Tag: #dublin

Amazon Dublin Celebrates First Anniversary

The team at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dublin recently celebrated its first anniversary by hosting a week of activities for employees, including a fancy-dress day, prize giveaways and carnival games.

The state-of-the-art fulfilment centre, which created 500 jobs when it opened in August 2022, provides faster delivery for customers across the country, including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items.

The 630,000 square foot centre at Baldonnell Business Park, holds millions of items that are picked, packed and shipped to customers across Ireland as well as the rest of Europe.

One of the team celebrating the first anniversary during the week of fun activities was Colm Jennings. Colm said: “Amazon has provided me with amazing opportunities to work on numerous projects, including site visits from the Tánaiste and volunteering at local charities. It’s great that we can celebrate all of our achievements and these events have been the perfect way to have fun and round off our first year together.”

Since opening its doors, the Dublin fulfilment centre has supported many community organisations locally, with donations totalling €24,000. Charities supported by the team at Amazon in Dublin include Cliona’s Foundation, Jigsaw and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.

Lee Cox is one of the employees who helped launch the Dublin fulfilment centre and ended up with more than just a job. He said: “The past year has been full of amazing opportunities and experiences thanks to the Amazon family in Dublin. Before joining, I started my training in Edinburgh and didn’t realise that I would meet my future wife along the way.

Lee Cox

“Thanks to our paths colliding, we have a new member of the family with the birth of our first son. Without the opportunity to launch Amazon in Dublin, I would never have met my partner, had my little boy and made the amazing friends I have here in Ireland.”

Tule Skurzinskaite is an inventory control and quality assurance manager at Amazon in Dublin. Tule added: “The highlight of my time at Amazon in Dublin is the opportunity to develop within my role alongside a supportive and positive team. Thank you, Amazon, for believing in me and supporting my growth as an employee and as a person.”

Darragh Kelly, General Manager at Amazon in Dublin, said: “It has been a privilege to work with the many great teams that have delivered the significant investment in Ireland to enable even faster delivery speeds for our customers. I am proud that we offer all kinds of jobs across a wide range of disciplines reflecting the range of skills and abilities in communities across Ireland. In the first 12 months of operations, it has also been great to welcome many of our local political representatives to the site.

“Over the past two weeks we have taken time to celebrate the first year of full operations of our centre in Baldonnell. We continue to forge strong links with the community, including charities such as Angel Eyes, Barretstown and many more. I’m excited for the future where we will continue to build on the success of what we have achieved so far.”

Amazon provides competitive pay, excellent benefits, and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. Amazon pays its employees in Dublin, whether they are full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal, at least €14.25 per hour. Employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package including include private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.

Amazon offers employees Career Choice, an innovative programme which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to €12,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role.

Dublin set to be home to new international arts and technology festival – Beta

The Digital Hub, in partnership with Aisling Murray and with the support of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), are putting in place plans for a new international arts and technology festival for Ireland. Beta, which will take place across 4 days in November, is seeking to critically engage with technology’s impact on society through a combination of creativity, debate, and experimentation.

Beta will focus on a number of key themes which are dominating the technology discussion at present, including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, data rights and sustainability. The festival has identified a need to bring together Ireland’s research and digital arts communities in order to foster a discussion about how the two disciplines can combine for the benefit of society.

Beta is led by Aisling Murray, a curator and creative producer with 15 years’ experience across exhibitions, festivals, literature, spoken word, theatre and dance. She most recently worked with the Goethe-Institut Irland in developing their Quantum Technology Art residency and curated the inaugural art and science stage at Electric Picnic funded by SFI. Prior to this she worked for Science Gallery Dublin where she produced national and international creative programmes converging art, science, technology and society.

Ultimately, the festival organisers are aiming to position Ireland as a leader in the intersection of art and technology programming in an audience-centred way to engage the public playfully and critically with new technologies. Beta will also include performances, discussion, workshops and a nighttime programme over the 4 days.

Beta has already confirmed a number of acclaimed artists to participate in this year’s festival including Libby Heaney, Leon Butler and Peter Power.

Two unique works have been commissioned to support the launch of Beta. Artist Leon Butler has imagined what the identity of a festival of art and technology could be and has generated a new font seen in the Beta logo. The final logo almost looks hand drawn or screen printed with beautifully imperfect edges – this intersection of cutting-edge technology and human creativity is exactly what Beta will explore with the festival.

Beta’s website, which launched today, features a new commission from artist and designer Farouk Alao. Specialising in 3D motion and web design, he has drawn inspiration from nature, his world, and human emotions. His vision explores the intersection of reality and imagination. The motion piece on Beta’s website, called the Beta cube, positions Beta as a centre point in which art, technology and creativity resolve and makes use of the unique font designed by Butler.

Beta is also launching a new international residency in partnership with transmediale in Berlin supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. Transmediale is one of the leading and longest running festivals for art and digital culture in Europe. The Beta x transmediale residency will bring together four artists from Ireland and Germany to explore critical perspectives on artificial intelligence and digital art. Taking place as a hybrid residency with 2 weeks online, 3 weeks in Dublin, Ireland and 3 weeks in Berlin, Germany, the residency programme will provide space, resources and mentorship to four artists to develop new artworks that generate new imaginaries around climate resilience and political polarisation.

Aisling Murray, Director of Beta, said:

“Beta has the potential to really put Ireland on the map in terms of the intersection of research, technology and digital arts. Each of these disciplines continues to grow from strength to strength, which is why it’s very timely that Beta is now coming to fruition. The Digital Hub are the ideal co-founder for this with their experience both creatively and with industry, I’m so grateful for their support and excited to create an anchor point in the year for the communities interested in these themes.. I’m hugely excited for what is going to be 4 days of immersive content, performance and discussion in Dublin 8. The Liberties is a really important aspect of this festival, steeped in history, culture and innovation it is the perfect meeting place for what we want Beta to symbolise.”

The Digital Hub has a strong track record in supporting digital technology industries, creative enterprises, and community learning programmes in Dublin 8 and beyond. Beta is aimed to be both the culmination of various activities within the Liberties campus, as well as a starting point for further discussion on how to make complex technologies more accessible to communities.

The Digital Hub and Aisling Murray are being supported in its preparations for Beta by SFI, The Arts Council, Project Arts Centre, Goethe Institut, Alliance Française, British Council, ADAPT Research Centre, and NCAD Gallery. More information: https://betafestival.ie/

US based Utility Innovation Group establishes European HQ in Dublin following acquisition of Irish energy advisory firm

Utility Innovation Group (UIG), a leading US-based provider of advanced energy solutions, has today announced the strategic acquisition of Enicity, a leading advisory firm specialising in the application of innovative energy technologies in modern power systems based in Ireland. Following the minority investment by Gothenburg, Sweden based Volvo Penta in April, the acquisition will see UIG establish a formal European headquarters in Dublin as it positions itself for accelerated expansion into the wider European energy market.

The global journey towards decarbonisation is presenting new and complex challenges for electric utilities and Large Energy Users (LEUs), including data centres, in all major economies. As people strive to reduce their carbon footprint and transition to cleaner more diverse energy sources, electric utilities and operators are under increasing pressure to optimise their infrastructure and integrate renewable energy into their grids all while ensuring reliable power supply which minimises environmental impact.

Founded by utility veteran Alan McHugh, Enicity has established itself as an influential player across the European energy sector, known for its partnership approach and commitment to smart and sustainable energy solutions for utilities and LEUs. By incorporating Enicity’s regulatory experience, utility facing capability, and established network, UIG further compliments its wealth of system integration expertise as they deploy their battery energy storage, distributed generation, and GridSure controls platform within the European market. Alan McHugh, will continue onwards as Managing Director of Europe for UIG. The acquisition aligns with UIG’s mission to revolutionise the global energy landscape and underscores its commitment to influencing the growth of decentralized and advanced utility systems worldwide.

Derek Tugwell, President, UIG, added: “Acquiring Enicity represents a major milestone in our expansion strategy. The European energy market offers tremendous potential for growth, and with Enicity’s impressive track record and partnership approach, we are well-positioned to make a substantial impact. EU markets are already facing complex challenges in terms of adapting power and grid infrastructure to a new electric landscape, and we have shown that our expertise and solutions platform provides a new means to overcome these challenges.”

Alan McHugh, Managing Director, Enicity said: “We are delighted to become part of the Utility Innovation Group family. This partnership marks an exciting new chapter, as we combine our expertise with UIG’s vast resources, solutions platform, and global reach. Together, we are poised to bring unparalleled innovation to the European energy market and drive the adoption of sustainable energy solutions at scale.”

Esri Ireland is working with TU Dublin to inspire prospective third-level students to pursue a career in geographic science

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), is working with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) to inspire prospective third-level students to pursue a career in GIS.

GIS is a technology that creates, analyses, and maps all types of location-based data. A degree in Geospatial Surveying opens the door to work in almost every industry and there are exciting jobs in retail, government, engineering, conservation, renewable energy, architecture, space exploration and even the gaming, film and entertainment industries. GIS isn’t just for geographers. The technology can be used to build interactive web or smartphone apps, integrated with emerging new artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, or used for awe-inspiring 3D visualisations and virtual reality.

In TU Dublin, students have access to Esri’s innovative digital mapping system, ArcGIS Pro, through the BSc in Geospatial Surveying (Geographic Science). Esri Ireland is also spearheading a new mentoring and executive coaching programme as part of the course, to help final year students prepare themselves for working life and growing their careers.

The use of location-based information has grown exponentially in recent years, leading to a global shortage of people with GIS skills. This course has been designed to provide hands-on experience, where students use Topcon surveying equipment to collect data and Esri’s GIS system to analyse and understand that data. The Geospatial Surveying course at TU Dublin has a 100% employment record because graduates enter the workforce with the valuable skills employers are looking for.

CAO applicants can change their course choices free of charge until Saturday 1st July.

Kaseya raises funds for Dublin Simon Community

Kaseya, the global leader in IT and cybersecurity infrastructure management software for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) launched their ‘Cooper Cares’ initiative last year which is dedicated to assisting the communities that Kaseya serves with a primary focus on charitable organisations for children, veterans and animals.

As part of this initiative, Kaseya is partnering with Dublin Simon Community for Kaseya DattoCon Europe 2023 which will be held next week in Dublin.

Dublin Simon Community works to prevent and address homelessness in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan. They provide services at all stages of homelessness and enable people to move to a place they can call home. Kaseya will be collecting funds and supplies to lend their support to this charity which has already raised over €6,500. You can donate here.

Canadian Biotechnology Company Zymeworks to establish a Clinical and Regulatory Operations European Headquarters in Dublin

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris today announced that Zymeworks Inc. (NASDAQ: ZYME), a global biotechnology company committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics, is to establish a Clinical and Regulatory European Headquarters in Dublin with the creation of up to 20 new roles across activities such as regulatory affairs, clinical operations, clinical data management and support functions.

Zymeworks, which develops therapeutics to address difficult-to-treat cancers and other serious diseases has established an office in Dublin Airport Business Park, Swords and has recruited Jeffrey Smith, MD to serve as Senior Vice President of Early-Stage Development based in Dublin.  The new Clinical and Regulatory European Headquarters will enable Zymeworks to coordinate clinical trials in the EU and progress early-stage clinical programs through its drug development process.

Speaking about the announcement, Minister Harris said “I am delighted to see the launch of this new headquarters in Dublin.

“I recently met with Zymeworks in Vancouver where I was delighted to hear about the company’s plans for its new entity in Ireland.  We have an established ecosystem for pharmaceutical and biopharma activity in Ireland offering regulatory stability, a talented workforce and easy access to the EU market.

“This announcement is another vote of confidence in Ireland, in our life sciences sector and in the talent of the Irish people.”

Commenting on the new entity Kenneth Galbraith, Chair and CEO, Zymeworks said “Zymeworks is at an exciting stage of global expansion with a portfolio of antibody-drug conjugates and multispecific antibody therapeutics in clinical trials and preclinical development. We are excited to announce our establishment in Dublin, which will provide us with the opportunity to engage with European cancer researchers and investigators, and recruit a larger proportion of patients in clinical studies planned in the European Union during the global drug development process.”

Welcoming the announcement, Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland said “Ireland’s life sciences sector has a global reputation for operational and innovational excellence.  Zymeworks joins a growing cluster of biopharmaceutical companies establishing corporate and technical management operations in Ireland.  Zymeworks is the first Canadian biopharmaceutical company to establish an international headquarters in Ireland and IDA Ireland is committed to winning more investment from the region. We welcome the company’s plans to create high value career opportunities and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Zymeworks.”

Payzone to sponsor Bleeper bikes across Dublin

Payzone, Ireland’s largest consumer payments network, has today announced a new sponsorship agreement with Bleeper, Ireland’s first dockless bike-sharing service. The agreement will see Payzone sponsor 800 of Bleeper’s public bikes operated in Dublin City, Fingal, and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councils.

Today’s announcement comes ahead of further moves planned by Payzone to expand its current range of services within its popular Parking application. Payzone has brought various innovations to motorists over the years and the application is ideally placed to implement a broad range of future value-added features. This will include a range of services which will make it easier for the travelling public to go about their daily lives, using one single application, regardless of how they commute, whether by Car, Bus, Rail, Taxi, Bike, Scooter or on Foot. This will also become instrumental in promoting sustainability.

Bleeper provides smart solutions for everyday transport offering a sustainable alternative to individuals commuting around the capital. Bleeper is on a mission to fight climate change, one journey at a time. In 2022 Bleeper users avoided emitting approximately 59,199kg of CO2 by choosing to cycle for their everyday trips.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Jim Deignan, CEO, Payzone Ireland said, “Bike sharing has grown in popularity across Europe in recent years and Bleeper is a very successful cycle hire scheme operating here in Dublin. We have plans to expand the Payzone parking application to offer our customers a range of additional mobility-related services, with sustainable transport being at the forefront of these plans.

“We’re delighted to partner with Bleeper to promote alternative modes of transport. We feel the partnership aligns with our future vision for Payzone and demonstrates our commitment to sustainable transport and supports the Government’s stated ambition of active travel.”

Bleeper offers a range of sustainable travel solutions from its shared public bikes and shared private bikes to its newly launched LeaseBike subscription service. The Payzone brand will be displayed on both sides of the middle ad board of the Bleeper public bike for the duration of the 12-month sponsorship.

Hugh Cooney, founder of Bleeper said, “Making it easier to access bike sharing schemes like Bleeper can only help with growing the number of people cycling. We are excited to be partnering with Payzone and to be the first mobility service available in the Payzone app. Dublin is an ideal city to get around by bike and this partnership is another step towards making it a little easier to do that.”

In addition to the sponsorship, Bleeper bikes will be discoverable on the Payzone App from the beginning of July, making it easier for individuals to find a Bleeper bike near them.

Payzone and Bleeper are actively involved with Mobility Partnership Ireland, a private sector coalition with the vision for Ireland to develop as a European and global leader in sustainable mobility. Representing car sharing, bus travel, ride-hailing, e-cargo and bike-sharing modes of transport, their shared aim is to place the needs of transport users at the heart of transport policy, enable innovation, promote public health and support climate action.

ZF Expands Software Technology Hub in Dublin

The ZF Group, a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology, today announced the expansion of its Software Technology Hub in Dublin city centre with plans to hire 25 new employees. ZF is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

ZF has been operational in Ireland since 2006 and currently employs 45 software engineers. In line with ZF’s objective of enabling the next generation of mobility, the Dublin office has consistently demonstrated its capacity to innovate and deliver Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud solutions to support the digital strategy of the ZF Group. Building on the track record and reputation for excellence, ZF has identified the Dublin office as a key player in delivering its vision and strategy.

The investment in 25 new highly skilled software engineering and business roles, over the next 12 months, demonstrates ZF’s continued commitment to invest in digitalization to revolutionise mobility and create new opportunities for its products, providing the best possible service to its clients. Software engineers at ZF will use the latest tech stacks, to create cutting edge solutions that solve real world problems for ZF’s customers. Open job opportunities at ZF are posted at: Dublin – ZF Group Jobs

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD said: “I am delighted to hear the ZF Group have announced plans to expand their Software Technology Hub, creating 25 new software engineering and business roles in Dublin. The new jobs will be a very welcome boost for the city. It is also encouraging to see a globally recognised technology company further invest and grow in Ireland. The announcement again underscores Ireland’s position as a global hub for the world’s leading tech companies. Our skilled workforce are highly sought after and this announcement ensures they will again play a huge part in advancements in the software and technology space. Best of luck to all the team at ZF Group.”

ZF’s Martin Sharkey, Site Leader of the Dublin location: “As a leader in new and emerging mobility solutions, ZF is passionate about leveraging its knowledge and experience to help protect the integrity of the commercial vehicle and aftermarket. The expansion of our facility combines our industry commitment, along with the fact that trending software development technologies will provide global businesses with the opportunity to grow and become more diversified. There is a wealth of talent in Ireland, and we are excited to be able to invest in the engineers of the future.”

Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland said: “The expansion of ZF to add an additional 25 software engineers to their growing team here is most welcome. Ireland is an ideal location in terms of talent from which ZF can continue to grow and expand their offering. I wish the team continued success here.’’

Google Maps launches Immersive View in Dublin.

Google Maps is expanding Immersive View to new cities and landmarks, introducing a simpler way to navigate, and updating Recents on desktop Google Maps. The great news is this includes Dublin and for those who will now begin their holidays or those who will travel to Dublin should check the latest update out, check out the news below.

In many parts of the world, summer is here  —- which often means time for trip planning and exploration. Today, we’re sharing three new updates from Google Maps to help you make the most of your summer adventures.

Immersive View: rolling out to new cities and available for 500+ landmarks around the 

Earlier this year, we launched Immersive View to transform the way you explore — using AI to fuse together billions of images and create a multidimensional view of the world with trusted information layered on top. Today, we’re starting to roll out Immersive View in four new cities: Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence and Venice — and are expanding it to over 500 iconic landmarks around the world, from Prague Castle to the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Android and iOS.

So if you’re planning a trip to Boston and want to see the historic Faneuil Hall, you can get a jump start on familiarizing yourself with the area before you visit. Just search for it in Google Maps and tap on the first video to virtually soar over the building and find places nearby. With the time slider, you can see what the weather will be like at different times of day and how crowded it will be so you can plan ahead. And where we have data available, you can peek inside of restaurants and cafes to help you decide whether you want to make a reservation — thanks to an advanced AI technique called neural radiance fields, or NeRF — which was developed right here at Google.

Track your trip progress with glanceable directions, which start rolling out this month

While we love the rich details of Immersive View, we also know that sometimes less is more — especially when you’re somewhat familiar with your route and just need to see when the next turn is. That’s why we’re launching glanceable directions in Maps, helping you easily track your trip progress right from your lock screen or route overview.

Once you opt in, just request directions to your destination and get going. You’ll see updated ETAs and where to make your next turn — information that was previously only available in comprehensive navigation mode. And if you decide to take another path, we’ll update your trip automatically. Glanceable directions start rolling out globally this month for walking, cycling and driving modes on Android and iOS.

Stay organized and plan trips with new updates to Recents on desktop 

One of the most difficult parts of planning a trip is keeping track of all the places you want to visit — especially if you’re visiting multiple cities. We built Recents on desktop to help with just that. It automatically organizes places you’ve researched into a handy highlight on the left side of your screen when you open Maps.

Now, with new updates rolling out globally next month, we’ll save places in your Recent highlights even after you close your Google Maps window — so you can take a break from planning and come back to it later without ever losing your progress. You can remove places you’ve viewed, plan multiple trips at once and share a selection of places — like attractions or hotels — with your travel buddy to get their thoughts. Once you know where you want to visit, select three or more destinations, click “directions,” and Maps will even create a custom route that hits all your stops and saves it to your Recents. Who’s up for a summer road trip!

Whether you’re hitting up local gems, a national park or flying halfway around the world, let Google Maps be your ultimate travel companion this year.