An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, TD will perform the Official Opening of The
Rubicon Centre Extension on Cork Institute of Technology¹s Bishopstown
Campus today (Friday) at 2 pm.
The Opening of this extension will bring the total incubation footprint at
CIT to over 3,000m2, providing Enterprise Development Supports to 44
companies currently based in the Rubicon. The success of the Rubicon Centre
has coincided with the success of entrepreneurial activity, at undergraduate
level, with CIT students featuring in the top five of the Enterprise Ireland
Student Enterprise Awards over the last five years.
Companies based at the Centre currently employ 185 people, operating in
knowledge based companies across a wide range of sectors including ICT,
International Traded Services, and New forms of media, Energy and
Environment and Bio-technology. The majority are focused on International
opportunities in European and US markets.
A key factor in its success has been the extent to which it is integrated
into CIT¹s wider activities. CIT has developed an Eco-System which includes
its Genesis, Enterprise Start and Discovery Zone programmes which allow
potential entrepreneurs to progress their ideas into profit.
The Opening of the extension will allow additional entrepreneurs to use its
facilities. The Centre’s extension is already fully committed, with a wide
range of projects been developed to cross the Rubicon. This will see over 50
companies locate there, employing 220+ people.
This project has been jointly funded by CIT and Enterprise Ireland with the
support of the Irish Government (under the National Development Plan 2007
2013) and the European Union through Ireland¹s EU Structural Funds
Programme 2007 2013.
