25th October 2016
8 Irish companies exhibiting on Digital Ireland pavilion at Digital Construction Show
John Halligan TD Minister for Training, Skills and Innovation will promote Irish capability in digital construction during a two-day Enterprise Ireland trade visit to Digital Construction Week in London, UK commencing today (October 25th 2016).
Digital Construction Week is the event series for the entire built environment UK supply-chain including design, construction, engineering, management and operation. The event brings together industry stakeholders, policy-makers and business leaders from across the UK public and private sectors.
Speaking on his arrival in London, Minister Halligan said; ‘This Enterprise Ireland trade visit provides an opportunity to position Ireland as a partner that can contribute, collaborate and share in the benefits of growth in the digital construction sector. I look forward to meeting with digital construction industry leaders from both the UK and Ireland over the coming days to explore new ways in which we can deepen relationships between both in the context of Brexit”.
Minister Halligan will address the opening of Digital Construction Week where he will be joined by speakers David Hancock, Head of Construction at the UK Cabinet Office, Anne Kemp, Chair of the newly formed industry group UK Building Information Modelling (BIM) Alliance and David Philp, Head of the UK Government’s BIM Task Force.
He will meet with Enterprise Ireland client companies Dortek, Ethos Engineering, JJ Rhatigan, Kirby Group, Murphy Surveyors, Scott Tallon Walker Architects, Shay Murtagh and VRM Technology - the 8 Irish companies exhibiting at ‘Digital Ireland’ pavilion hosted by Enterprise Ireland at the Digital Construction Show taking place in the Business Design Centre, Islington in London on 26th October 2016.
Minister Halligan will also host a round table lunch with leaders of Ireland’s digital construction industry and Enterprise Ireland client companies to receive feedback on what more can be done to progress Ireland’s digital transition.
Key participants in this industry event include; David Browne, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council, Caroline Spillane, Chair of Ireland’s National BIM Council and Director General of Engineers Ireland, Angela Brady OBE, former President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Kevin Rudden incoming President of the European Federation of Consulting Engineers and Kathryn Meghen, CEO of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland.
Welcoming the Irish construction companies to the Digital Construction Show Marina Donohoe, Enterprise Ireland Director UK and Northern Europe said “Irish construction exports to the UK represent €1.14 billion per annum making Digital Construction Week UK an ideal platform to showcase the innovative capabilities of Irish companies in the digital sector. The use of digital technology and processes in the design, construction and operation of infrastructure has been a core pillar of the Enterprise Ireland UK strategy for the past 5 years. There are now 20 Irish Higher Education Institutes and hundreds of companies active in this emerging and growing sector making Ireland an ideal source of high-quality partners and suppliers for digital collaboration in projects and research”.
“Enterprise Ireland is committed to working with Irish construction companies in the UK in the context of Brexit and will continue to lead the digital transition agenda in Ireland while our team on the ground in the U.K has already increased efforts to open up this critically important market through trade visits such as this ” said Ms. Donohoe.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Grace Labanyi, Corporate Communications Enterprise Ireland Tel: 00353(0)17272820 grace.labanyi@enterprise-ireland.com
Back to Department News