“Better together” – Minister Simon Harris’s video address at D4B launch

Ireland’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, addressed the event by video message, welcoming the collaboration of higher education institutes, research centres, training providers and industry partners: “We are always stronger together, especially when we harness pan-European cooperation.”

Minister Harris’s welcome: 

We appreciated Minister Simon Harris sending us this video message in between his St. Patrick’s Day travels to LA and Vancouver and an international Justice Ministers conference in London.

And we were very grateful to Minister of State for Trade and Digital Transformation, Dara Calleary, for joining us in person to formally launch DIGITAL4Business.

Minister Simon Harris Commends DIGITAL4Business Launch at National College of Ireland

In a message to attendees at the National College of Ireland’s DIGITAL4Business launch, Minister Simon Harris expresses gratitude to partners from across Europe. Emphasizing collaboration, he highlights the importance of higher education, research, and innovation in driving economic growth.

The project aims to advance digital skills, particularly for SMEs, through cutting-edge research and an innovative European Masters program. Minister Harris applauds the initiative’s alignment with the European Year of Skills 2023 and wishes success to all involved.

Transcription of Minister Harris’s welcome

Hello everyone. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be with you here in person but I did want to send you this message and to take the opportunity to thank everyone in the National College of Ireland for hosting the launch of digital for business.

I want to express my gratitude to all of the Consortium Partners, particularly those of you from across Europe who’ve travelled to Dublin to be with us today.

We really do appreciate it. I know there are 15 Partners from seven countries including institutes, research centres, training providers and Industry Partners.

I know that my colleague is there to represent our government but for my part I wanted to send this message of thanks.

I want to say that every day I see the benefit of higher education of research and of innovation working with industry and it’s so important we don’t work inside us we need to work together to develop the skills that our people and our economy and together are required to thrive.

We’re always stronger together especially when we harness pan-european cooperation and I want to commend all members of the Consortium including my own agencySkillnet Ireland and all of the partners who were coming together to deliver this exciting project: Digital4Business.

We’ll carry out leading research and innovation in big areas such as Big Data, AI, Cyber Security and Cloud to help deliver a unique European Masters program focused on the practical application of advanced digital skills within European businesses.

With a particular emphasis on our SMEs and to help them achieve long-term competitiveness and growth through digital transformation as one of their own National College of Ireland academic Partners including the world’s oldest University, University of Bologna.

And one of Europe’s newest universities, UDS Berlin, will collaborate to realise the full potential of Leading Edge digital Technologies.

Of course all of this is happening in 2023 which is the European year of skills and that focuses on helping people get the right education to be prepared for Quality jobs and to address specific skills shortages that we see in our economy and in our society and I have no doubt this Digital4Business initiative will be amazed your assistance in that regard.

It directly serves that mission so from me to you thank you so much and congratulations on this significant Milestone.

Sorry I can’t be with you in person but wishing you every Success.