More than 120 technology jobs will be created in Cork following the announcement yesterday of four research and development investments exceeding €20 million over five years. The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, welcomed the projects, after a difficult four months for the region during which there were almost 1,500 job losses and several site closures.
Three of the projects represent multimillion euro investments by US technology firms: Dow Corning Corporation, RF Integration and Motorola. These will support R&D projects and emphasise the development of silicon design.
A fourth project planned by the Danish healthcare company, GN ReSound, will create an extra 20 jobs at an existing site. Its Cork facility is the firm's leading site for the production of its digital hearing instruments, which are sold under the model name Canta.
GN ReSound will set up a global supply chain management centre at its Cork facility, which will double in size to almost 31,000 sq ft. The firm employs 213 staff in Cork.
RF Integration, a US-based semiconductor design firm, said it would establish an integrated circuit design facility in Cork that would employ about 40 staff. The investment, aided by IDA Ireland, will be worth about €11 million over five years.
The design facility will hire IC design engineers to develop, test and design radio frequency integrated circuits for applications such as high-speed internet access and third-generation technologies. Almost all the staff would have third-level qualifications, the firm said.
RF Integration was founded in 1997 by Mr Patrick O'Sullivan and Mr Ray Moroney, both graduates of University College Cork. The firm is based in the US but has already begun operations at a site at Carrigtwohill, Co Cork.
Dow Corning, a private US firm which employs more than 7,000 staff worldwide, will create 60 jobs over the next five years at a plasma R&D centre in Midleton, Co Cork. The firm will invest €3.3 million during 2002 in the centre which will develop equipment and process technologies for sophisticated materials coating. The centre will develop and manufacture products and include finance, sales and marketing activities.
Motorola, which already employs 520 staff at its semiconductor design facility at the airport business park, has also qualified for IDA Ireland support under its R&D capability programme.
This fund supports long-term research projects by firms here.Motorola has said it will establish a dedicated research team at its Cork centre which will focus on research into RF and mixed signal subsystems of wireless handsets.
Mr John Quigley, director of Motorola's design centre, said the goal was to move from intensely focused product development activity to balancing this role with intellectual property research.
Ms Harney welcomed all the projects yesterday and said it was an excellent model of Ireland moving up the value chain in its industrial base. She also encouraged young people to consider science qualifications when selecting third-level courses. "Much of the future development in the economy will be driven by these knowledge-based investments," she said.
