In mid-October, thirty five companies comprising the cream of Irish innovation, industry and technology, headed by Micheál Martin T. D., Irish Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, visited Canada to network with like-minded Canadian research, development and commercial interests. The trade mission comprised of visits to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.

Nick Marmion, Julie Metcalfe and Minister Michael Martin at opening of Enterprise Ireland office on Bay Street

On the evening of Monday, October 16^th, the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce hosted a reception in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland at the Ontario Club where Minister Martin officially announced the opening of Enterprise Ireland’s new Canadian office in Toronto. Dublin native Nick Marmion will manage the new office located at 1235 Bay Street, Suite 400. “We are very pleased to be making a home in Canada while we continue to fortify Irish industry’s relationship with Canadian businesses,” said Marmion, who leaves his successful post as manager of EI’s Middle East & North Africa office in Dubai to head operations in Toronto.

“There’s no question our countries share a great deal in common, particularly our longer-term goals of building economic scale by focusing on knowledge-based industries based on cooperation between the public and private sector,” said Minister Martin. “Let’s keep in mind that a little bit of water is all that separates Ireland and Canada – and by creating new synergies and consulting on matters of neighborly interest we can forge new relationships resulting in mutually profitable business objectives.”

In introducing Minister Martin at the Ontario Club, Chamber President Ken Tracey thanked Enterprise Ireland for making this investment in Canada and was so pleased that the lobbying by the Chamber for several years had now come to fruition.

Highlights of the visit included announcements of several historic new business relationships reflecting the vitality of the Canadian and Irish economies.

• Irish wind energy group Airtricity entered the Canadian market with the acquisition of Gael Force, a wind farm developer, in a deal understood to be worth some 10 million Canadian dollars (€7 million).
• Banking software group Fineos sealed a prestigious link-up with Royal Bank of Canada that will see the Dublin firm provide the software to run a new claims management system for the Canadian blue-chip's insurance subsidiary. Fineos won this deal after a global tender process.
• eSpatial, from Swords County Dublin announced a strategic partnership with PGI Geomatics, which will allow Natural Resources, Canada's national mapping centre, to update continuously its image database, which is used by services across the country.
• Cúram Software, which has built a reputation in social enterprise management software announced a partnership with the Canadian Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
• Galway tech firm MusiCan inked a deal that will see Toronto firm Strategic Transitions become the exclusive country distributor for MusiCan's music education software. The Irish company has recently received the Curriculum Services Canada "seal of quality" and a pilot programme will see the group's software being rolled out in 32 schools across Ontario.
• Dublin's Griffith College announced a partnership with Seneca College, the sixth largest third-level institution in Canada. The deal will see the two colleges engaging in student exchange programmes and knowledge sharing.

A licensing deal signed by Kaymed, an Irish owned high-end bed manufacturer which uses space programme technology in its beds, agreed to a partnership with major Canadian retailer Mega Group.

• Galway firm Fintax signed a deal with the Intercontinental Hotels chain that will see its software used to facilitate automatic tourist tax refunds for people staying with Intercontinental.
• Shannon firm Advanced Innovations also announced that it was opening a North American office in Toronto. It also announced a deal to develop and prepare for manufacturing an aviation electronics testing system for Canadian group Pointer Avionics.
  
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