Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee will attend an OECD meeting in Paris with competitiveness, innovation and economic resilience on the agenda.
Minister McEntee will highlight Ireland's approach to strengthening competitiveness through investment in research and innovation, skills development, access to finance and digital infrastructure.
She will also outline work under way on Enterprise 2035, Ireland's new national industrial strategy to support enterprise growth and job creation over the coming decade.
The minister will also participate in discussions on the role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in supporting innovation and growth.
She will highlight measures to accelerate the adoption of AI and digital technologies by businesses, particularly SMEs, through Ireland's Digital Ireland strategy, €23 million in support for European Digital Innovation Hubs and the recently launched €21 million National Start-Up Accelerator Programme.
The minister will also outline plans to establish a National AI Office and AI Regulatory Sandbox to support the responsible development and deployment of AI.
Alongside the formal sessions, Minister McEntee will meet with counterparts from a number of OECD member countries to discuss international and bilateral issues.
This will include meetings with New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay, Australia's Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell and France's Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin.
