TAOISEACH OPENS RUBICON CENTRE EXTENSION AT CIT

An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, TD performed the Official Opening of The Rubicon Centre Extension on Cork Institute of Technology’s Bishopstown Campus on Friday, October 22nd.

The Opening of this extension brings 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 CIT’s 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 Ireland’s EU Structural Funds Programme 2007 – 2013.