Ireland comes calling to India

BANGALORE: Exploring joint collaboration with Indian companies in the area of Information Technology, is one of the key reasons for the visit of Bertie Ahern, prime minister of Ireland. He is leading a trade delegation that includes Irish IT and biotech firms keen on expanding business ties with India.

An MoU was signed today between Astec Global Consultancy, an Irish company that provides IT and telecom consultancy services, and Erin Consulting. Ahern said that there is potential for more such tie-ups.

“Both India and Ireland are widely recognized as leading players in the ICT sector and we are keen to explore partnerships. A lot can be achieved through mutual cooperation between the countries to further the growth of IT,” said Ahern.

He added that the Irish Government provides better tax benefits compared to other European countries and has additional tax incentives for R&D.

Ireland's share of IT exports is among the highest in Europe. Around 41% of the country's $135 billion exports come from IT. Some of the companies that are part of the delegation include Randox Laboratories, Biznet Solutions, FINEOS, Global Mobile Encryption and OpenMind Networks. The Irish IT sector employs over 100,000 people in about 1000 companies.

Indian services major Tata Consultancy Services has a development center in Ireland.