The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, today launched a new €12m Enterprise Centre Fund to help enterprise centres impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The fund is administered by Enterprise Ireland.
Enterprise centres, which are in every region of the country, provide space, training, advice and administer grants to hundreds of companies and entrepreneurs throughout Ireland.
The Enterprise Centre Fund is part of the government’s July Stimulus package, a €7.4bn package of measures designed to stimulate a jobs-led recovery and build economic confidence while continuing to manage the impact of Covid-19.
The Fund is open to both not-for-profit and for-profit enterprise centres which have seen their income significantly impacted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Grant funding of between €10,000 and €150,000 is available. The Government says the grants will help them implement a recovery plan to reboot their centres over the next six to twelve months.
Speaking today at the Guinness Enterprise Centre in Dublin 8, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said, "We are determined to do everything we can to assist businesses during this difficult time. Enterprise centres support over 2,000 companies and thousands of jobs in every region in the country. They provide space, training, finance and advice to entrepreneurs and their services will be especially important over the coming months. This funding will help them put in place a recovery plan which will ensure they can continue to deliver for all parts of Ireland. Applications are open from today and I encourage all centres who have been impacted to apply."
CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Julie Sinnamon added, "Enterprise Centres provide a critical regional infrastructure for entrepreneurs, start-up companies and small enterprise. The €12m Enterprise Centre Fund, available from today through Enterprise Ireland, provides financial support to help eligible Enterprise Centres to continue to provide important services to start-ups in towns and villages across Ireland. These Enterprise Centres have a key role in supporting regional enterprise and contributing to economic recovery, post Covid-19."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
