BUSINESS
Dublin Chamber wants to 'kick-start' city
21-01-2008
by Emmet Ryan
The Dublin Chamber of Commerce wants to introduce Wi-Fi across the city's public transport system.
This is just one proposal from a 10-point plan, entitled Developing a Knowledge City Region, published by the body on Monday.
Other proposals include: the introduction of a VAT-free scheme for the purchase of PCs to stimulate a technology-literate society, key government services for business to be made available online only and the implementation of an e-government plan for all government departments and local authorities, and the introduction of SME 'Knowledge Acquisition Grants' to encourage R&D among smaller firms, as well as the expansion of the 'Innovation Voucher' scheme.
"Dublin is a great place to live and work but if it's to become a flagship city for the region then there's work that needs to be done," Martin Murphy, managing director of HP Ireland and chair of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce's Knowledge Committee, told ENN.
The plan was published following consultation between representatives of several major multinational firms based in Dublin and four of the city's leading third level institutions.
The Chamber of Commerce said it laid out plans for a citywide focus rather than a national approach based on research by the OECD which found that competition for knowledge activities rests not between countries, but between city regions.
Murphy said the 10-point plan aimed to kick start a new development for Dublin city. "It's a plan of action as opposed to a strategy document. We want to put the need to build Dublin as a knowledge city at the top of the Government's agenda," he said.
The plan includes a call on the Government to introduce Wi-Fi across the city's public transport network. "If you're going to brand Dublin city and make it into an exciting place to work then you have to be able to walk the walk," said Murphy.
"Dublin City Council looked at a broader Wi-Fi plan already but that didn't work out so we looked at areas that could be targeted that would benefit the most from a Wi-Fi network," according to Murphy, who said the introduction of a Wi-Fi network would encourage more people to consider using public transport.
The Chamber of Commerce said it wants the Government to take action and follow the steps outlined in the plan and claimed that if it does so it would turn Dublin into a leading global city.
"The leadership for the implementation of this plan has to come from government," said Murphy. "This [the plan] is a recipe to make Dublin one of the top five cities in the world."
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