Border Enterprise Development Fund 2020

Background

On the 3rd of January 2020 Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD announced an economic stimulus package for the Border Region. The Stimulus Package, which applies to counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth, is designed to drive enterprise capability across these counties. The purpose of this is to assist the Border Region build resilience in order to mitigate the impact of market challenges, such as Brexit and transition to a low carbon environment.

The Border Region Stimulus Package is comprised of four funding initiatives administered by Enterprise Ireland (EI), the Border Region Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). The breakdown of the Stimulus Package, by initiative, is presented below.

The Border Enterprise Development Fund 2020

The €15m Border Enterprise Development Fund 2020 to be administrated by Enterprise Ireland, on behalf of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, will provide support for collaborative, enterprise capability building projects, to advance entrepreneurship, productivity and innovation in the Border Region. The aim of the fund is to improve the international competitiveness of enterprise in the Border Region in the context of Brexit and other market challenges.

The Fund will build on initiatives, such as the Regional Enterprise Development Fund and the Regional Technology Cluster Fund and is aligned to national enterprise policy such as, Regional Enterprise Plans; Future Jobs Ireland; Climate Action Plan; Brexit Preparedness and Enterprise Ireland’s “Powering the Regions” Border Region initiatives.

Objectives

To improve the international competitiveness of enterprise¹ in the Border Region in the context of Brexit and other market challenges, the objectives of the Border Enterprise Development Fund 2020 are to:

• Support collaborative projects that will deliver initiatives which will have a positive impact on entrepreneurial activity, and / or productivity, and/or innovative capability of enterprise;
• Enhance collaboration to assist enterprise respond to economic and market challenges, such as Brexit and transition to a low carbon economy; and
• Enhance the productivity and new product development opportunities of SMEs in order to increase the number of exporters, level of exports and to create and sustain employment in the Border Region.

Fund Structure

To deliver on these objectives, the fund is comprised of two funding streams. The funding streams are detailed below.

Stream 1: Support for Border Region Strengthening Projects to strengthen enterprise capability and capacity in the Border Region. Projects should be focused on implementing local, county or regional based initiatives. Initiatives will be aimed at addressing identified gaps in enterprise capability and capacity or the purposes of facilitating and supporting:

• entrepreneurial activity;
• productivity; and/or
• the innovative capability of enterprise.

Projects will have funding requirements that range from €100k up to €500k, in eligible expenses, per project towards capital and current costs.

Stream 2: Support for Strategic Change Projects with regional, multi-regional or national collaborations with a focus on delivering increased enterprise capability in the Border Region. Projects must focus on delivering capability and capacity building initiatives for enterprise. Under this stream projects should seek to utilise infrastructure where available. Consideration will be given to funding new buildings if an infrastructure gap is clearly demonstrable. Projects will have funding requirements that range from €500k up to €5m, in eligible expenses, per project towards capital and current costs.

Note:

• Funding will be available for a 3-year period following the date of approval^{2 3}.
• In exceptional cases, where a project is not physically located in the Border Region and its impact is 100 per cent focused on enterprise in the Border Region, consideration will be given to such projects.
• Advance payments may be available for projects where capital expenditure is €1 million or more. If further detail is required, please contact your local Enterprise Ireland Regional Office.
• Please note that funding for this call is subject to scheme approval.

Enterprise Ireland can approve up to 80% of total eligible grant expenditure (as defined in section 10) over the period of funding. Capital costs for New Build and Refurbishment/Renovations supported will be limited to a maximum of 80% of the total approved funding by Enterprise Ireland. For example, an approved project with €1m of eligible expenses maybe approved funding of €800k by Enterprise Ireland. Based on this, the maximum support for capital costs for New Build and Refurbishment/Renovations will be limited to 80% of €800k – i.e. €640k.

Balance of funding⁴ of minimum 20% may be from the private, community or public sector (including HEIs and Local Authorities). The balance of funding of 20% can be in cash or in-kind (with a cash min. of 10%). *

* Note: In-kind contribution will only be accepted in the form of the following:

Notional value of a premises if donated by one of the parties i.e. market value of potential lease over the period proposed (the applicant groups must own the building or must hold a lease of not less than 15 years).

Salary costs of staff seconded full time to the project by one of the applicant group members.

Eligible Applicants

To be eligible for funding applicants must be one of the following:

• Applicants will be not for profit entities that are registered Designated Activity Company, (DAC) or a Company Limited by Guarantee, (CLG) with the CRO under the Companies Act 2014 prior to submission of their applications by 3pm on 22nd of April 2020.
• They must comprise national/regional, county and local stakeholders, with a purpose of benefiting the wider needs of the community and region/nation as defined in funding Stream 1 and 2.
• Be a public body, such as Local Authorities, Institutes of Technology and other agencies of the State, that are involved in a collaborative proposal with enterprise and other local and regional stakeholders, with a purpose of benefiting the wider needs of the community and region as defined in funding Stream 1 and 2. Please note where a project is led by a public body, the submitted project must be additional to the public body’s existing work programme.

The constitution of the applicant shall provide that:

• No payment (other than reasonable and proper payments for services rendered, vouched expenses or rent for premises let to the company) is transferred, or distribution is made, directly or indirectly to a member; and
• Upon a winding up or dissolution of the company, no transfer, payment or distribution may be made to a member, but that instead, all net assets shall be given up or transferred to some other institution or institutions having main objects similar to the main objects of the company and which shall prohibit the distribute on of its or their income and property amongst its or their members to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the company.

Full details on the Border Enterprise Development Fund is available by downloading the Border Enterprise Development Fund Reference document (Word format).

Application forms are available by downloading the Border Enterprise Development Fund Application Form (Word format).

Note: only applications submitted on the official application form will be considered.

Completed application forms must be sent to the following email address:

GA-BEDF@enterprise-ireland.com

Closing Date / Time for Applications

Completed applications must be received by 3pm on Wednesday 22nd April 2020.

Applications received after 3pm on the date of the call close will not be considered.

Contact

For further information, please contact: BEDF@enterprise-ireland.com

Or alternatively, contact the following Enterprise Ireland Regional Executives based in your location:

North West 

Aidan McKenna  +353 42 935 4420

Carole Brenan   +353 71 915 9726

Joan Mullen  +353 71 915 9732

North-East

Aidan McKenna  +353 42 935 4420

Anne Caldwell   +353 42 935 4429

Deirdre Craven  +353 42 935 4426

Dublin

Eoghan Hanrahan +353 1 727 2289

Deirdre O'Neill  +353 1 727 2145

South-East

Martin Corkery   +353 21 480 0229

Brian Fives  +353 51 333 537

Midlands and Mid-East

Michael Brougham +353 90 648 7121

James Maloney   +353 90 648 7125

Mark Atterbury  +353 90 648 7128

Ena Coleman +353 1 727 2787

South

Martin Corkery   +353 21 480 0229

Ciara Concannon  +353 21 480 0231

Jacqui Norton   +353 21 480 0228

Mid-West & Kerry

Jerry Moloney +353 61 777 018

Catherine Hogan  +353 61 777 009

Harriet Cotter  +353 61 777 015

West

Burga Fullam +353 91 735 929

Margaret Charleton  +353 91 735 946

Or contact your local Regional Enterprise Ireland office.

¹ The term enterprise refers to start-ups, micro-enterprise, SMEs and large companies.

² Except for eligible personnel costs. Approved projects under this fund have up to 24-months to appoint a person to the post after the date of grant approval. The post must be maintained for a 3-year period.

³ Enterprise Ireland reserves the right to extend the funding period in exceptional circumstances on a case by case basis.

⁴ This reference to funding is a reference to overall project funding.