Published on Monday29thMay2017

€60m Boost to the Regions will Support Enterprise and Jobs

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Pictured in Birr Castle Co. Offaly are from left: Minister of State for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen, Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O' Connor, Julie Sinnamon, CEO Enterprise Ireland and Jerry Moloney, Regional Director Enterprise Ireland

Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor and Minister of State for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen today launched a new Regional Enterprise Development Fund of up to €60m.

The Fund is aimed at accelerating economic recovery in every part of the country by delivering on the potential of local and regional enterprise strengths. The Fund will support significant collaborative regional initiatives to build on specific industry sectoral strengths and improve enterprise capability, thereby driving job creation. 

Under a competitive process, Enterprise Ireland is now seeking applications for funding under four streams with varying investment levels:

  1. Major Change Projects - €2m up to €5m per project,
  2. Regionally Significant Projects - €250,000 up to €2m per project,
  3. Local & Community Enterprise Development  Projects - €50,000 up to €250,000 per project,
  4. Industry Clusters- €50,000 up to €250,000 per project.

Launching the Fund, Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor said:

The Regional Action Plans aim to ensure that regional Ireland gets its fair share of economic growth and investment. I want to seecollaborative projects that will boost the regions by supporting enterprise and creating jobs. Through this fund, I am delighted to be backing local stakeholders to drive their own futures by putting forward their own innovative proposals to deliver sustainable employment.

The Regional Action Plans for Jobs seek to build on the strengths and opportunities in each region and to build a regional ecosystem including a diversity of companies and sectors, sectoral clusters, a spirit of innovation and collaboration, a good physical and digital infrastructure and appropriate research and technology capability.

Details of the competitive process are available on Enterprise Ireland’s website www.enterprise-ireland.com/REDF.

The closing date for applications is 18th August 2017.