 2018-2022 which was launched at the Geoscience 2018 Conference at Dublin Castle, November 6^th, 2018. GI is the business development cluster which assists its 36 Member Companies in winning business overseas. Since its inception in 2012, the GI Member Companies have created 1,103 jobs (835 of which were created by small- and medium-sized companies) and in 2017 generated €926 million in turnover (€260m created by the SME cohort).

Minister Canney commented that the Review “details a succinct roadmap for the 36 companies comprising the GI business cluster and my Department looks forward to supporting the initiative which assists in creating high-quality jobs in Ireland; these jobs are based on the principles of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and also facilitate the creation of further indirect jobs in the economy”.

The four-year roadmap is based on the following three pillars:

• Maintaining the Core Focus on Member’s Business Growth,
• Continued and Expanded internationalisation of Members Business, and
• Promoting and Strengthening GI, Growing its Influence and Visibility.

Matt Collins, Assistant Secretary in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, said “As the country moves towards full-employment, a range of challenges still face Ireland and its geoscience sector. Domestically, we are witnessing strong growth in the economy, although there is increased competition in Ireland’s high-value market as well as competition for skilled labour. In overseas markets, economic and political headwinds, such as Brexit and trade disputes, also contribute to delayed investment decisions and project delivery. The Department, through Geological Survey Ireland, will continue to support Geoscience Ireland’s efforts to identify and access niche markets and commercial opportunities overseas and to address skills shortages”.

The GI Strategic Review can be downloaded here: Geoscience Ireland Strategic Review 2018-2022