A track-record of imaginative approaches to integrated regional economic development enables Shannon Development to be effective in supporting initiatives, which enhance competitiveness, promote sustainable development and build long-term partnerships. These approaches also ensure that spatial development plans take account of the needs of local communities.
Areas of expertise include regional and local economic strategy, policy development, assessment of the development needs of locations, businesses, institutional and partnership development.
To make economic progress, countries must compete successfully in a global economy. This requires a sound policy for sustainable industrial development capable of delivering a resilient, broad-based and internationally competitive productive sector. Policy must also take account of public-private sector partnership, which is an increasing feature of effective industrial development.
Shannon Development has experience of strengthening frameworks needed for industrial policy making and development across the productive sector particularly in the areas of foreign direct investment and SME development.
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME's) account for over three quarters of businesses world-wide. They provide the essential business infrastructure for larger enterprise and are the basic source of employment creation, entrepreneurial activity and wealth creation in any economy Ensuring the viability, profitability and growth of SME's is therefore of critical importance in strengthening the regional business community.
Shannon Development pioneered Ireland's first SME programme in 1978 to foster the creation on new enterprises and support sustainable competitive advantage through growth in sales, exports and employment.
Solutions offered range across capability building in firms in areas such as strategy assessment and formulation, business development advice, innovation, R&D, marketing, sales, agile logistics, HR and finance.
Competition among countries for foreign direct investment is intense. Success critically depends on developing an understanding of your comparative advantage and focussing promotional strategies to deliver results. Shannon Development has been assisting countries to design foreign direct investment promotion policies and programmes since 1964. This assistance can also extend into implementation.
Services, which we offer, include investment policy framing, design of incentive packages, sectoral analysis, investment promotion strategies, and preparation of targeted investment promotion campaigns.
A global industry in its own right, tourism encompasses a number of key sectors, including visitor accommodation, air transport policy and operations, the travel trade, day visitor attractions and entertainment.
Our experience extends to tourism strategy formulation and market planning, development of public sector tourism policy, new product development, feasibility studies, visitor services, market analysis, and investment project appraisal
Since it established the world's first industrial Free Zone in 1959, Shannon Development has become widely recognised as an important source of expertise in the design, layout and implementation of Special Economic Zones and industrial parks. To date, the Shannon Free Zone model of producing goods and services for export has been emulated in over 70 countries world-wide.
The services we offer include feasibility studies, master planning, legal and regulatory frameworks, infrastructure needs identification, financing, project implementation and ongoing management.
Science and technology parks have become an established means of stimulating start up and growth of technology-intensive businesses, and of facilitating links to third level education.
Activities which we have undertaken include feasibility and market studies, development strategies to assess demand, appropriate form and market orientation, advice on financial viability, organisation and management structures, site selection, building specification, and structures for linkages to third level education.
The process of innovation and technology transfer is fundamental to wealth creation in any economy. Working to generate and develop what are recognised as new high potential start up companies was a traditional priority for Shannon Development.
Assisting companies through their development stage requires a distinct set of skills and supports. To achieve this, Shannon Development strives to make available an added value managed environment.
Our experience extends to the provision of digitally networked business incubation centres, project and business development advice, feasibility studies, provision of mentoring services, access to early stage funding and HR support.
Central European economies in particular have undergone major change over the last twenty years. The process of transition has been enhanced by technical assistance, under various EU Programmes. Much of the work has focused on institutional development, strategic planning, staff training, design and delivery of support programmes.
Shannon Development has worked on regional development issues in Central Europe since 1988.
For over forty years, Shannon Development has been instrumental in assisting industry capitalise on the infrastructural development necessary to harness the benefits that can be accrued from activities associated with deep water port locations.
Shannon Development also has expertise in helping ports and deep water locations to attract industrial investment. Samples of successful international development in the Shannon Estuary include substantial projects including Bauxite Smelting, and a Liquid Natural Gas importation and re-gasification terminal.
We have also implemented and continue to manage port projects for tourism such as Marina Development and associated services.
As much of the world’s economies transition towards information driven societies, new requirements include technologies, infrastructures, applications and services, accessible and usable by all.
In response to these challenges Shannon Development, through initiatives such as its broadband deployment and e-towns projects, has been delivering solutions to facilitate individuals and organisations to innovate, become more effective and efficient in their work and businesses, and improve their competitiveness and quality of working life.
Shannon Development offers services at the strategic and enterprise level in areas such as telecommunications infrastructure, information technology implementation and regional planning.
Recommending organisational and management structures which is fundamental to success in each of the above areas.