Bay Area Economic Report Launch
Ireland has a longstanding economic relationship with the San Francisco Bay Area, with high levels of trade, investment, and travel between the two regions. Together, the momentous flow of capital, talent, and technology has built one of the closest transatlantic relationships.
San Francisco Consul General Micheál Smith travelled to Dublin with Sean Randolph of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute for the official Irish launch of Growth and Transformation: Economic Ties Between the San Francisco Bay Area and Ireland, a report authored by the Bay Area Council to document the deep connections that exist between these two regions, and the opportunities that exist for even closer co-operation. The report was produced with the support of the Consulate General of Ireland, San Francisco, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Tourism Ireland, and was contributed to by a number of experts across industries.
The launch event took place before a group of highly engaged Irish and American lawmakers including Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke, Cathaoirleach of the Seanad Jerry Buttimer, representatives from the California State Legislature including Irish Caucus co-chairs Matt Haney and Heath Flora, and San Francisco’s United Irish Cultural Center President Liam Reidy.
The launch event also featured a panel discussion, with speakers including Mary Buckley, Executive Director of IDA; Marina Donohoe, Head of Research and Innovation at Enterprise Ireland; Niamh O’Donnellan, Public Policy at Stripe; and Seán Randolph, Senior Director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute
Deirdre Lillis, Assistant Secretary General and Head of Research, Innovation, Evidence for Policy and EU/International at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science also made remarks from the floor where she discussed the role of the new Talent and Innovation Attaché, a new officer from her department who will be located at the San Francisco Consulate, engaging with the kind of innovation detailed in the report.
The participation of these leaders illustrates the deep interest in the opportunities presented in the paper but also the mutual esteem placed in the relationship between our two countries. It helps to highlight not only our growing economic alignment but also the personal friendship between the two peoples.
The report serves as an essential launching point for further developing the environment and relations necessary to drive the continued growth of the Ireland-Bay Area economic relationship.
The Consulate remains proud of our role working with a wide variety of colleagues and partners throughout the Bay Area to help develop this report. It highlights a great degree of collaboration across a wide field of sectors. From the strong university ties between UC Berkley and UCD to the $3 Billion in wages earned by Californians employed by Irish Businesses, Ireland and the Bay Area have had an outsized presence in each other's economies.
Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason welcomed this timely report:
“This year marks the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States of America, which is underpinned by our shared heritage, values and ambitions over two and a half centuries. The Bay Area, a world center of innovation, remains one of Ireland’s key economic partners. This report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute clearly highlights our robust trade, investment and people links and the immense potential for future collaboration and growth.”
To read the report in full and to learn more about this strong and growing relationship, please click on the following link (Growth and Transformation: Economic Ties Between the San Francisco Bay Area and Ireland).