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€20m Regional Enterprise Strategy Launched In The Midlands

Tuesday, 1 March 2022 11:29

It’s identified three key areas of growth and investment between now and 2024.

A €20 million plan to increase job opportunities and develop local enterprise in the midlands is being launched today. 

It’s identified three key areas of growth and investment between now and 2024.

The Junior Minister for Enterprise, local TD Robert Troy, hadn't far to travel to launch the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan in Mullingar this morning.

It’s one of nine new regional plans receiving €180 million in funding - meaning we can expect to get €20 million.

The money will go towards funding local enterprise projects - with a particular focus on climate action, digitalisation and place-making - ultimately making the midlands a better place to live, study, work and invest.

Beneficiaries of previous plans in the midlands include the venue of today’s launch, Irish Manufacturing Research in Mullingar, the remote working hub in Mountmellick, and a creative suite at the iLOFAR telescope at Birr Castle.)

Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy outlined the importance of the plan, saying;

“I am delighted to launch the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 in Mullingar. This Plan represents the coming together of public and private sectors across Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath to address the challenges unique to our region, and identify and put in place measures to seize the opportunities for the Midlands now and going forward.

“I want to congratulate Anne Cusack, Chair of the Midlands Steering Committee, Sarah Morgan, Midlands Programme Manager, and all the Steering Committee members for their work to develop this new plan for the region. I have had the pleasure of working with Anne and the Committee over the past year on this and am delighted to see the final product.

“I have been determined to ensure that funding will be available to underpin the ambitions of the Regional Enterprise Plans and I am very pleased that we have secured up to €180 million in funding over the coming years. This is necessary for the development of collaborative regional projects of scale that will drive delivery of the objectives developed in this Midlands Plan, and I encourage all to look at how best this funding can be used to support regional job creation and enterprise development into the future.”

Delivering balanced regional growth is a stated objective within the Programme for Government and in the Economic Recovery Plan 2021. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment contributes to the regional agenda in a number of ways, including through the enterprise agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland; the Local Enterprise Offices and through national enterprise policy.

Chair of the Midlands Regional Steering Committee, which put the plan together, Anne Cusack added;

“I am delighted that Minister Troy is here with us today to launch the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan for 2024. The Minister has been a great support throughout the development of this Plan.

I would like to thank the Steering Committee members across Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath for their full commitment to the region and to the development of the plan which is the result of thorough consultation with our stakeholders. Our plan for the Region is focused on the transition to low-carbon, whilst capitalising on the region’s strengths through smart specialisation as well as positioning the Midlands as a great place to live, work, study, visit and invest.

I look forward to working closely with the Minister and our Committee members as we move to implementation stage.”

Among the beneficiaries of previous regional development funding are... 

Project

  

REDF funding

  

RETS funding

  

Project description

  

Irish Manufacturing Research

  

€2,165,280

  

€581,600

  

This project aims to develop and commercialise next generation manufacturing technologies, through a collaborative industrial engagement business model.

  

Mountmellick Development Association CLG

  

€218,200

  

n/a

  

Facility providing open plan hot desks, office pods, meeting, teleconferencing rooms and state of the art commercial kitchen

  

Offaly Innovation & Design Centre CLG

  

€458,240

  

n/a

  

A creative suite to provide a unique central location and space to access big data through the iLOFAR telescope at Birr Castle.

  

Portlaoise Innovation Centre DAC

  

€2,050,560

  

n/a

  

Incubation hub to develop a Low Carbon Centre of Excellence, to attract and develop companies with a low carbon focus.

  

Premier Lakelands Food Hub

  

€1,358,000

  

 

n/a

 

  

Development of a state-of-the-art food hub and  incubation space for micro scale food producers..

  

Total

  

 

€6,250,289

  

€581,600

  

TOTAL FUNDING: €6,831,880

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