REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE IRISH VOICE LIFE SCIENCES AWARDS RECEPTION NEW YORK
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE IRISH VOICE LIFE SCIENCES AWARDS RECEPTION NEW YORK THURSDAY 20TH MAY 2010
Dia dhíbh a chairde, tá áthas mór orm bheith libh inniu. Thank you for your warm welcome. I am delighted to be here this evening to acknowledge the wonderful achievements of our honourees who represent the breadth of the Irish and Irish American people across the life sciences industry here in the US.
Ireland has had a long affiliation with the USA through a history of emigration, travel, culture, and, more recently, business development. This is a land which has provided a home from home for literally millions of our people going back to the very foundation of the United States and indeed earlier. We can never express too often or too much, the debt of gratitude that we owe America for what it has done for, and been to, so many of our people.
And the same goes for Irish America, that enormous parish inside our global family that has played such a huge role in the building up of Ireland, and of peace and reconciliation on our island. I have often spoken of the two hearts of Irish America – one for the land and home left behind, which still beats strong and warm, the other full of pride for the adopted homeland which you have played such an enormous and distinguished part in building.
Ireland has come far as a nation in a short period of time and on that journey from underachievement to affluence, our historical ties to the United States have played a big part. In fact they have written a whole new chapter in contemporary Irish history. Five hundred US companies operate out of Ireland today. Between them they have invested over 55 billion dollars in Ireland. Returning the compliment is a new generation of Irish entrepreneurs, many of whom have previously worked with US companies in Ireland, who have invested here in the US and created significant business, prosperity and jobs for the people of this country.
Like the US, Ireland has developed a globally significant life sciences industry, which generates exports, jobs and income. Ireland’s success in the sector stems initially from the country’s ability to attract and maintain foreign direct investment from multinationals, including Abbott, Boston Scientific, Baxter Healthcare, Takeda and Johnson & Johnson, supported by our Industrial Development Authority which invests significantly in research, development and innovation.
The life sciences industries have found a natural home in Ireland, where we have demonstrated our commitment to the development of the industry in very tangible ways with a highly structured, supportive business environment, the right conditions and the substantial resources necessary for encouraging strategic investment in innovation, research and development and ongoing investment in strengthening our excellent higher education system to ensure that our human capital is just as highly developed as our infrastructure.
We have a highly collaborative, innovative and internationally networked environment for life sciences. It is a modern, technological environment where highly-educated people produce world-class products and services. While foreign investment laid the groundwork for developing the modern Irish economy, a major thrust of Ireland’s economic, industrial and export growth comes today from Irish-owned enterprises. In fact, the emergence of an enterprise culture in Ireland demonstrates that one of the most significant spin-off benefits of overseas investment is its role in stimulating local entrepreneurs. More than half of Ireland’s new entrepreneurs, at some time in their careers, worked for a multinational company, either in Ireland or abroad, and mostly it was a US-owned company.
The life sciences are a sector that stands somewhat apart from the financial rollercoaster that we have all experienced recently. Regardless of stock exchange highs and lows, our people, our livestock, our pets and our farmlands still need the drugs, medical devices and treatments that you design, develop and manufacture. Your work impacts on us every single day, improving the quality of the food that we eat or making vital life-enhancing differences to the sick. Whether your field of specialisation is biology, biochemistry or biomaterials, your research, development and constant innovation are helping make our lives longer, better, healthier and happier.
I’d like to acknowledge friends and colleagues from Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Cork Cancer Research who are partners for this evening’s event. For many years, these organisations have maintained a strong and vibrant presence here in the US, serving as ambassadors of Ireland’s entrepreneurs and promoting our country as a highly competitive destination for foreign direct investment. I would also like to thank the Irish Voice newspaper for sponsoring these awards and say a particular word of thanks to Niall O’Dowd for the leadership role he plays in the Irish community in New York.
I am particularly proud to acknowledge the work of our honourees here this evening for they are the standard-setters and the standard-bearers throughout the life sciences industries in the US. They also make two countries very proud for they are Ireland’s children and America’s children, whose giftedness, placed at the service of science and technology, allows us to believe in ourselves as problem-solvers in a world full of problems. Their work takes us from mere optimism to real hope and, through these Irish Voice Awards, I hope they hear our voices saying well done and thank you for your passion, your perseverance and your pride in doing things better than well. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.