Paper Number: 3875
Geoscience job creation via the “positive disruption” of a business cluster.
Verbruggen, K. M1, Finlay, S 2 and Reidy, D3
1Geological
Survey of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, koen.verbruggen@gsi.ie
2Geoscience Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
3Enteprise Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
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In 2010, in response to a worsening national economic climate, the Geological survey of Ireland (GSI) was asked by their parent Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to examine options for increasing job creation within the Irish Geoscience sector. After extensive consultation with stakeholders a pilot project was created with a small number of industry partners and Enterprise Ireland, the government organisation with responsibility for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. This concept, Geoscience Ireland (GI), has now grown into a dynamic business cluster, involving 27 companies, with a turnover over €150m and more than 1,000 staff, who have created over 250 new jobs since joining the cluster.
The companies and organisations involved in Geoscience Ireland have overlapping expertise so they can come together and leverage economies of scale, to win significant international projects. Working abroad is nothing new to the companies involved, given that they have a network of international offices in UK, Africa, North America and elsewhere. Staff in GI has worked extensively internationally in private sector mineral exploration, public infrastructural developments, and with multilateral development agencies on institutional strengthening and capacity building. However under a common marketing strategy and brand [1], and by sharing market intelligence and maximum use of available resources, the achievements of “the whole” have been far greater than “the sum of the individual parts”.
The role of the government organisations is one of the factors that distinguish GI from similar business clusters. Enterprise Ireland provide a range of assistance, from access to training and informative seminars, to business mentoring, overseas trade missions, overseas offices, market intelligence and access to discrete grant and funding schemes. The GSI provide strategic direction, financial assistance in funding a dedicated Business Development Director and Business Development Executive, offices and access to specific geoscience expertise. In addition the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, provide assistance through participation in commercial components of inward state visits and access to their extensive diplomatic network worldwide.
As GI has grown, from an initial pilot group of four companies, to the current membership of twenty seven, additional developments have included the creation of a group of Associate Members, often individual consultants who can offer niche key expertise. Links have also been forged with the research community, facilitated by GSI, with GI participating as an industry collaborator in the recently formed Irish centre for research in applied geoscience (iCRAG), a €26m industry/government collaboration. This link to state-of-the-art research is a further distinguishing factor when GI companies are bidding to win work overseas.
GI has now become recognised nationally and increasingly overseas, as a successful model of public-private business development and job creation. The effectiveness of this approach has led to the inclusion of a recommendation on “National Clustering initiatives” as a positive “Disruptive Reform” in the latest Irish government strategy for jobs and growth[2]. The authors believe that the successful model is one that could be replicated worldwide and could lead to a strengthening of international geoscience collaboration.
References:
[1] www.geoscience.ie
[2]2016 Action Plan for Jobs, Irish Government