Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen
I am very pleased to be invited here today to announce two important and symbolic developments in the Digital Hub.
Firstly, we are gathered in a newly refurbished dedicated ‘Learning Facility’ that will be used for the Liberties Learning Initiative. Secondly, we are announcing a property competition to develop 5½ acres of the Digital Hub area. These are two important steps in realising the vision of the Digital Hub project. That vision is a vibrant community with a world-leading cluster of digital enterprises.
On the property side, we are inviting private developers to bid to develop two sites with a mixture of residential, commercial and public space, using the development plan that has been prepared. The developers will compete on the basis of cash plus office space, which will be owned and managed by the Digital Hub. This is a value for money approach that will deliver a rejuvenated community area in a historic part of Dublin with a vibrant digital enterprise base.
I am delighted to see people from the Digital Hub Agency, enterprise, and the local community here today. This is an illustration of what is so different about the Hub. Let me give you an example.
Many foreign delegations visit my Department and the Digital Hub to learn about what Ireland is doing in this sector. It’s not surprising that many countries are determined to establish themselves as world leaders in the global digital content market. And no wonder, when you consider that the global market could be worth over US$400 billion in the next few years.
But these delegations are amazed to learn that Ireland’s Digital Hub project is not just about new offices, optic-fibre cable, exports and high-tech start-ups. The way the Digital Hub project is embedded and linked with an existing community through its learning and community activities is, I would say, unique.
You see – the Hub is about reinvigorating a community by taking advantage of the opportunity of an entirely new industry. The most important component of the digital industry is not offices, PCs or optic fibres – it’s people. People provide the imagination, creativity, and skills that will drive the digital sector. But people are not robots – we live and work in communities.
That is why I want to congratulate you on how you have worked well together to progress this project in all aspects. I think it is important that the successful on-going consultation between the Hub and the community continues in the context of the development of the area going forward.
That short video is a good summary of the mix of goals and activities in the Hub. I find Wayne’s experience in the Hub’s learning initiatives particularly striking.
I have to say that I’ve been hugely impressed by the Hub’s Schools Programme. It’s not often reported that sixteen schools in the local area are involved in the Programme. I’ve been told that about 4,000 kids have been involved in LLI activities over the past 3 years. In fact, I believe that there have been 6,000 participants in various Digital Hub learning & community activities over the past 3 years. My officials tell me that this develops a sustainable pool of young, skilled people to work in the Hub. But that’s not the most important point!
I am a passionate believer in the importance and value of education. Education gives you the opportunity to live your life to your full potential. Involving the pupils and teachers of the local schools in digital media activities will, I am sure, open their eyes to a new world of opportunities. In fact, I’m pretty certain that the school kids will see more potential and be more creative than any of us here can be in this area. I’m urging you to continue your support for as wide as possible involvement in these activities. I want to make it clear to you that these activities have my full support.
And finally, we are moving into a new stage of the physical development of the Hub. This will just provide the new physical background for the Hub’s vision to be realised. It is particularly timely in view of the success of the Hub to date. There have been many critics of the Hub, but the fact is that there are about 50 companies now based in the Digital Hub with over 400 employees working in various sectors of digital media. We would be foolish to underestimate the importance of continued high-value job creation.
As I said, these two announcements today symbolise the community and enterprise development that is central to the vision of the Hub. The Hub has established a sound foundation. Now, these two announcements today will allow the Hub to continue to grow to the benefit of the local community and digital enterprises. And I can assure you of my on-going commitment to these key activities of the Hub.
I would like to wish you all well with your continued involvement in the success of the Hub.
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