U.S.-Irish Investment Partnerships Continue to Strengthen

Last year, the investment promotion agency IDA Ireland achieved a record 323 foreign direct investments (FDIs), 78 of them from new investors. “This success is built on our ability to support forward-looking industries such as technology, life sciences, international financial services and high-value manufacturing and engineering,” asserts the agency’s CEO Michael Lohan, who points to recent major inflows from the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, IBM, Citi, Dexcom and Intel.

A major advantage for investors is universal access to free, world-class education. “Ireland has one of Europe’s highest shares of science, technology, engineering and math graduates,” he notes. “We complement this by attracting skilled professionals from across Europe and the world, maintaining an open and welcoming environment where people can build careers.”

Incentives are competitive too, with a standard corporate tax rate of 12.5%, rising to 15% for large businesses. “However, what matters most to investors is that Ireland is a stable platform for firms to land, scale and grow,” says Lohan. “Many U.S. companies have been here for over 70 years because we create long-term partnerships. As a result, Ireland has a leading semiconductor ecosystem and is one of the world’s top three hubs for medtech, for instance.”

Inward investors also highlight effective one-stop-shop facilitation of investments, led by IDA Ireland. “Today, we partner with around 1,800 client companies: about 1,000 from North America, 600 from Europe and 200 from the rest of the world,” he details, adding that IDA Ireland has 22 international offices, including ones in Palo Alto and Irvine.

The impact of those clients can be seen across the nation. “FDI has strengthened Irish enterprise by integrating local companies into global supply chains,” Lohan states. “IDA Ireland is dedicated to balanced regional development, aiming for 55% of all investments to be located outside Dublin.”

Another priority is innovation, and IDA Ireland’s clients committed a record $2.9 billion to research and development last year. “In our five-year strategy to 2029, we have set a goal to deliver $8 billion in R&D. This reflects Ireland’s status as a highly innovative economy,” he reveals. “A key strength is how deeply R&D investment connects into Ireland’s ecosystem, linking firms with universities, research institutions and technology centers.”

Within the same strategy, IDA Ireland has identified four strategic growth drivers for the country: artificial intelligence and digitalization, semiconductors, sustainability and healthcare. “Ireland has strong ecosystems in these areas and is well placed to help them evolve,” says the CEO. “Our ambition is clear: to stay at the leading edge of innovation, while remaining a trusted pro-enterprise location of choice for investors.”

Although Ireland has been attracting U.S. investors for decades, the American presence there has changed, according to Shane Hogan, managing partner of Matheson, a leading Irish commercial law firm.

Shane Hogan, Managing Partner, Matheson “Ireland has evolved from an investment destination into a strategic location for long-term growth and repeat investment. Today, it is a European hub for multinationals, with substantial operations and thousands of employees,” he states. “American trade buyers and private equity remain a dominant source of capital in Irish mergers and acquisitions (M&As) too, although we are seeing growing participation from European investors, reflecting Ireland’s strength as an investment jurisdiction and the quality of assets available.”

With around 930 legal professionals and six offices, including ones in Palo Alto, San Francisco and New York, Matheson has advised on many of the most significant M&As. “Overall, we are focused on advising internationally oriented companies and financial institutions doing business in and from Ireland,” he says.

At the start of 2025, there were concerns within Ireland that changes in U.S. policies could negatively impact inward investment. “In reality, U.S. investment reached a record high last year. In a period of global uncertainty, Ireland offers a stable and consistent gateway to the European Union,” notes Hogan.

The countries share a two-way economic partnership. For instance, 87 Irish companies attended May’s SelectUSA Investment Summit in Maryland, the largest European delegation at the U.S.’s main event for international firms expanding or starting operations in the country.

This also highlights the increasing globalization of Irish businesses, particularly in areas such as advanced manufacturing, high-tech construction, life sciences, digital technology, fintech and nutrition. In 2025, for example, exports from indigenous Irish exporters supported by trade and innovation development agency Enterprise Ireland rose by 8% to reach $45 billion.

“North America was the third-largest market for our clients, with their exports there growing to $8.5 billion, while more than 100 Irish firms entered the U.S. in 2024 and 2025,” states Enterprise Ireland’s CEO Jenny Melia. “Furthermore, Irish companies are among the five biggest foreign investors in the U.S. That underpins a robust, trusted transatlantic innovation corridor.”

(Jenny Melia, CEO, Enterprise Ireland) Dedicated to helping indigenous businesses set up and scale internationally, Enterprise Ireland is a crucial facilitator of this corridor and operates seven offices across the U.S. “We view it as multiple regional ecosystems with different sectoral strengths,” she explains.

Melia’s team of 900 staff is ambitious for innovative exporters to become a primary driver of the Irish economy. “A major strength in Ireland is our talent base and track record in industry-academia collaboration. Enterprise Ireland acts as a bridge between the two, bringing technology out of universities while feeding market insights and needs back in,” she details. “We also place strong emphasis on startups, supporting them directly and investing in seed and venture capital funds to attract private and international capital.”

The scale of this funding is impressive: Enterprise Ireland has completed more venture capital deals than any other European investor in the past 10 years, and the country is one of the highest per-capita investors in tech entrepreneurs worldwide. The agency’s goal is to advance 1,000 innovative startups between 2025 and 2029. According to the CEO, “A priority is ensuring a strong funding pathway, which is particularly important in areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing where firms need to scale at pace.”