Brexit: Act On Initiative
The Brexit: Act On programme has been developed to focus on three main areas of capability (1) Financial and Currency Management (2) Strategic Sourcing and (3) Customs and Logistics. Delivered over the course of two half day sessions with an independent consultant, the initiative helps companies decide on specific actions over a short period to address some of the risks and opportunities from Brexit.
This initiative for Enterprise Ireland clients is delivered at no cost to the company.
The Brexit: Act On Initiative helps Brexit exposed companies to create a strong action plan and identify the opportunities and risks that Brexit may pose to your business.
The initiative is available to Enterprise Ireland clients and is delivered at no cost to the company. The initiative is intended to help companies strengthen their capabilities in three key business areas:
(1) Financial and Currency Management
(2) Strategic Sourcing
(3) Customs and Logistics
The structure of the assignment between the company and the consultant is outlined below:
A half day with the consultant and your company to discuss your current arrangements and the challenges that Brexit brings
Consultant spending a half day analysing the findings and formulating practical advice and recommended actions for your company
Consultant spending a further half day with your company discussing the advice and recommendations and agreeing on an action plan that clearly outlines the various actions
A final half day spent by the consultant preparing a unique and specific report for your company, articulating the challenges and actions agreed (including details of dates and responsibilities).
Eligibility Criteria: You must be an Enterprise Ireland client who is directly or indirectly exposed to the UK market. Please complete the Brexit scorecard before applying.
Be Prepared Grant
The Be Prepared Grant is designed for Enterprise Ireland clients who would benefit from further research and external expertise in examining their exposure to Brexit and exploring ways of addressing this.
The grant, which offers up to €5,000 or 50% of the total cost in financial support, can be used to help cover consultancy, travel and expenses for both domestic and international employee travel. The grant is intended to provide strategic support to clients to use internal resources or a third-party consultant to undertake a short project to determine how the company could respond to Brexit.
Be Prepared Grant
The Be Prepared Grant offers up to €5,000 to assist in the cost of developing a strategic response to Brexit.
The grant is intended to provide support to clients to use external resources to undertake a short assignment to determine how the company could respond to the threats and opportunities of Brexit. The grant can be used to cover consultant’s fees, travel and expenses for both domestic and international employee travel.
The support might involve:
Researching opportunities in new markets
Investing in innovation to differentiate and stay ahead of the competition
Reviewing and optimising sourcing, transport and logistic arrangements
Strengthening financial and currency management
Preparing a worst case scenario plan
Understanding customs procedures with third countries
More information on the Be Prepared Grant is available here.
Eligibility Criteria: You must be an Enterprise Ireland client who is directly or indirectly exposed to the UK market. Please complete the Brexit scorecard before applying.
Strategic Consultancy Grant
The grant supports the hiring of a strategic consultant typically over a longer period to assist the company in the development and/or the implementation of strategic initiatives. It is designed to facilitate business growth as the consultants can act as coach, mentor, facilitator, analyst for the company.
Eligible projects must be new assignments of strategic significance to the company such as a specific strategic review of one or more business functions e.g. review of the company’s treasury policy and/or implementation of a new strategic initiative e.g. preparation and implementation of new multi-currency forecasting tools and procedures.
Strategic Consultancy Grant
Overview of the Strategic Consultancy Grant
The SME Strategic Consultancy grant can support the cost of hiring Strategic Consultants to assist in the development and/or implementation of strategic initiatives in the SME. It is designed to facilitate business growth as the consultants can act as coach, mentor, facilitator, analyst, negotiator and/or operator for the company.
Eligible projects must be new assignments of strategic significance to the company such as a specific strategic review of one or more business functions and/or implementation of a new strategic initiative at a corporate or functional level.
The Strategic Consultancy Grant cannot be used to subsidise regular company operating costs. Routine or ongoing outsourced consultancy costs such as PR, marketing, legal, financial costs are not eligible for support.
Consultancy costs relating to an Acumen Consultancy or Acumen Prospector assignment, pre-approved by Intertrade Ireland, must also apply for grant support using the Strategic Consultancy Grant online application forms.
Am I eligible?
Eligible companies include;
A manufacturing or internationally traded services SME company employing 10-249 people.
Companies not eligible to receive the support applied for from An Bord Bia or An Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
What costs are eligible and what is the maximum funding available?
Up to 50% of the costs incurred in hiring a consultant to a maximum grant amount of €35,000. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis and the level of funding will be determined following assessment of;
(a) the merits of providing grant support to the activity set out in the application
(b) the need for financial support
(c) previous funding provided to the company
(d) potential for employment and sales growth
Receipt of other grants from Enterprise Ireland may impact on your eligibility for support under this initiative.
Eligible Expenditures Maximum Limits and Notes
Consultancy Fees
Costs of hiring a specialist consultant to input into or undertake the proposed project.
Max. Consultancy rate is €900 per day.
Daily rate to be inclusive of travel and subsistence and all out-of-pocket expenses.
Where more than one consultant is being used from the same firm the daily rate applies to the firm.
Where there is more than one consultancy firm involved on the project, the rate applies to each firm separately.
Acumen Consultancy: Support of up to 50% of the cost of the consultancy at a maximum daily rate of €900, up to a maximum grant of €5,000. The consultancy period can be spread over a six to twelve month period.
Acumen Prospector: Support of up to 50% of the cost of the consultancy at a maximum daily rate of €900, up to a maximum grant of €10,000. The Prospector consultancy period can be spread over a six to twelve month period.
How do I Apply?
Apply via the Enterprise Ireland Online Application System.
Prior to applying you must do the following:
Contact your assigned Enterprise Ireland Adviser to discuss your application.
First time applicants will be required to register on the Enterprise Ireland Online Application System.
Any expenditure incurred prior to receipt of the application will not be eligible for grant aid.
Call close dates
You may apply all year.
Key contact/more information
Contact your Enterprise Ireland Adviser.
If you are seeking consultancy grant support for an Acumen Consultancy or Acumen Prospector assignment, go to Acumen Programme.
Market Discovery Fund
One of the key aims of the Market Discovery Fund is to specifically support companies in their market diversification plans. The grant aims to incentivise companies to research viable and sustainable market entry strategies. Companies can seek support to develop new geographic markets for existing/new products OR develop new products for existing geographic markets. It provides support towards internal costs e.g. wages/ salaries, foreign travel and market research material and external costs e.g. market consultants, trade fair expenses, rental of temporary office space.
Overview of the Market Discovery Fund
The aim of the Market Discovery Fund is to incentivise companies to research viable and sustainable market entry strategies in new geographic markets. It provides support towards internal and external costs incurred when researching new markets for products and services. Support can be provided over an 18 month period from project start date to project end date.
Support for Market Discovery Fund applies when eligible companies are either looking at a new geographic market for an existing product/service or an existing geographic market for a new product/service.
A company can apply for support for Market Discovery Fund more than once provided each application considers a new market for an existing product or existing market for a new product.
The Market Discovery Fund is available across three levels:
Level 1: Grant up to €35K
Level 2: Grant greater than €35K but less than €75K
Level 3: Grant greater than €75K but less than €150K.
The Market Discovery Fund is open to applications from:
HPSUs (Level 1 and 2 only)
SMEs (Levels 1-3)
Large Companies (Levels 2 and 3)
Support may be approved against eligible expenditure across a range of categories including: Salaries, Overheads, Travel & Subsistence (Overseas), Consultancy, Business Accelerator, Trade Fairs, Reports, Collateral and Rent of Office Space associated with the Market Discovery project.
Am I eligible?
You are eligible to apply for a Market Discovery Fund if you are a client of Enterprise Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta meet the following criteria:
Manufacturing or eligible internationally traded services companies.
Have demonstrated the capacity to internationalise.
HPSU’s engaged in eligible activities
(please discuss with your Development Adviser for further detail on HPSU eligibility):
HPSU’s must meet the following criteria:
Have a minimum of 5 full-time employees (based in Ireland) at the time of application
Have been approved an EI equity investment
Have drawn down the equity investment at least 6 months prior to application for the Market Discovery Grant
Small and Medium Established sized companies engaged in eligible activities.
Large companies engaged in eligible activities can access Level 2 and 3 support only.
With the exception of HPSUs, all companies must be trading for more than 5 years, minimum of 10 employees in the state, with sustainable annual revenues of at least €500K and are EBITDA positive in the last 9 months.
Not have raised external finance in the form of equity in the previous 6 months.
Food companies are not currently eligible for the Market Discovery Fund.
In addition, support for Market Discovery Fund applies when eligible companies are either looking at a new geographic market for an existing product/service or an existing geographic market for a new product/service.
What is the maximum grant?
The maximum funding is 50% of eligible expenditure up to a maximum grant of €150,000.
What activities are eligible?
The grant allows the client to:
Undertake primary and secondary market research
Establish the market potential and barriers to entry
Identify, profile and contact potential customers in the context of primary research to determine their needs, requirements and validate pain points that are assumed to be addressed by the company’s product/service
Review of competitor landscape
Assess route to market options
Identify other relevant stakeholders in the market e.g. trade associations, industry groups/networks
Comparative pricing, research and modelling
Review of market regulations / legislation to inform potential product/service customisation
Lead generation activities i.e. building a target list based on research findings
New supplier research required to service the specific market being targeted
Time spent on developing a market strategy and plan for the future
Eligible Expenditure
The client may use any or all of the following resources to undertake the market research. Further details are available by downloading Market Discovery Fund Company Guidelines.
1. Wages and Salary Support
Wages and salary costs of personnel assigned to the project can be supported.
The maximum eligible salary is €80,000 per annum per employee exclusive of employer’s PRSI and bonuses.
The company has the option to;
Place an existing or new employee(s) in market for the purposes of undertaking the project assignment and/or
Appoint new employee(s) / re-assign an existing employee(s) who would be based in Ireland to undertake market research.
2. Overheads
Overheads are eligible up to a maximum of 30% of wages and salaries.
3. Foreign Travel
Only Travel and Subsistence costs for overseas trips related to the proposed project are allowed.
Foreign Travel and Subsistence costs must be for company employees.
4. Consultancy
Costs of hiring a consultant(s)/consultancy firm to input or undertake the proposed project are set at a Maximum of €900 per day.
4.1 Business Accelerator
A Business Accelerator is an Enterprise Ireland appointed in-market industry expert within a specific sector and market, with the experience, knowledge and contacts to support a company’s expansion and development into an export market.
Maximum Daily Rate of €1,500 per day for a maximum of 25 days, inclusive of consultant’s time and all associated travel, subsistence and out of pocket expenses.
5. Trade Fair Costs
Not available to Large Companies.
The maximum financial assistance available for Trade Fair participation is €75K (expenditure).
6. Rental of Temporary Office Space
Up to a maximum of €25,000 expenditure for office rent in the new market for a maximum duration of 18 months. The office is to be used for the purposes of the new market assessment only and not for sales or distribution activities.
7. Market Research Materials / Collateral
Market Research Materials
The cost of purchasing reports and databases relating to a new market/sector are eligible for support.
Collateral
The development cost of market collateral for use in the new market is eligible. The cost can include designing collateral, localisation, market specific value proposition messaging and translation for market testing.
How do I apply?
All applications for funding should be discussed with your Enterprise Ireland Adviser prior to submission.
Apply via the Enterprise Ireland Online Application System.
Prior to applying you must do the following:
Contact your assigned Enterprise Ireland Adviser to discuss your application.
First time applicants will be required to register on the Enterprise Ireland Online Application System.
Any expenditure incurred prior to receipt of the application by Enterprise Ireland will not be eligible for grant aid.
What are the call close dates?
You may apply all year.
Key contact/more information
Contact your Enterprise Ireland Adviser and download Market Discovery Fund Company Guidelines for more information.
If you are not a client, please contact your nearest Enterprise Ireland regional office.
Company Funding by Stage of Development
Have a Startup Idea
High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Funding
Established SME Funding (> 10 employees)
Large Company Funding (>250 Employees)
Researchers in Higher Education Institutes
ERDF
Agile Innovation Fund
The Agile Innovation Fund has been developed to support product, service and process innovation to build competitive advantage.
Compared to the other established Innovation supports from Enterprise Ireland, this fund is geared towards clients in sectors with rapid design cycles or have not previously applied for RD&I support. The key benefit of this support is that it allows for a simple application process and delivers a faster response time from application to approval.
The new Agile Innovation Fund allows companies to access up to 50% in support towards innovation projects with a total cost of up to €300,000.
Upcoming Promotional Events
Why Choose the Agile Innovation Fund?
Am I Eligible?
Funding Rate
Before Submitting your Application
How to Apply
Contact Us
Why Choose the Agile Innovation Fund?
The benefits of choosing the Agile Innovation Fund include:
Helps companies in sectors with rapid design cycles keep their advantage by offering an online application and Fast-Track-Approval process
Companies can access up to 50% funding, where the grant requested is < €150k (total project cost < €300k)
The Fund is open to Enterprise Ireland clients and non-Enterprise Ireland clients, and applications may be submitted at anytime
Business Innovation
Business Innovation projects are also eligible to apply under Agile Innovation
Business Innovation projects aim to put in place a new service-delivery, production-method or a change to the business model of the company
Am I Eligible?
You are eligible to apply for Agile Innovation Funding, if:
Your company is an Irish based manufacturing or internationally traded services companY
You can show adequate cash resources to implement the proposed RD&I project
EI High Potential Start Up (HPSU) Client companies are eligible to apply if:
Sustainable revenues of €500,000 have been achieved
The company is EBITDA + in the previous accounting period (or previous 9 months prior to application) and can demonstrate future EBITDA + status
No external finance in the form of equity (subject to no double funding) has been raised in the previous 6 months
Funding Rate
Grant rates are determined by the type of project and the size of the company. Companies can access up to 50% funding, where the grant requested is < €150k (total project cost < €300k). A bonus of up to 15% is available for projects where there is collaboration between two companies. However, in this case, the maximum grant cannot exceed 50% of the total project costs.
Applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Completing an Application for RD&I and Agile Innovation Funding for additional information in relation to which category their project falls under.
Before Submitting your Application
Please read Enterprise Ireland’s:
Guidelines for Completing an Application for RD&I and Agile Innovation Funding
RD&I Fund Reference document
Agile Innovation Fund – Project Change process
Enterprise Ireland is a development agency that aims to work with you to ensure your company gets the most from any financial support and as a result, EI funding is provided against an agreed company growth plan.
For non-EI Clients, please download and fill in an Outline Proposal. Email the completed Outline Proposal to RandDOutlineProposals@enterprise-ireland.com. The proposal will be reviewed, and a relevant EI person will contact you to discuss the proposed project.
For EI Clients, please contact your Development Adviser (DA)* or the Client Relationship Team to discuss your project before applying. EI Clients can also submit an Outline Proposal as above.
*If you don’t know your company’s DA, please use EI’s DA Finder Tool to search for them.
How to Apply?
The Agile Innovation Fund is an online application process. You must create an account within the system to start an application. Applications are separated into sections, which all need to be completed correctly. Full guidance for completing each section can be found within the system.
A separate Project Plan is required as part of your application. The Project Plan should be completed by the Technical Lead for the project. Details on submitting the Project Plan separately are included in the confirmation email you will receive when your online application has been completed and submitted to Enterprise Ireland.
Contact us
For upcoming events , go to Agile Innovation Fund – Upcoming Promotional Events.
For further information, please email:
rdcoreunit@enterprise-ireland.com
For information about R&D Projects and Innovation Projects, go to Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I),
Company Funding by Stage of Development
Have a Startup Idea
High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Funding
Established SME Funding (> 10 employees)
Large Company Funding (>250 Employees)
Researchers in Higher Education Institutes
ERDF
Operational Excellence Offer
The new Operational Excellence Offer enables Irish companies trading internationally to develop or transform their wider business in order to compete more effectively.
Through a single, integrated application process the offer allows eligible companies to access financial support for business or operational change projects as well as the capability building and capital investment associated with innovation. The goal is to incentivise and support the key elements of a larger transformation project leading to significantly increased competitiveness.
To help you stay ahead of the competition in a rapidly evolving business landscape, Enterprise Ireland has introduced the new Operational Excellence Offer. This offer enables Irish companies trading internationally to develop or transform their wider business in order to compete more effectively.
Through a single, integrated application process the offer allows eligible companies to access financial support for business or operational change projects as well as the capability building and capital investment associated with innovation. The goal is to incentivise and support the key elements of a larger transformation project leading to significantly increased competitiveness.
For more information or to begin the application process, please contact your Development Adviser.
