Ireland is looking to collaborate with sandboxes in India, to provide Irish companies a test bed for their offerings and learn about the India market, as Irish companies are increasingly setting up presence in India, said Jenny Melia, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland.

The Irish government is undertaking a trade visit to India this week, which commenced in Bengaluru on Monday. The trade visit is being organised by Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government’s trade and innovation agency, and other agencies. The visit is being led by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD.

“One of the things that would be very interesting for us in Ireland is to look at some of the sandboxes that are established in India and see how we might be able to engage some Irish companies in those sandboxes and use that both to test their offer in a very structured environment, and learn more about the Indian market and understand what’s really important in terms of doing business here,” Melia told businessline.

Emerging tech

Through the collaboration, companies could test emerging technologies. The sandbox model will provide opportunities for hosting inward buyer events with Irish users and testers, and facilitating face-to-face matchmaking with companies through Enterprise Ireland, she added.

With this visit, Melia said the agency is focusing on building relationships with the business, funding, and start-up communities in India, facilitating Irish companies’ entry into the Indian market, enhancing support for existing Irish companies in India, and assisting Indian companies in expanding into the European market through Ireland.

She further added that Ireland is seeing interesting movement in the Indian Fintech industry, as there has been rapid adoption of digital technologies in India by the financial services sector at large. Melia also underscored the significance of aviation, and medical technology industries in India and Ireland.

Trade visit

The aim of the trade visit is to strengthen economic ties between Ireland and India, and to mark the increased business collaboration between both nations, as well as India’s strong education ties with Ireland. In the last decade, the number of Indian students studying in Ireland has grown from around 800 per year to over 8,500 students in the current academic year.

Enterprise Ireland has had a presence in India since 2006, supporting Irish companies to enter and scale within the Indian market, bringing investment and jobs to India.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW