Cyber Ireland welcomes the publication of the Government’s new White Paper on Enterprise Policy, in December 2022, which sets out a vision to 2030 for Irish-based enterprise to succeed through competitive advantage founded on sustainability, innovation and productivity.
Under Priority 7 ‘Building on Strengths and Opportunities’, the government has recognised the central role clusters will play in achieving this vision and has committed to developing a National Clustering Programme by 2025, funding 5 national cluster organisations and introducing a centrally coordinated, cross-government approach to clustering.
Government will “encourage the formation and strengthening of national cluster organisations and maximise the scale, impact and international visibility of Irish clusters, leveraging the benefits of proximity and co-location to boost regional development. Cluster organisations will facilitate collaboration and collective action between related companies, nationally and across the island, and with Higher Education Institutions and other public sector bodies. By embedding firms as part of highly innovative globally leading clusters, we will help more companies to operate at technology frontiers”.
In May 2022, Cyber Ireland Cluster Manager, Dr. Eoin Byrne, was invited to speak at the National Clustering Policy Stakeholder Event and highlight the success of Cyber Ireland in building linkages between industry, academia and government and supporting the growth of the sector. A submission was made by the Enterprise Ireland Regional Technology Clusters to Government on the Critical Success Factors for Cluster Development in Ireland.
Cyber Ireland is a leading national cluster organisation in Ireland. With 150 members nationwide, of which 120 are companies, we provide a collective voice for the cyber security cluster. We have proven successful in facilitating connections, building trust, and supporting collaboration across Irish SMEs, MNCS, academia and government, through our cluster activities. Cyber Ireland has been utilised as a best practice case study in cluster development nationally and internationally.
We look forward to working with the Department on the development of the National Cluster Programme and advocating for Cyber Ireland to be recognised as a National Cluster Organisation.