But such firms, however successful, offer a limited number of jobs: Andor employs only 300 people.

ECONOMIST: Northern Ireland's economy

Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor told MEPs that the four bodies are vital in delivering European policies in employment and social policy areas.

BBC: European employment statement

Anthony George Andor Wates, Lately Headteacher, Tavistock County Primary School, West Devon.

BBC: Education honoured

One of Qubis's stars is Andor, founded in 1989 by a physics graduate student, Hugh Cormican, who hit on new imaging technology.

ECONOMIST: Northern Ireland's economy

Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor said forthcoming legislation on a European patent system, and on further cuts to mobile roaming charges could go some way to boosting the economy.

BBC: Democracy Live site links

Despite these setbacks, Mr. Andor, one of the EU's most outspoken, if not most powerful, commissioners, still believes that a euro-zone unemployment fund will one day become a reality.

WSJ: Europeans Stay Rooted, Despite Economy

Professor Monds said Andor was "an excellent example of the entrepreneurship and commitment to innovation which is at the core of Invest NI's strategy to accelerate Northern Ireland's economic growth".

BBC: NI's top exporter is named

The biggest barrier is of course language, and Mr. Andor says that countries like Spain and Italy were too slow to teach young people languages like German that could help them find jobs.

WSJ: Europeans Stay Rooted, Despite Economy

On Friday, Mr. Andor will present measures to improve labor mobility in the EU. But as he concedes, these are mostly about better implementation of existing rules, for instance by getting countries to set up agencies to inform migrant workers about their rights.

WSJ: Europeans Stay Rooted, Despite Economy