26/06/2012

Minister Announces 14 Winners Of €200k Fund To Stimulate New Activity

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton TD, has unveiled the 14 successful winners of Enterprise Ireland’s €200K Pilot Competitive Feasibility Fund aimed at stimulating start ups and creating jobs in the South East.

The fund, which was launched earlier this year as part of the Government’s South East Employment Action Plan, offered funding of up to €25,000 to support entrepreneurs explore the feasibility of start-up ideas with job-creating potential in the South East region. Companies in the ICT, industrial and food sectors based in Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary were eligible to apply.

The range of start-up ideas selected for support cover a range of sectors including food, renewable energy, medical devices, mobile payments, LED lighting, software, life sciences. Enterprise Ireland is now working closely with the entrepreneurs to help them develop the potential of their start-up ideas.

Making the announcement as he met the winners in Waterford today Minister Bruton said: "Key to addressing the employment crisis in Ireland and in the South East is building a strong engine of indigenous enterprise. Foreign direct investment will continue to play a hugely important role in our economy, and we must continually seek to increase the range of multinational companies investing in Ireland and also increase the impact they have on our economy. But we must also crucially seek to ensure that we have more indigenous companies starting-up, succeeding, expanding, exporting, and ultimately creating jobs.

"The announcement that 14 dynamic, innovative start-up companies, based in the South East and operating in key growth sectors, will have access to funding of up to €25,000 each is very welcome news. By continuing to support companies like these, and by implementing other measures in the Action Plan for Jobs, I am determined to ensure that we build powerful indigenous businesses and create the jobs we need."

(CD/GK)

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