Government to set-up a number of semi-state companies (*hereinafter called the Company/ies) which offer an open online global platform for collaboration, problem solving & wealth creation. Staff actively help bring about real world business solutions for online users through joined-up thinking between users (online users/entrepreneurs/businesses) and the Company’s internal team and/or approved innovative/affordable Suppliers. The Company acts as a hands on ‘go between’ with online users and those who can help turn ideas into reality. Online users can also use the system to help each other and collaborate without necessarily requiring staff involvement. Groups of online users can also become approved Partners offering their services (e.g. specialist / group / open source software development).

My proposal is to create the world’s largest database containing anonymous medical history and genetic information for the people of Ireland, and to sell this anonymous information to medical researchers around the world. Like many countries, Ireland is long overdue a switch to digital medical records. The benefits of such a system would be immeasurable including those of cost reduction, portability and accuracy. Yet one very important and understated side usage of such a system is that it would provide Ireland with the ability to provide a massive amount of epidemiological information for it’s patient population. To protect the privacy of the population, strong measures would need to be taken to ensure that it is impossible for individual private health information to be obtained by an undesired source. However, if such anonymity and of course individual consent could be maintained and obtained, the results would be powerful. We could then move to sell this information to res More...

This proposal suggests that Ireland capitalize on a national spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship and create an Independent Contract Research Services Organization that will offer both R&D services to industry, for Ireland and the EU and provide improved success for commercialization of innovation. Though it is believed that Ireland has the majority of skills in place to capitalize on bringing technology from inception to market delivery, we lack skills in certain areas that are critical. One of the key opportunities for improvement of technology commercialization is specifically in the area of “Commercialization” and also in “Marketing”. These areas have been acknowledged as needing improvement by several thought leaders in business, government and academia. (Innovation Taskforce Report, 3/2010). There is a great opportunity and desire to create an “Innovation hub” in Ireland, and for this hub to become a European Center of Innovation. Large organizations are alrea More...

My idea for Your Country Your Call is entitled ‘Sociable Media’. The idea is for Ireland to take its rightful place as the global centre for social media businesses, education, research & development and support services. We are the world’s most social race so we should be winning the social media race!

The recent investment in the renewable energy sector in Ireland calls for second generation Greentech enterprises to provide services for this growth sector. Ireland Inc has spent the last decade creating a knowledge based workforce focusing on high tech and software sectors. Now is the time to put the mechanisms in place to retain this workforce and facilitate the growth of indigenous companies to compete in national and international markets.

Instead of the spirit of ireland - becoming the powerhouse of electricity generation for Europe (through wind power)- have the HydroSprite Emer-ald! If we focus on developing ALL our water facilities; from grey water collection in house design (for sustainability & state coffers) to wave power (instead of landslide inducing windfarms) off our atlantic coast, we would be maximising our most plentiful natural resource...more effectively than windpower. This would create jobs in all areas and several sectors: ie our well educated science graduates, plumbers, builders, electricians and many more. The wave power part would have the effect of providing the nation with a desperately needed sustainable, desireable product to export: energy. It would do so without the same major objections which have faced the wind generation industtry such as unsightly, damaging to the local housing/population etc. The grey water collection bit would help our nations households, schools, hospitals & oth More...

The "Your Heritage, Your Legacy" initiative would leverage the expansive Irish diaspora by facilitating the rediscovery of their Irish roots and by cultivating opportunities for them to develop sustainable collaborations with their Irish counterparts. Initially, the program’s economic returns would be primarily in the Tourism & Hospitality and the Education & Arts sectors. Over time, however, the returns could impact many sectors, including: Communications & Technology; Design, Engineering and Manufacturing; Energy & Environment; Food and Agriculture; Health, Sport, & Nutrition; and Professional Services.

GREEN Grass-roots eco-energy networks Ireland has both the natural and human resources to develop a home-grown, bottom-up renewable energy culture. The underlying self-reliance is already there from its agricultural heritage, but needs to be transferred to the new times we live in. Ireland should not, nor need not, import this technology, but instead through an integrated education, re-training and re-cycling programme can and must create a new generation of skilled and innovative workers who are totally prepared to exploit the new economic and climatic conditions that we now find ourselves in.

Give to each Irishman/Irishwoman a well designed place, together with the time and the best tools to think, and create a nation of a thinking and communicating population to get Ireland back to where it belongs, at the forefront of the “intelligent society”, and the emerging wave of the so-called Third Industrial Revolution. This idea is to regenerate a number of pubs (as social hubs) across the country, and through redesign converting it into ‘social innovation hubs’ and ‘places for thinking’, open to the general public. The physical network will be supported by an online network of users and partners, which will be a catalyst for Irish social and creative capital, to boost thinking and ignite innovative collaborations

My proposal is a website that combines e-commerce, business networking & social networking to create a location on the internet that is the first stop for people the world over looking for Irish products and services. Irish businesses will be able to create their own shopfront within a standard format, and recommend other business on their virtual street. Customers will be able to search for products from Irish businesses locally and nationally, give and receive recommendations from friends, link to established social networking interfaces, surf from one Irish business to another. It will be a friendly place with an Irish accent and a sense of humour, where people say 'thanks' to the virtual bus driver!