Summary of ideas submitted in the Services (international) category…

• Provide a service from Ireland in areas such as project management, property management and law to achieve an optimal result for Irish investors across a number of targeted European countries.
• Provide a stamp of certification for Irish businesses doing business on the web with foreign markets similar to ‘Guaranteed Irish’.
• Refine and expand low tech projects for the solar desalination of water all over the world.
• Repeal the Intoxicating Liquor Act to allow theatres, bars and nightclubs to open late and have staggered closing. This would create and protect retail and leisure industry jobs.
• Science Foundation Ireland, IDA and Enterprise Ireland could start a task force bringing together people from different disciplines and from each Eurozone country. They could analyse potential niches in their own countries for Irish companies/products.
• Sell Asian technology in Ireland.
• Set up a zone for companies to locate in (in Ireland) but where VAT is charged and remitted in the country in the EU with the cheapest VAT rate. Ireland benefits by the jobs and the income tax.
• Set up translation services in Ireland.
• Shannon is approximately half way between the Middle East and USA’s east coast. It is accessible by sea. It has a deep water capability. It could be developed as a goods distribution centre/hub to all European destinations.
• Start up an international financial service in Ireland to concentrate on real estate ‘fund-accounting’.
• Target the shipping industry to provide an international service.
• The Dublin docklands should target the international music industry and related services with tax breaks and grant aid to attract them to set up in Dublin.
• The Government has potential to earn income by exporting skills and services. For example, in education, can Ireland Inc. sell our educational expertise to developing, oil-rich states? Can Ireland Inc. sell peace-keeping and policing services to other countries?
• The Government should set up a framework to encourage the aircraft leasing companies based in Ireland to develop blended support packages. As part of the aircraft lease agreement, customers would have to bring the maintenance work to Ireland.
• The government should set up its own bank to help business source finance. It should also give start-up tax breaks to Irish companies, not just companies from abroad.
• The Irish Government should invest in public sector shared services and e-government web technologies. It should tap into the major pool of expertise in the private sector to deliver these projects in a 12-24 month timeframe.
• There aren’t opportunities for graduates to develop their work experience skills here. They could be financed to use their skills in the developing world; this might be better than throwing money at foreign countries’ projects. They would return with a lot of hard won experience.
• Use our communication skills to educate overseas call centre employees on how to communicate with Westerners.
• Use Skype technology to teach English to people abroad.
• We need a sort of Board Failte for education, charged with attracting students to Ireland. We could also utilise the summer periods within our universities to target ‘mature’ entrants.
• We need to cultivate lots of small projects which can collectively “grow to glow”. We need to cultivate a proactive entertainment industry. There is an Irish Diaspora of 80 million customers we can target with quality Irish products, not to mention the wider non-Irish audience.
• We should familiarise ourselves with tax laws and banking procedures.
• We should turn one of our failed banks into a Bank for Europe, a consumer bank which would take full advantage of the efficiencies of internet to make banking easier and more accessible for ordinary people.