The Government is making a major push to persuade members of the Irish diaspora engaged in communications and software in the US to return to Ireland to help shape the development and growth of the industry in Ireland.
The initiative was launched by Enterprise Ireland last night at a reception for Irish professionals at the Microsoft convention centre in Seattle, Washington, attended by President Mary McAleese.
Mrs McAleese is heading the largest ever presidential trade mission to the US, targeting for the first time the northwest around Seattle where companies like Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon and Expedia are located.
"We are encouraging professionals to move back to Ireland to set up business or to work with some of our companies, or to become mentors, business advisers or investors," said Marina Donohoe, director in America of Enterprise Ireland.
The first day of the three-day mission was marked by the announcement of three partnership agreements involving Irish and American companies.
Irish company Nephin Games, the leading developer of interactive games for cellular phones, and the US Mobile Media Group will jointly distribute the popular "WKN Kickboxing" game to a potential market of 500 million mobile phone users in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region.
The agreement was a watershed for the company, said chief executive Alan Duggan, "letting us reach a truly global audience for both our games and our brand partners". Sigmar Aviation, a specialist aviation recruitment and services company, announced that it will work with Boeing subsidiary Alteon Training to provide flexible personnel services to support airlines in start-up, training, expansion and fleet transition.
Enterprise Ireland and NewBay Software, a mobile communications company, announced the launch of an Irish trade mission blog to make information from the trade mission available on WAP-enabled mobile phones.
"This mobile blog allows us to provide real-time information and exchange ideas with a global community using an exciting new technology which has been developed by a world-class Irish company," said Minister for International Trade Michael Ahern.
Acronics Aviation, the leading provider of airline information and compliance management software products, also announced a new software component that chief executive Niall O'Sullivan said "allows airline staff to quickly access necessary information at anytime and simultaneously no matter where they are located, providing confidence especially in emergency situations".
Irish executives in the US could act as a gateway for Irish enterprises into their US companies, said Ms Donohoe, who said the initiative was part of a new Enterprise Ireland strategy "to develop, expand and strengthen Irish industry".
"We have a strong interest in particular in developing a gaming industry in Ireland," she said, pointing to the partnership of Nephin Games and Mobile Media and the huge computer gaming facilities in Microsoft.
A similar initiative in the life sciences area had already resulted in people going back to Ireland to work in university research or to set up their own companies, such as Proxy Medical in Galway, an initiative of Irish-American Pete Gingrass, Ms Donohoe said.