Entrepreneurship1 is a key element in the health and wellbeing of any thriving economy and will be central to Ireland’s continuing recovery. Historically, two thirds of new jobs in Ireland have been created by companies in their first five years2. This is because new businesses drive change and are the source of creative ideas and new technologies. They are the quickest to adapt to new opportunities and to the shifts that disrupt markets and business models.
The purpose of this policy statement is to clearly identify the framework needed to make Ireland one of the most entrepreneurial nations in the world, acknowledged as a world-class environment in which to start and grow a business. Embracing and implementing the approach set out in this statement will result in Ireland having excellent support networks at local and national level and strong policy frameworks within which businesses can be born and flourish. Ireland, in turn, will gain a global reputation as a location for smart capital and as an entrepreneurial hub. It will become recognised as a place where good ideas can be transformed into excellent businesses and new jobs will be created as international investors and mobile entrepreneurs seek Ireland out as a location of choice.
