IRISH FIRMS SECURED €5.1m in contracts while on a ‘technology trade mission’ to Australia, it was announced today.

Minister for Small Business, John Perry TD, said that the firms secured the funds while on the trip, which was organised by Enterprise Ireland.

In 2010, Irish exports to Australia grew by €26m.

Minister Perry said:

This was a highly successful and constructive trade mission.  Not only did Irish companies secure €5.1m in prestigious contracts but we also opened up a number of doors in strategic sectors such as medical technologies and financial services.

He added that Ireland’s technologies closely match Australia’s needs and he is confident that Irish exports to Australia will enjoy further growth over the coming two to three years.

In total, 45 Irish technology firms participated in the mission, which focused on developing Irish software and services exports to Australia.

There were a number of business partnerships formed and contracts signed on the trip.

In the healthcare field, Health Care Informed secured over €200k in new business with leading Australian healthcare institutions, while engineering documentation management company, Zutec, achieved new business with The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne and The Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth.

Meanwhile, Daon secured and delivered the first phase of a multi-million dollar contract with a “key regional financial institution” and customer retention and employee performance company Deep Insight  secured over €100k in new business with two of Australia’s largest corporations.

Next week, a trade mission will be brought to the Southern States of the US while trade missions to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Quatar, and South Africa are also planned to take place between now and the end of the year.