ICBE welcomes the launch of the new Mid-West Regional Enterprise Plan, supporting projects aimed at boosting regional enterprise development.
MORE than €18 million has been allocated to projects in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary under the latest Mid-West Regional Enterprise Plan launched by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar last weekend with Professor Eamonn Murphy, Mid West Regional Steering Committee Chairman and Managing Director of ICBE.
The plan, which is designed to generate projects that create jobs and help companies to grow in the region, outlines a number of actions and strategic objectives for delivery between now and 2024.
Among the Limerick enterprises that will benefit from the funding are Innovate Limerick/Hospital Foods to develop a digital collaboration centre for applied disruptive technology and the BNest Social Initiative to develop the business capability of social entrepreneurs.
The plan has been developed by a Regional Steering Committee, chaired in the Mid-West by Professor Eamonn Murphy, and including the Enterprise Agencies, Local Enterprise Offices, the Local Authorities, Regional Assembly, higher and further education bodies and local industry leaders among others.
The new Mid-West plan outlines a number of actions and strategic objectives for delivery between now and 2024.
The five strategic objectives are:
- Digitalisation and innovation
- Sustainability
- Enterprise in regional towns/ rural areas
- Supporting SMEs, start-ups and microbusiness
- Social enterprise and tackling areas of high unemployment
The new Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) will have up to €180million in funding nationally, to support the development and implementation of collaborative and innovative projects that can enable and sustain enterprise and employment growth in the regions.
Over the lifetime of the previous plan (2017 to 2020) the Mid-West region secured over €16m in REDF funding across eight projects including the ENGINE Collaboration Centre in Limerick City, Future Mobility Campus in Shannon, National BioEconomy Campus in Tipperary and regionally based business clusters in the Aerospace and Social Enterprise sectors.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Daniel Butler said: “This plan lays the foundations for the development of enterprise right across Limerick and the wider region. It will help us to capitalise on our strengths to provide a meaningful return on the investment, so that Limerick and the mid-west can continue to be seen as innovators and risk-takers.”
Dr Pat Daly, Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council said: “I welcome the publication of this new Mid-West Regional Enterprise Plan which will ensure that the mid-west becomes a leading region for innovation and digital technology while becoming Ireland's leading sustainable low carbon region and I particularly welcome the commitments in the plan to develop the social enterprise sector and specific job creation initiatives for areas with high unemployment’’.
The Mid-West Regional Enterprise Plan is available here.
