Ireland wants high-tech India as partner

Ireland is on a wooing spree to become a close ally of India, which is rapidly developing into a high-tech R&D destination.

Ireland, which has a population of just around two-thirds of Bangalore yet exports close to Euro 30 billion worth of high-tech products, on Tuesday made a hard-sell of its prowess. It also asserted that the strife in Northern Ireland was over 95 per cent.

Ireland, which along with Israel and India, represents the three 'I's as the most desired R&D outsourcing destinations in the world, is looking towards the subcontinent in view of the current position of the Indian IT sector and the ambitious targets set out by the Indian government for the years ahead.

Bertie Ahern, prime minister of Ireland, kicking off his India visit from Bangalore on Tuesday, said: "India's unprecedented economic growth over the past decade makes it an attractive prospect for companies seeking new markets for their products and services. The software and IT sector has been the powerhouse of economic growth. We intend to deepen the existing relationships and forge new ones across various other sectors."

Overseeing a slew of MoUs signed between Indian and Irish firms, Ahern said that Ireland was also signing pacts with the Indian National Science Academy in New Delhi and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Accompanied by delegates of around 90 Irish companies, he said that one of the key objectives of this trade mission was to assist Irish firms to win business in India and, in particular, to actively pursue the potential for developing mutually beneficial alliances.

Currently, the trade between the two countries is at Euro 262 million and is growing at around 14 per cent each year. Besides the obvious ICT focus, the Irish delegation will also be exploring infrastructural developments across India in which Irish industrial companies from construction to environmental services will look for opportunities.

"In addition, Ireland is now a high-cost economy and Irish companies are interested in outsourcing partnerships in different sectors," Ahern said, adding that they are also promoting scenic destinations in Ireland for Bollywood movies.

Hardselling Ireland further, he said that it can also serve as a bridgehead for Indian companies interested in penetrating the expanded EU markets.