Posted 03 May 2013
Irish Government appoints UCD Vice-President for Innovation to National Competitiveness Council
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD has announced the new membership of the National Competitiveness Council (NCC).
Professor J. Peter Clinch, UCD Vice-President for Innovation, is among the new members appointed to the NCC. He holds the Jean Monnet Professorship of European Economic Integration and is also UCD Professor of Public Policy.
Having worked in academia, business and government, his areas of expertise include economic development, enterprise policy, innovation and environmental and energy economics. He is the author of over 100 publications including books, book chapters, international journal articles and conference proceedings as well as almost 100 other publications.
The NCC will advise on measures to reduce business costs, enhance Ireland’s competitiveness in international trade and promote economic growth and job creation.
The Council has been reconfigured to help drive the development and implementation of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs. In particular, the Council will be mandated to develop actions on competitiveness for implementation through the Action Plan structure.
Other members of the NCC include: Liam Casey, PCH; John Herlihy, Google; Sean O'Driscoll, Glen Dimplex; Louise Phelan, PayPal; Heather Reynolds, Eishtec and Dave Shanahan, AbbVie.
“A central part of the Government’s plan for jobs and growth is ensuring that we drive improvements in our competitiveness,” said Minister Bruton.
“Recent evidence shows that while we have made major gains in this area in recent years, much of that risks being only temporary. If we are to create the jobs we need, we must focus relentlessly on continuing to reduce business costs and improve our competitiveness.”
“The National Competitiveness Council has a key role to play in driving these changes,” added the Minister.
“The reforms announced [today] will bring new thinking and energy to this crucial agenda. They will also copper fasten the Council’s role in developing and implementing Government policy in this area through the Action Plan for Jobs.”
“I extend my thanks to all involved, and look forward to working together to drive improvements in Ireland’s enterprise environment and help create the jobs we need.”
(Produced by UCD University Relations)
