Draft Programme for Government: Economy
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011While still keeping the economy as first priority, the draft Programme for Government offers few radical solutions for the province’s problems. As expected, the economy is described as the Executive’s first priority but its aims are considerably less ambitious than before. This reflects the recession but also the risk-averse influence of the Civil Service. Closing the productivity gap with Great Britain (a major goal for decades) is not set as a firm target. The previous programme aimed to halve the difference with the UK average (excluding South East England) by 2015. Instead, the...[full story]
Innovation: R&D in Northern Ireland
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Northern Ireland needs to fight for European funding to fast-track its R&D performance and catch up with competing regions. The province cannot afford to lag behind in innovation. While the Republic has drawn down €290 million from Europe’s key innovation programme, Northern Ireland’s applications total just €30 million. That gap is an urgent wake-up call for the Executive to promote the region’s R&D, especially as the Seventh Framework Programme finishes in 2013. Statistics for 2010 make clear that business leads the way in local innovation. The private sector spent...[full story]
Innovation: Manu-services
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Combining goods and services into packages is vital for UK manufacturing’s future success, according to the Work Foundation’s Andrew Sissons. He explains ‘manu-services’ to agendaNi. UK manufacturers can create a global edge by backing up their products with high quality support services, according to Work Foundation author Andrew Sissons. The trend, known as manu-services, was the subject of his ‘More than making things’ report, which he launched in March. Manufacturing is essential for rebalancing the economy and closing the strategic trade gap but the UK is slipping back...[full story]
Innovation: Scandinavia’s R&D success
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Northern Ireland must follow Scandinavia’s lead and cut business grants which don’t back R&D. Graham Gudgin discusses a radical new direction with agendaNi. “We’ve got to look for good role models and not merely the nearest but our real problem in Northern Ireland is complacency,” says Graham Gudgin in a sharp critique of the region’s economic culture. Gudgin currently works at Cambridge University’s Centre For Business Research and has analysed Northern Ireland’s economy since 1985. “The most immediate place to look is the Civil Service,” he says of the problem....[full story]
Innovation: Israel – an R&D leader
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Israel is recognised as a world leader in research and development. agendaNi explores why. Disadvantaged by its small size, Israel’s scientific and technological policies are aimed at enhancing its competitive position. It gross domestic expenditure on R&D as percentage of GDP is 4.7 per cent compared to 2.7 per cent in the United States and 2.01 in Europe. Private sector spend as a percentage of its GDP is 3.39 per cent compared to 2.01 and 1.25 in the US and Europe. Israel’s universities have a strong reputation for technological advancement and all ministries employ chief scientists. Within...[full story]
Innovation: Consilium-New headquarters
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Consilium Technologies opens new corporate headquarters in Belfast following recent US expansion. One of Northern Ireland’s leading tech companies, Consilium Technologies, has announced the opening of its new corporate headquarters in Belfast. The company recently launched a major expansion at their North American facility in Boston and this move will allow the firm to scale its UK operations alongside its US facility. The move coincides with the company’s leading product TotalMobile™ announced as a medallist for the UK Mobile IT Innovation Award. Previously based in the Antrim...[full story]
Energy: Arthur Cox-evolution or revolution?
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Alan Bissett and David Trethowan emphasise the need for the main energy sectors to comply with EU law. The European energy market is the last large scale market which has not been widely harmonised to date. This is unsurprising due to the vastness of the market and its highly technical nature. The EU Third Energy Package, which is made up of a series of directives and regulations, forms a regulatory framework designed to reinvigorate the integration of the European energy markets for electricity and gas. Aims and goals It is hoped that the implementation of the Third Package will go...[full story]
Energy: Carson McDowell-competition in the sector
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Dorit McCann outlines the local relevance of UK and EU judgements. UK and EU competition law prohibit two main types of anti-competitive activity: (i) arrangements between two or more undertakings which have the object or effect of preventing, restricting or distorting competition and which appreciably affect trade in the UK or the EU; and (ii) abuse of a dominant position in a market by one or more undertakings. Investigation and enforcement of competition law The Utility Regulator has concurrent powers with the Office of Fair Trading to investigate and take enforcement action in relation...[full story]
Energy: McGrigors–ROC re-banding
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Richard Murphy of McGrigors LLP discusses the mood in the market with the ROC Re-banding proposals for Northern Ireland. Hot on the heels of the ROC re-banding consultations in Great Britain, the recently published Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) ROC banding consultation has met with a broadly positive response in the local market. Whilst the document is still only consultative at the time of writing this article, it does provide specific insights into a transitional regime for UK renewables, starting in April 2012 and ending in March 2017. During this period the...[full story]
Energy: Phoenix–fuelling the future
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011The NI Natural Gas Association is calling for policy changes to encourage more people to upgrade their heating systems. When Phoenix Natural Gas first brought natural gas to Northern Ireland in 1996, the company believed that strategically their investment would be best facilitated by empowering the indigenous workforce already in place to create its very own natural gas industry to support the gas network roll out to homes and businesses throughout the Greater Belfast area. This was a departure from how the gas industry in Britain had developed. It was this decision that in turn created...[full story]
