I was very interested in the recent announcement widely covered in the media of a new DCU Innovation Campus. The story ran that a new innovation centre is set to create 500 new jobs in Glasnevin. With unemployment continuing to run high in Dublin City this was indeed a very welcome headline. Unfortunately the story itself is maybe a bit too creative. It appears the reality is that recently a contract was signed to handover the former Enterprise Ireland building on the Old Finglas Road to DCU which in time will be developed into a DCU Innovation Campus. Work has yet to begin on the building and it will probably be some time before the campus is up and running.
I welcome and support any initiative to provide jobs. However it is disappointing that the Government would over hype and present the transfer of property from one state agency to another as a major jobs announcement. It is cruel in the extreme to falsely raise the hopes of 100s of unemployed people in the area. I will provide any support I can to make the headlines a reality. I can’t post a link to the proposed high tech Innovative Campus because it doesn’t appear to have a website yet.
I have asked Fianna Fail’s spokesperson Dara Calleary to raise the issue with the Minister and to seek a commitment from the Government to make the campus a reality by providing funding to have it open for business as soon as possible. I will post any updates I get on the project when I get them. Mary
