Great to see Docklands is still alive. Docklands is a great template to view what went wrong in Ireland but perhaps in this new Ireland it directs us to how we should rebuild Ireland.

I would love to see the Docklands having an enormous Tyndall institute, a place where ideas on where Ireland needs to move towards can be nurtured. Recently, I was pursuing work on Rubicon Centre on the CIT Campus and some of the business development work that is performed there. Over 14 years, they have had 180 start-up businesses, 70% are still operating, 50% are trading internationally, 40% are classified as “high potential start-ups” – these are the phenomenal results generated by their Genesis Programme. I see from recent statistics that exports are up 6pc, manufacturing output is up by 10pc. That’s coming from the productive element of the Irish economy and it’s not being reported. Where other countries’ exports are falling behind, Ireland’s are growing.

Medical devices and life sciences:

Not many people realise this, but Ireland actually boasts the second-highest concentration of medical devices firms anywhere on the planet –  and this is one of the few areas where there’s a strong proportion of indigenous companies. Firms operating in the medical devices and life sciences areas are actually 95pc export oriented and there’s an even split between the number of indigenous and multinational firms in the medical devices sector. The sector in Ireland grew 9pc in the past year and it is a very stable area, presenting more opportunities than most people perceive. Docklands could plug into this.

Nanotechnology:

Nanotechnology, the science of ultra-micro electronics and pharmaceuticals at a sub-atomic scale, has the potential to be a major engine of growth in the Irish economy and exports could be doubled from €15bn today to €30bn by 2015. There are thousands of people working in electronics and pharmaceutical firms across the country, nanotechnology could make Ireland a leader in the future of technology and future wonder drugs.

10pc of Ireland’s exports are coming from products enabled by nanotechnology and these would transcend three core industries: ICT, medical devices and biopharmaceuticals. Docklands could plus into this.

Google Companies:

Ireland has again assembled the heart and lungs of the cloud industry. Google has major operations here, so too has Amazon.com and IBM, and last year Microsoft took the wraps off a massive $500m cloud computing data centre in west Dublin. Docklands should go after these companies.

Green Technologies:

Docklands could be a natural home for the future green technology industries.  According to Enterprise Ireland, the Irish clean-tech sector employs 6,800 people and its exports are valued at $4bn. The potential of this project, which builds on our existing assets and infrastructure, is that it can assist in the transformation of our economy.

So there is alot that those who are heading up Docklands need to reflect on.