M-SParc welcomed Welsh and Irish ministers to meet their tenants, hear more about the skills programme and business support that they provide, and witness the Welsh language being used daily as the language of business.
Simon Harries, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Ireland) and Lesley Griffiths MS, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning, and Rural Affairs in the Senedd, attended the event.
The Ministers sat down with the M-SParc team to find out about their various projects and ambitions. The visit from members of the Welsh and Irish Governments to Ynys Môn was also an opportunity to meet M-SParc tenants with an Irish connection, including Micron Agritech and CapVentis both of whom are investing in Wales
Micron Agritech have designed a device to test for parasites in animal faeces and remove the need for blanket administration of antibiotics. They joined the M-SParc ecosystem when their idea won the AgriTech Hack.
Madeleine Bucki, Veterinary Lead for Micron Agritech said
“We were awarded funding as part of the AgriHack, and we employed two people in Wales following that. Since then, we’ve pitched at an event at M-SParc and built links with the ecosystem here in Wales. We’ve vets in Wales trialling the kit, so we’re expanding here as well. It’s going to be an exciting 12 months.”
Find out more about M-SParc’s soft landing support for companies moving to Wales, here.
The Minister Simon Harries said
“There’s so much we can do against the Irish-Welsh backdrop now, around skills, business, and more. There’s opportunity if we look to each other (rather than to London, Manchester, and so on), to collaborate further.”
The Welsh language was also discussed, and the Minister continued
“We look to you (Wales) around minority languages, we’ve made some progress and can learn from you. That’s an area across government to collaborate on.”
Pryderi ap Rhisiart, M-SParc Managing Director, said
“We’re always pleased to showcase our fantastic tenants, and our connection to Ireland is a strong one that we’ll continue to foster. It was great to be able to share our skills work with the Ministers, and show how we support our tenants to create well-paid jobs that graduates from Bangor University & local people can take advantage of. This is all done of course through the Welsh language, another factor that we consider a strength, and it was great to see the Irish Minister celebrating this also.”
The visit was an excellent platform to continue developing Welsh -Irish relations, and M-SParc will be visiting Ireland again at the beginning of 2024 to continue developing collaboration opportunities to drive the Welsh economy forward.
