Last Friday, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney launched "Business Development in Cork: An Entrepreneurs Guide 2024". This digital booklet was developed by the Local Enterprise Office, Cork City in collaboration with Cork Smart Gateway.

The booklet was launched at the final event of Local Enterprise Office, Cork City's Local Enterprise Week 2024. The event featured a Lunch & Learn panel discussion on "Resilience in Business". Speakers included Jonathan Healy (Red FM), Joan Lucey (Vibes and Scribes), Andrew O'Shaughnessy (Poppulo) and Donncha O'Callaghan (Former Ireland and Munster rugby player and UNICEF ambassador)

This digital booklet provides a comprehensive overview of the supports available to SMEs in Cork and the organisations dedicated to assisting SMEs at all stages. Cork's Entrepreneurs are fortunate to operate in a business eco-system which offers such a high level of support.

Last Friday, Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Simon Coveney launched Munster Technological University's new initiative Cyber Innovate which has been developed in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland MENA.

This €7M initiative will create a cyber security hub based in MTU's Rubicon Centre and has been designed to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in Ireland's cybersecurity sector over the next six years.

Cyber Innovate will accept 12-15 participants each year who will work full-time to identify innovative solutions to cybersecurity-related problems. The goal is for these innovative solutions to result in spin-out companies. Each participant will be supported with a tax-free €38,000 stipend and will be awarded a postgraduate diploma in cyber security innovation.

The Tyndall National Institute is set to lead a consortium of 15 partners on the EU INFRACHIP project. INFRACHIP is an ambitious project which will facilitate access to state-of-the-art technologies in the field of semiconductors to accelerate research and innovation to support the goals set out by the EU Chips Act.

The European Union has enacted a comprehensive set of measures to strengthen the EU’s semiconductor ecosystem through the European Chips Act which entered into force on 21st of September 2023. The proposed actions include investments in next-generation technologies, greater access across Europe to design tools and pilot lines for the prototyping, testing and experimentation of cutting-edge chips, and the fostering of skills, talent and innovation in microelectronics. These are crucial for Europe to strengthen EU’s R&I capacity as a globally competitive player in semiconductor technologies.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is pleased to announce that it has awarded a contract to Trapeze to implement and support a national Automatic Vehicle Location solution for all Public Service buses in the Republic of Ireland.  This significant contract underscores the NTA’s commitment to improving the quality of bus service operations and the timeliness and the quality of real-time bus service information. 

Cork City secured a 3rd placew finsih at this years European Capital of Innovation Awards 2023. 

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, has announced a $127M expansion of its Research and Development facility in Cork City. The investment is expected to create more than 150 highly skilled engineering roles over the next four years. 

Cork and Dublin are among six cities shortlisted for the 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism award.

The award will be granted to the city that demonstrates "an extraordinary commitment to shaping the future of sustainable and innovative tourism."