IDA’s four-year organisational strategy aims to consolidate and build on the positive impact of FDI as Ireland pursues a jobs-led recovery that seizes on the opportunities of the green and digital transitions. We have made significant progress implementing the strategy since its publication in January 2021, including the development of implementation plans by IDA’s operating divisions to support the achievement of objectives across our strategic pillars of Growth, Transformation, Regions, Sustainability and Impact.

Organisational excellence underpins the ambition of IDA’s strategy. A key component of this is building our internal capability to ensure IDA teams can effectively influence decision making and investment by clients on training and sustainability at a local and corporate level. The revised structures put in place in late 2020 are now well embedded in the organisation. The new structure most notably includes dedicated client facing teams focused on transformation of people and processes and the green economy.

In implementing the strategy, we have enhanced our focus on sustainability in all its forms, engaged with other investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and the OECD on best practice, and put in place training for our teams to ensure we have the required knowledge and capability to deliver on our objectives. As we strive towards organisational excellence, work is also underway on our ambitious Digital Transformation Programme, which aims to enhance the client experience and make IDA the most digitally enabled investment promotion Agency (IPA) in the world.

We have also made progress across other key supporting initiatives for the achievement of the strategy’s objectives. IDA is partnering with Local Authorities and working closely with the private sector as part of the Regional Property Programme, through which we will deliver 19 new advance buildings from 2021-24 to regional locations.

The Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC), which will provide a space for Irish and foreign firms to trial, adapt, and scale new technologies is on track to open later in 2022. The AMC will position Ireland’s manufacturing base at the forefront of digital transformation and next generation sustainable manufacturing. Investment in the scaling of the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) in the emerging field of cell and gene therapies also progressed during 2021.

IDA is grateful for the Exchequer funding provided to the Agency across these and other initiatives, which will help in the delivery of our 2021-24 strategy targets and strengthen Ireland’s value proposition for FDI for years to come. 

This excerpt was taken from the Chairman & CEO Overview in IDA Ireland's Annual Report and Accounts 2021, which can be viewed in full here

IDA Ireland's full strategy document Driving Recovery And Sustainable Growth 2021-2024 is available for download here