The Government yesterday went on a concerted marketing drive for large Indian multinationals that might be seeking new locations abroad.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, held meetings with three of India's largest companies as part of this week's trade mission to the subcontinent.
Mr Ahern's Ireland sales pitch was aired to the greatest effect on a visit to Wipro, an Indian technology services firm that has sales of about $2 billion (€1.6 billion) each year. The group, which employs 50,000 people, already has 14 overseas operations, including five in Europe. A sixth is about to open in Romania. Wipro already sells in the Republic to clients, including Allianz Ireland and Nortel.
Mr Ahern told senior executives at Wipro's ultra-modern campus outside Bangalore that he was "selling Ireland as a very globalised economy" and "Europe's location for software services". "We would like to build up our connection," he said.
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, meanwhile encouraged Wipro to meet the IDA and other agencies to get a feel for the "corporate tax culture" and "our human resource position".
An investment from a firm such as Wipro, which is engaged in high-level technology research and development, would be a significant fillip for the Government as it seeks to move the Republic's technology sector towards more sophisticated activities.
The delegation also visited Biocon, India's largest biotechnology company, and Infosys, the giant Indian business consulting firm.
While encouraging Indian companies to consider investing in the Republic, Mr Ahern also urged more Irish companies to try selling their wares into India, the world's seventh largest economy.
He welcomed joint venture agreements signed yesterday by two Irish firms with their Indian counterparts, that will allow both - Marco Beverage Systems and Astec Global Consultancy - to gain a bigger exposure to Indian customers.
Dublin-based Marco, which makes water boilers and coffee brewers for the tea and coffee trade, already uses an Indian company to manufacture the bulk of its products and now wants to use the same company to act as its selling agent in the Indian economy.
Astec Global Consultancy, a former Eircom subsidiary, hopes the deal it signed yesterday with Erin Consultants in Bangalore will allow the two companies to marry their contact bases and marketing abilities. Both firms consult for international organisations among other clients.