Speaking on his recent appointment, O'Mahony commented "The concept of managing business clusters has been around for many years but it is still relatively new to the Irish technology sector. Essentially, a business cluster operates where companies from a similar sector are attracted to one particular region in order to benefit from advantages such as access to a skilled talent pool. 3rd level expertise, innovation collaboration and informal networks. The tech sector and in particular sub sectors like cyber security and cloud computing have evolved in the Cork region in this manner.".
it@cork is a not for profit body which represent more than 200 companies working within the south west tech sector. Members include start-ups, SMEs and MNCs, including Carefolk, Smarttech, Fexco, Blizzard, Poppulo and Dell EMC.
Founded over 20 years ago, it@cork has grown from strength to strength. The mission of the association to encourage collaboration and innovation between members; to advocate and lead on issues affecting the industry and ultimately, to enable the growth and development of the tech cluster in the south west.
The association manages the "Skillnet" program for the ICT sector in the region with over 1,230 employees participating on their courses since 2014. it@cork also runs a series of technology events throughout the year including the Tech Summit, Diversity in Tech and the Tech Leaders Awards. In total, over 3,000 attend their series of events annually.
O'Mahony believes that a culture of collaboration is the regions key strength: "The tech sector in the south west is well placed to capitalise on opportunities and meet challenges head on, largely due to the willingness and openness of stakeholders within the ICT ecosystem to collaborate with each other. These stakeholders include industry, City and County councils, third level institutions such as UCC/CIT and support agencies such as EI, IDA and Cork BIC. This is a major advantage that favours Cork when tackling key strategic challenges for the industry, such as the talent shortage".
The cluster manager role also involves developing relationships and linkages with other world class technology clusters in Europe with the support of the EU Commission. "The EU Commission plays a crucial role in facilitation the development of successful business clusters in Europe. According to the EU Commission, there are over 2,000 business clusters in Europe but approximately only 20 of these are world class and accredited tech clusters. It is the goal of it@cork to develop linkages with these world class ICT clusters and learn from their successes". It is also our goal to become a world class technology cluster that is accredited by the EU commission within 3 years. Achieving this accreditation will enhance Cork and the south west's reputation as a world class destination for technology companies to establish and grow their business".
