Furthermore, dozens of leads for potential multinational investments in Ireland, and for potential sales for Irish exporting companies, have been created during the 5-day 3-city mission, which will be followed up in the coming weeks and months.

The trade and investment mission to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra was jointly organised by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.

Thirty-two Irish companies travelled on the mission and participated in over 160 one-to-one meetings with Australian companies targeting export and investment opportunities across the financial services, travel, telecommunications and IT for Healthcare sectors. While in Sydney the opportunity was taken to bring in a number of key buyers from New Zealand to meet with Irish companies participating on the mission.

Minister Bruton participated in over 40 high-level meetings and events including:    

• 7 one-on-one meetings with senior executives of Australian companies considering making investments in Ireland or expanding operations already here, arranged by IDA Ireland    
• 6 one-on-one interviews with major Australian media outlets—broadcast and print—as part of the Government’s campaign to communicate the story of Ireland’s economic recovery abroad to help facilitate increased investment here and raise awareness of Ireland as a source of world-class, innovative products and services   
•  6 political meetings and events, including one-on-one meetings with the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Communications, the Assistant Minister for Employment and the Leader of the Opposition  The 26 jobs will be created in two Australian companies in Ireland, in investments supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland:     
• iM3, the Australian owned Veterinary Dental Company is to create 20 jobs at its newly established European HQ in Stamullen, Co Meath    
• ACS Consolidated Group Ltd, an aviation compliance specialist, is to establish its European operations centre in Dublin, with the creation of six jobs  Among the deals announced by Irish companies during the mission were:     
• Kildare-based HealthComms announced a new expanded contract in association with leading Melbourne care provider “Catholic Homes” for its “MyHomeReach” technology which focuses on supporting independent living, promotes social inclusion and enables the ongoing monitoring of wellness while increasing service quality to its users.
• Slainte Healthcare announced that it is working with Calvary Health Care Hospital Group to create a paperless hospital environment by replacing paper patient charts with electronic software.
•  Leading Edge Group, Cork, announced the signing of a major Lean initiative with The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. The contract will involve the delivery of a full suite of Lean training programs to a cross-section of the Melbourne hospital staff in association with the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association (AHHA).
• Lincor Solutions formally signed an exclusive agreement with Australia’s leading provider of interactive patient care for the hospital and aged care sectors—Hills Health Solutions      ·         Idiro, a leading provider of advanced data analytics based in    Dublin, announced a deal with 2degrees, a leading New Zealand mobile operator, to provide data analytics for marketing.
• Fenergo, the leading provider of Regulatory Onboarding, Entity Data and Client Lifecycle Management solutions for investment banks and capital market firms, announced its expansion into Asia Pacific with the creation of a local team based out of Sydney.
• Westbourne IT Global Services (Cork) announced that it will open a new office in Auckland, New Zealand later this month, allowing the company to provide a 24/7 “follow the sun” solution for its customers. The New Zealand office will both enhance and increase existing jobs in Cork as Westbourne IT’s Cork headquarters will provide back office support for the expanding group.
• Solgari, the leading cloud telecommunication software services provider, announced the opening of their new Sales and Support Office in Sydney to support their growing customer base across the wider Asia Pacific region.

In addition, Oneview Healthcare, one of the leading global providers of patient engagement solutions for healthcare facilities, announced it has reached agreement in principle to deploy its state-of-the-art software solution in two high profile hospitals—one in Victoria and one in Queensland with a combined value of approximately A$5 million.

Speaking from Sydney Minister Bruton said: “At the heart of our Action Plan for Jobs is building a new, sustainable economy based on exports and innovation. As the immediate results from this mission show, the openings for innovative Irish companies to increase their sales to Australia and New Zealand are real and tangible. There are also major opportunties for us to attract multinational investment to Ireland from this part of the world. There is a growing awareness of Ireland’s innovation and capabilities that was evident in every meeting I attended - people in Government, multinational companies, business and the media are more aware of Ireland, more aware of the strengths we bring to the table, and very willing to do business with us.

"I have said before that Irish companies are at the heart of the recovery we are starting to see across our economy. The 32 companies who participated in this mission, some of whom have finalised deals, others of whom have made major progress, have done great work over this week. These companies will drive our employment recovery, and I wish them every success with pursuing the opportunities that have developed over the past week.”

In line with Enterprise Ireland’s strategy, the objective of the Trade Mission was to build on Ireland’s existing strong economic links with Australia and New Zealand. The visit facilitated practical relationship building for Irish companies with their current and prospective counterparts in Australia, as well as raising the profile of Ireland at the highest levels of Government and through engagement with the key Australian media outlets. Over the course of the five day programme introductions were made, contacts developed and business relationships progressed from which significant increases in exports and jobs by Irish companies are targeted over the coming years.

Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, who is accompanying Minister Bruton on the trade mission added: “A key element of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is to grow indigenous Irish companies on a global scale. Ministerial-led trade missions are proven to provide a strong platform to promote Ireland and Irish companies as strategic partners across multiple sectors in key international markets. Trade missions also demonstrate how Enterprise Ireland can act as a conduit for international buyers to access Ireland’s world class goods and services. The announcements made by Irish companies during this trade mission clearly demonstrate the opportunities that exist for innovative and ambitious Irish companies in Australia and New Zealand. Enterprise Ireland is committed to working closely with our client companies as they grow their international sales and create much-needed jobs in Ireland.”

John Conlon, Head of Asia Pacific Operations at IDA Ireland said:  “IDA will continue to reach out to Australian companies to make them aware of the investment opportunities that exist  in Ireland. The two companies that have announced their intentions to invest in Ireland, iM3 and ACS are typical of the sort of business that we want to attract to Ireland. There are over 35 Australian companies already located in Ireland, employing over 1,600 people which includes leading names such as Resmed, Macquarie, Computershare and QBE.”

iM3, the Australian owned Veterinary Dental Company is to create 20 jobs at its newly established European HQ in Stamullen, Co Meath. The company is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland. iM3 is a family owned Veterinary (exclusive) Dental Company established in Sydney Australia over 25 years ago. From its three locations in Sydney Australia, Vancouver WA USA and Co Meath, Ireland, iM3 supplies veterinarians throughout the world with high quality affordable veterinary dental products.  The company will carry out assembly, sales and marketing and training at the European HQ in Co Meath  ACS Consolidated Group Ltd, an aviation compliance specialist, is to establish its European operations centre in Dublin, with the creation of six jobs.  The investment is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland. ACS is a leading global professional services firm delivering aviation solutions with a focus on safety, compliance and operational excellence